Integrated Hospitality Marketing Communication Strategies at Marriott

This report provides an in-depth evaluation of integrated marketing communication strategies within the hospitality industry, using Marriott International as a case study. It assesses various marketing channels, including traditional and digital approaches, and their effectiveness in achieving communication objectives. The report explores Marriott's marketing mix, pricing strategies, and the use of user-generated content. It also examines communication objectives, such as increasing market growth, retaining customer share, and enhancing brand awareness. The report further discusses the role of communication objectives in improving business performance and fostering cooperation among employees. Finally, it touches upon the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry and suggests communication strategies for recovery and growth. This document is available on Desklib, a platform offering study tools and solved assignments for students.

Integrated Hospitality Marketing
Communications

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.......................................................................................................................................3
Evaluate different marketing channels and how they serve communication objectives for various
hospitality organisations..................................................................................................................3
Channels of Marketing communication. .........................................................................................6
Integrated Marketing Plan...............................................................................................................7
Communication Strategies...............................................................................................................8
Evaluation of Integrated Marketing Plan.........................................................................................9
Review the success of the monitoring and impact of the integrated marketing communications
plan ..................................................................................................................................................9
Recommendations............................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
The term integrated marketing communication is refereed as the process which is used to combine
the marketing Communication elements such as, Public relations, social media tools, principles of
business development. This also relates with the advertising of the brand to identify its approach
towards the different media channels. The Integrated marketing communication is a multi
dimensional component that combines various form of traditional and new marketing practises such
as social media, Digital marketing. This is considered as an important tool for the marketers as it is
a holistic approach which can be used by the Various business and the organisation so that they can
opt different strategies and tactics of marketing communications so as to achieve the organisational
goals(Farrington, Antony and O’Gorman, 2018). By using effective and efficient Integrated
marketing communication techniques, the marketers can create, execute and track the multi
dimensional advertising and communication messages that can be used to make the customers
aware about the products and services that are provided by the Business. This report will be based
on Marriott, which is a well known reputed chain of Hotel That operates, franchises and licenses in
hospitality management. The Core values of the company is based on the Culture and the principles
of the Society.
MAIN BODY
Evaluate different marketing channels and how they serve communication
objectives for various hospitality organisations
Marriott International Inc. is an American multinational company that operates, franchises and
licenses including hotel and residential properties. This hospitality ,management chain is
headquartered in Bethesda Maryland. The company was founded by J. Willard Marriott and his wife
Alice Marriott. Marriott is the largest hotel chain in the world by the Availability of rooms. It has 30
Brans with 8000 proprieties companying around 1,423,044 rooms having excellent facilities and
features which attracts the most of the customers fro worldwide, making it more loyal and
trustworthy for the customers to rely on. The company has Expanded its Ritz Carlton Holdings.
The company has also awarded in November 2020, as one of the Top 75 companies for Executive
women. It was also recognised by the International Hospitality management on the Global 100 in
Hospitality(Kulišić, 2019). Marriott is considered as one of The Most Luxurious collection of Hotel

in the World as it provides a large variety of Features and Facilities such as Craft Luxury travel and
Exclusive comfort to the customers sop that it can maintain a well known reputed position in the
Long run so as to Increase the profit and the Revenue of the company. The Brand is famous
worldwide as it offers a variety f collection and provides the Best of its quality to its customers by
giving three options to choose according to their purchasing capacity such as, Luxury, Distinctive
and Premium which can be chosen by the customers. The Company is known for its Excellent
Brand value and qualities which makes it different from other chain of hotels in the hospitality
sector. this company is recognised world wide and is chosen by the High Class sectors so as to gain
New and best Experience from this Excellent Hotel chain(Koc and Ayyildiz, 2021). The Marketing
communications is referred as the messages and various media that are used by the marketers so
that they ca communicate with their targeted customers(Okumus and et.al., 2019) The Marriott is a
well known chain of the Hotels which is using various forms of marketing Communications such
as,
 social Media marketing, Advertising and marketing Campaigns which can be effective and
efficient so as to make the customers aware about the features and the facilitates offered by
the chain and other characteristics which makes it differentiated from the competitors of
hospitality sector.
 The company also has an effective marketing mix strategies which helps it in delivering
the best of its quality to its customers. The company is focused on providing the
distinguished category of its services such as, Luxury and premium.
 The Pricing Strategy of Marriott varies from hotel and Experiences. The main motive of
The Company is based on providing the Maximum satisfaction to the customers so that
they can provide them with good Experience.
 Marriott is also using User generated Content Strategy so that it can collaborate with
Various Influencers.
 The Golden Rule of the company to interact with its customers is that it treats the people in
a way it wants to be treated.
The Marketing communications are helpful in promoting different values to the customers as well
as the various sections of the Business. The marketing communication removes various kinds of
communication Barriers so that the marketers can perform various functions of marketing and they
can interact freely with the customers too(Banerjee and Mandal, 2018). The marketing
communications used by Marriott are quite effective in helping other departments of the company
as well such as, The proper working of the staff and the employers relates to the operational
department and its smooth working by which the various activities can be managed in an efficient
Manner so that work delay and work burden can be reduced. The next communication strategy is to

provide the best of the quality to the customers which directly relates to the generation of revenue
so that the company can achieve the step of success by following different values and principles
which are considered as an important part of the Business.
The Digital marketing and the effective promotion tools will also help the Marriott company to
boost up the sales by making people aware about the exclusive services offered by the Brand to its
customers.
The marketing Channels of Communication that are used by Marriott such as Advertising and
Campaign can Hep the company to reach the Mass Audience , as it is considered as an effective and
efficient tool which can promote the Brand value s well as it also helps the company to make the
targeted customers aware about its products and services. This Tool also promotes the Bookings and
Revenue of the company so that it can reach out to the Potential customers conveying about their
Unique Selling proposition and Brand Values. This also encourages the reach of the company
towards its customers (Hati and Idris, 2019).
Devise communication objectives and justify appropriate channel selection and integration
The Term communication objectives is referred as the Primary objectives of the Company which
are considered as the important part of The business and the organisation so that they can convey
information, Instructions and policies sp that the customers and various users so that they can read,
hear and understand about the objectives that are provided by the company. Communication
objectives can improve the performance as well as the productivity of the business and the
organisation by making the Business more effective and efficient towards conveying their core
objectives and messages to the targeted customers which can also help to make the best possible
outcome from the customers. The Effective communication pays an Important role in the
organisation as it promotes good values, clarifies goals and objectives of the company and reduces
the chances of misunderstandings by promoting clarity and transparency for the better
understanding.
The Communication objectives plays a important role in the business and the organisation as it
promotes cooperation among the Employees which increases the Trust and undertaking by making
it easier to share information and Reducing Issues. These Objectives are the terms of actions and
routine operations which accompany undertakes to present useful content and information to
achieve market growth or any related objective(Shamich, 2020). Being one of the major juggernauts
of the hospitality industry, the Marriott hotel chain has been hit terribly hard by the COVID-19
pandemic which has resulted in losses accruing millions of dollars and the company laying off its
employees in record numbers. In order to move into a more favourable market position, the
company will have to get its operations in order, for the purpose of which some marketing
communication objectives have been listed herein.

 Increasing the market growth rate of the company and the associated hotel chains by 10% by
the end of 2022
 Retaining a customer share of 25% across major hospitality business divisions which are
customer centric in nature such as marketing and customer service
 Increasing the brand awareness of the Marriott hotel chain by at least 40% across in terms of
both online and offline presence
 Introducing the hotel chain to new locations and markets and start initiating plans to expand
into 1 major global location by the end of the year
In order to achieve these objectives through building a proper marketing communication plan,
various channels of communications will be utilized which are listed herein along with their
justification.
Channels of Marketing communication.
 Traditional Marketing communication
The Traditional Marketing tools do not rely on the Internet world as these channels are elated with
the old strategies and tactics that are used by the Marketers so that thyb xcan target their customers
and other people to make them ware about the product and services offered by the Company(Jumaa,
2018). For Eg, Physical mail, Radio ads, Television ads, Telemarketing and Print ads. Marriott is a
Big chain of Hotel which is using various forms of Traditional marketing such as, Television ads
and Billboards so that they can aware their customers.
 Digital Marketing Communication channels
The Digital Marketing communication channels are referred as the most effective and efficient tools
of Marketing communication channels which are used by Various Business and te organisation such
as Marriott, The Brand uses digital marketing as a platform to initiate its communication with the
Customers by using various Platforms such as, Social media, Websites, Blogs and Podcasts so that
it can promote its brand image and Qualities to the customers by Opting the Digital marketing tools.
 Advertising and Campaigns
The Marriott is also using the various tools of Advertising and Campaigns so that it can make the
Mass customers aware about the products and the Services of the company. This is considered as
an effective tool of Marketing communication.
Marriott hotel employs various elements of the marketing mix in order to promote their business
operations in a proper manner and the above proposed marketing communication objectives will
benefit its marketing mix in the following manner (Rosário, Raimundo and Cruz, 2022).
 The Marriott chain will be providing new varieties of the services as it is increasing its

current market share by 10%
 The Company is also encouraging itself to increase the customer share which is quite related
with the Price as it is an approach for the betterment of the customers
 The place of Marriott is also diversifying along with the period of time as it is opting new
geographical locations so as to modify the current operations at new place.
 By Using Effective promotional Techniques The Brand has also increased its awareness
and Reputation by 40% in the offline as well as online mode.
Integrated Marketing Plan
Objectives Communication Business unit Actions to be
taken
Timeline
Increasing the
Market growth
rate by 10%
Public Relations Sales Building The
Harmonious
Relationship with
the customers
6 Months
Promoting the
Brand Value
Advertising and
Campaigns
Product
Development
Using Different
tools to promote
the Brand Image
9 Months
Design and produce content appropriate to the channel and communication objectives and
Determine the communication strategies that can be used to help achieve these objectives.
The Marriott is a well known reputed company which is focused on providing the Best of its
Quality to its customers. The Hotel chain is Quite effective and Efficient towards its tasks and
Activities so that it can maintain a good position in the Market. The Communication Tools that were
used by the Marriott chain are, Traditional marketing tools, Digital Marketing tools and Advertising
campaigns. these re considered as The important tools which can be opted by various Business and
the organisation so that they can promote good values and can Communicate effectively with the
customers. The Marriott company can add various contents to the Communication tools adapted by
them so that it can achieve the Communication objectives.
 The Marriott Company Can Switch to the Modern Marketing Strategies and tactics such as
social Media, Digital marketing and Website promotion so that it can provide a best

approach for the customers to promote its products and services by interacting with the
effective and Efficient way with the Customers.
 The Marriott Group should also promote its Brand Awareness Through the Advertising and
Campaigns and by using Banners so that it can make more and more People aware about its
Brand as well as the Features and Qualities so that it can attract the Targeted customers in
the Best possible way(Thomas, Jose and Upadhyay, 2019).
 The Marriott Group can create a Brand logo in an Attractive way so that it can make people
aware about their Hotel by a Symbol or a Logo so as to make it Unique and good.
Communication Strategies.
The Communication strategies is considered as an Effective way so that the Marketers and The
Business can Communicate effectively with their Targeted Customers. Given Below are some of the
communication strategies which can be opted by Marriott so as to achieve the Targeted goals.
 Marketing communication strategy
This Strategy I related with the positioning of the product in an effective way so that it can position
the product from the customer's point of view to satisfy their Needs and wants.
 Efficient Advertising
The Term Advertising plays an important role in making the Mass public Aware about the products
and services of the Company. This Strategy can be used to make the people informed about The
Product Offerings of The Company.
 Enhancing The Corporate Social Responsibility
This is considered as an important component which is opted by Various Business and the
organisation. This can be helpful in Attending to the Needs of Society more Accurately. The
Marriott Should improve its Social Values.
Evaluation of Integrated Marketing Plan
The Above Marketing Plan is considered as an effective and efficient tool which can be opted by
The Marriott Group so that it can reduce the complexities and can Further Enhance its productivity
and Functional abilities in Various areas so that it can achieve the Organisational goals. The
Integrated marketing plan has various objectives such as increasing the Market share and Promoting
the Brand value of the Business(Zahra,2018). This Marketing Plan can be implemented in an
effective way so that it can increase the target market of the company as well as the maximum
satisfaction can be provided by the Marriott company to its customers. The Marriott is Improving

the public relations so that it can increase the market share of the company. The Company is also
Increasing The Brand awareness and Brand Promotion so that it can increase the sales of the
Company in the timeline of 9 Months. This Integrated Marketing plan will al;so add value to the
Current Approach of The Company so that it can Bridge the Gap between where it is and where it
wants to be.
Review the success of the monitoring and impact of the integrated marketing
communications plan
The success of the Business and the organisation can be Measured by various ways such as Key
Performance Indicators and Quality Standards. These are Effective and efficient methods which can
be opted by Marriott so that it can Achieve the Organisational goals. The Key performance indicator
is considered as a tool which is used to measure the performance and track records of the various
tasks and the activities of the organisation so that the performance can be in check on a daily basis.
The Quality standards are the benchmarks which are used to set the Particular goal of the Product or
a service so that the Excellent quality can be provided tp the customers in an effective and efficient
way. These tools can be opted by Marriott so that it can Measure the performance on a Regular
basis.
Recommendations
There are Various ways which can be opted by The Marriott so that it can Improve itself which can
Help the Company to maintain a Well known Reputed position in the Market. Given Below are
Some of the Recommendations
 The Company can Cut off its Overhead Expenses and other costs so that it can maintain a
Good Financial position.
 The Marriott should opt More ways to deliver maximum satisfaction to the customers and
should stay Dynamic according to the Needs and wants of the customers.
 The Marriott group can provide Offers and Discounts to the Customers so that it can Attract
more and more Customers.
 The Marriott Company can also promote The Online booking of The Hotels so that it can
make It more Easy and Convenient for the Customers.

CONCLUSION
The Above report went into detail with various complex topics such as Integrated marketing
communication which is considered as an important part of the Marketing concept. Further more,
The Communication Objectives and Marketing Tools were discussed along with the Strategies and
tactics which can be opted to achieve these objectives. Along with that, The Integrated marketing
plan was developed along with the Implement ion and benefits of the plan for the Marriott
Company so that it can achieve the Targeted objectives and Communication objectives. At the End,
The Performance measurement tools and Recommendations were Highlighted so as to make it more
Clear and understandable.

REFERENCES
Banerjee, S. and Mandal, K., 2018. Advertisement vs societal based marketing communication: An
empirical analytic comparison vis-a-vis profit contribution. Indian Journal of Marketing, 48(6),
pp.7-21.
Farrington, T., Antony, J. and O’Gorman, K.D., 2018. Continuous improvement methodologies and
practices in hospitality and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality
Management.
Hati, S.R.H. and Idris, A., 2019. The role of leader vs organisational credibility in Islamic social
enterprise marketing communication. Journal of Islamic Marketing.
Jumaa, S.E.E.D.Z., 2018. Evaluating the effectiveness of using integrated marketing
communication in charitable societies and institutions. Egyptian Journal of Public Opinion
Research, 17(2), pp.213-269.
Koc, E. and Ayyildiz, A.Y., 2021. An overview of tourism and hospitality scales: Discussion and
recommendations. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights.
Kulišić, K., 2019. Development of revenue management in the hospitality industry (Doctoral
dissertation, University of Rijeka. Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management).
Kupec, V., 2021. A New Concept of The Marketing Communications Diagnostic Audit. Marketing
Identity, 9(1), pp.426-434.
Okumus, F. and et.al., 2019. Strategic management research in hospitality and tourism: a
perspective article. Tourism Review.
Rosário, A.T., Raimundo, R.G. and Cruz, R., 2022. The Impact of Digital Technologies on
Marketing and Communication in the Tourism Industry. Research Anthology on Business
Continuity and Navigating Times of Crisis, pp.748-760.
Shamich, M., 2020. Marketing communication as a key to success for modern business.
Thomas, S., Jose, L. and Upadhyay, D., 2019. Role of integrated marketing commmunication on
online marketing. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 9(1), pp.28-47.
Zahra, I.M., 2018. Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC): The Interdisciplinary Concept.
In Promoting Interdisciplinarity in Knowledge Generation and Problem Solving (pp. 102-123). IGI
Global.
(Farrington, Antony and O’Gorman, 2018) (Kulišić, 2019) (Koc and Ayyildiz, 2021) (Okumus and
et.al., 2019) (Kupec, 2021) (Banerjee and Mandal, 2018) (Hati and Idris, 2019) (Shamich, 2020)
(Jumaa, 2018) (Rosário, Raimundo and Cruz, 2022) (Thomas, Jose and Upadhyay, 2019)
(Zahra,2018)