Marriott International Marketing Plan: A Comprehensive Analysis

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Marriot International company
Marketing essentials for travel and tourism

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Lo1...................................................................................................................................................3
Explain the role of the marketing and how it interrelates with other functional units in a
hospitality organisation....................................................................................................................3
Roles and responsibilities of the marketing function in Marriot international company............4
How roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organisational context.............6
Lo2...................................................................................................................................................7
Comparison of ways in which hospitality organisations use elements of the marketing mix to
achieve overall business objectives.................................................................................................7
Lo3.................................................................................................................................................11
Developing a marketing plan to achieve marketing objectives of the Marriott international
company.........................................................................................................................................11
References......................................................................................................................................13

Introduction
The hospitality business is the most growing business in the world that is proven by the
astronomical rate of the industry .Hospitality industry is the most challenging industry in terms
of the marketing. There are many hospitality organisations who are adopting efficient market
strategies to expand their business. Marriot international is one of the multinational hospitality
organisation that offering a broad portfolio of hotels and other facilities in the hospitality
industry. Its headquarters are in Maryland, United States, and Bethesda. It is founded by J.
Willard and Alice Marriot in the year of 1927. The company has many subsidiaries like
Starwood, Sheraton hotels and resorts (Marriot international history, 2019).
In this report the analysis of marketing function and its importance in the hospitality organisation
will get done. This report is going to include details regarding marketing plan, marketing mix,
relation of marketing with other organisational units and role of the marketing plan in the success
of a hospitality organisation.
Lo1
Role of the marketing and how it interrelates with other functional units in
Marriott international organisation
Marketing
Marketing is the process which involves all those activities which are related to manufacturing to
distribution of the product and services. Marketing includes all the activities starts with
production and ends with the delivery of the products to the end consumers (Jobber and Ellis-
Chadwick, 2012). Marketing also helps in identifying the needs of the consumer and facilitates
the right product and services using the right price, right place and right promotion technique
(Pike, 2015).
Development of marketing concept

Different marketers use different marketing concepts in their business. marketing concepts are
kind of philosophy used to identify the need and wants of the customers which is beneficial for
the customer as well as company .there are five marketing concepts which describe how
marketing changed throughout the years (Bharwani and Jauhari, 2013).
Production concept
In the era of production concept in 1950, the focus was only given to manufacturing and
production. This concept was based upon the approach that a company can increase its supply of
the product as its cost decreases. Mass production helps in to decrease the cost and maximizes
profit (Soteriades, 2012)
Product concept
This concept of marketing based on an assumption that customer prefers products of good
quality and they do not focus on price and availability of the product (Goodall and Ashworth,
2013). Marriot international applies this concept by providing the best hotels and lounge
facilities to its customers.
Selling concept
Selling concept is focused only on the selling of the product rather than quality or the need of the
consumer. This concept is based on the philosophy that the customer will purchase the product
only if the company is able to sell it to them.
The marketing concept
Marketing concept includes the identification of needs and demands of the product and supply of
the product according to their demand. This concept places customer satisfaction at the top
priority and creates the branding of the business.
The societal marketing concept
This marketing concept emerged in the 1970s and focuses on the well-being of the customers
and society as a whole.in this concept, the company identifies the needs and desires of the market

and provides better services than its competitors it also includes social and ethical consideration
in marketing practices Evans, N., (Stonehouse and Campbell, 2012).
Roles and responsibilities of the marketing function in Marriot international
company
Role of marketing in the travel and tourism industry is different from marketing in another
industry. Because of hospitality industries like Marriott international focus on providing services
rather than products. For effective utilization of the marketing function in the hospitality industry
the organisation need to understand the Motivation and travelling experiences of the customers
and their behaviour towards the services offered to them (Lovelock, Patterson, 2015).
Increase customer awareness
Marketing of product and services is useful to increase customer awareness. Customer will be
able to know about the different places in the world and can plan their trip accordingly.as the
customer awareness will increase they will more likely to buy the Marriott international’s
products. And because of this, the company will be able to generate more revenue (Hotel
development,2019).
Identification of target market
Marketing helps in to identify a suitable target market to provide the company's offering in that
particular area. Marriot international company only target those people who have a higher level
of income because the services they are providing are so expensive to purchase.
Attract new customers and develop loyalty
Marketing of the product and services also plays a great role in attracting a new customer as well
as maintaining customer loyalty in the market (Kandampully,et.al, 2015). So that Marriott
international can increase the occupancy rate in its hotel (Hotel development,2019)..
Understand the customer's journey
In Marriott international company they sell those services which create an experience in the mind
of the customers. So it is essential for a company to understand the experience of the customer

before he purchases the services which is helpful in increasing repeat purchases by the customer
(Hotel development,2019).
To create brand awareness
Brand awareness is the most important part of Marriott international hotel. Marketing and
advertising help to distribute information regarding hotels, resorts and other services are
provided by the company which helps in to create branding for the organisation (Hotel
development,2019).
The success of an organisation
The success of Marriott international Is depends on effective marketing and delivering fun
services, wonderful experiences by providing facilities of chain guest houses, lodging to their
customers. The company is leading great success in the hospitality industry (Hotel
development,2019).
To achieve competitive advantages
Effective marketing campaign helps in to achieve competitive advantages in the market. without
a good marketing campaign, a company will not able to gain a return on investment because it is
marketing that makes offerings known to the customers (Hotel development,2019).
Efficient management of resources
When a good marketing strategy is adopted in Marriott international company this helps them to
eliminate those resources which are not useful and enables them to manage their resources in an
effective way(Hotel development,2019).
Increment in sales
Marketing helps in to generate more sales and these sales will help in to earn higher revenue. As
more people will get to know about Marriott international hotel the sales of its product increases
(Hotel development,2019).

How roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organisational
context
Developing an effective marketing plan requires a close relationship with another functional unit
in the Marriott international hotel. When a corporate plan is delivered there is the potential for
conflict between functional areas
Relation with the production department
The marketing department is required to coordinate with the production department to ensure the
delivery of the services on time to their customer. The marketing department is also responsible
for providing quality services and experiences by making collaboration with production
department.
Relation with the finance department
Marketing focuses on promotion, advertising, research and distribution of services for that
purpose marketing department of Marriott international need to work closely with the finance
department to ensure the availability of the adequate budget
Relation with the human resource department
Marriot international company needs skilful employee for marketing their services among the
public and for that purpose they have to coordinate with the human resource department.
Because the HR department is responsible for hiring the most suitable employee for the
marketing of their services
Lo2
Comparison of ways in which hospitality organisations use elements of the
marketing mix to achieve overall business objectives
Marketing mix
The marketing mix includes those tools and instruments used by Marriott international
organisation to influence the demand for their services. It comprises various factors that have an

influence on marketing efforts. There are basically 4 P's of the marketing mix (product, price,
place, promotion) and three additional p's were added later (people, process, physical evidence)
to extend the marketing process (Kotler et.al, 2017).
The product includes (quality, design, features, packaging, services, and brand name)
Price includes (discount, allowances, payment period, credit terms, and list price)
Place includes (location, channels, inventory, transport, logistics, assortments)
Promotion includes (advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relation)
Product
The product refers to the goods and services offered by the company in the target market. In
Marriott international company the product includes physical attribution of room offer to the
customers as well as other auxiliary services. the company is popular for providing the best hotel
services and lodging facility with good quality in all over the world (Huotari and Hamari, 2012).
Comparison
The hotel products of Marriott international company are so unique in comparison with other
hospitality organisation like Merlin Company. They are also providing good services but
Marriott international is always providing upgraded services to their clients that include
attractive room facility, lodge, food, free Wi-Fi and many more.
Price
Price is the amount of money which is to be paid to obtain services and products from the
company (Luan and Sudhir, 2010). Marriot international hotel should set the right price for its
product so that it can be occupied at a high rate. The pricing decision is the most difficult
decision in any hotel industry if a company increases its product price the customers may switch
to their competitors and if decreases product's price they may suffer from the loss. There are
many pricing strategies used by Marriott international company like cost-oriented pricing,
demand-oriented pricing. There are some factors like a season of the year, product quality, brand
name affects the price of the products.

Comparison
In comparison with Merlin Company, Marriott International is providing its services at a lower
rate with quality to satisfy its customers and applies those price strategies which attract
customers to purchase their services.
Place
Place includes the location of the company as well as its distribution centre in different areas
which facilitates customers to purchase their services from a specific distribution centre (Luan
and Sudhir, 2010). In Marriott international, no actual product is distributed only its features are
communicated to the customers. Because of this reason the company has located its 30
distribution centre across. And they are attaining their customers from all over the world.
Distribution centres are an important factor to increase the sales of the company’s product and it
should be accessible by the customers easily.
Comparison
Merlin Company has 19 hotels and 7-holiday villages in 27 countries but the Marriott
international covers a large area and providing its services in 130 countries by operation 30
branches and 6900 properties. Its distribution networks are accessible by a large number of to
public to obtain the company's services.
Promotion
Promotion includes all those activities which are performed to distribute the product information
and influence target customers to buy the product. The promotion of the products done by
advertising, public relation, personal selling, different promotional strategies(Luan and Sudhir,
2010). Marriot international uses different promotional strategies, advertisement techniques and
to promote the product and services. The company uses social media and other digital
technology to promote the company’s product. For the promotion of the products, the company
should make sure that they are using the right message to convey with the right advertisement
medium.
Comparison

The Marriott international is using different social Media like linked-in, twitter, Facebook,
Instagram and other digital tools for the promotion of the company's product. Merlin Company is
not using the tools of digital media to expand its services through the effective use of
advertisement.
People
This includes the staffs of the Marriott international company who are responsible for delivering
the services to their customers. The Marriott international has qualified and skilled staff in
comparison with Merlin Company
Process
In Marriott international company the process includes the website or network to distribute the
goods and services like use of booking.com and other websites to make a reservation in the hotel
and they also provide post-sales services to good create the good relation with the customers.
The company is listed at the top of the search engine.
Physical evidence
The services provided by the Marriott international company are intangible and these services
are to be delivered before it is experienced and that might be a risky thing. To reduce this
uncertainty physical evidence is required and this can be done by keeping the room clean and
well decorated to attract the customers towards the company's accommodation services.
Managing the balance of marketing mix is a big challenge for Marriott international company.
The company’s management is required to put many factors while deciding the marketing mix
elements of the company. The elements of the marketing mix are essential to achieve marketing
objectives. The marketing mix strategies require lots of planning so a company should ensure
that these strategies are flexible to adopt the future market changes. The marketing strategy
should be capable enough that it can win over other competitors (Kotler,et.al, 2017).
The marketing planning largely depends upon the marketing mix element. To plan any marketing
activity the company should have a product to sell and the pricing should be set according to the
goals of the organisation (Bowie,et.al, 2016). Place plays a greater role in marketing planning to

decide which location is the best to sale the products? Promotion is used to distribute the
information regarding the products and services which influences customers to buy the products
and this is also an important factor to plan any marketing activity so that information can be
furnished among the public using the right medium of communication (Kotler,et.al, 2017).
Lo3
Developing a marketing plan to achieve marketing objectives of the Marriott
international company
A marketing plan is an outline for any marketing activity which is to be performed to achieve
marketing objectives. A well-defined plan is a report that how a company utilizing its marketing
mix element to achieve the marketing objective (Kotler et.al, 2017). Marketing plan in Marriott
international company helps in to know what tools are to be used and how effectively they can
be used for marketing process the benefits of marketing can be seen in both long and short term
financial statement (Moutinho and Vargas, 2018). Marketing managers are required to ensure
that the marketing plan could be communicated with the whole organisation (Kotler,et.al, 2017).
There are many internal and external factors which affect the market and marketing plan helps
the managers understand the complexity of marketing. There are many steps followed for an
effective marketing plan (Vellas, 2016).
Mission and vision of the company
The core values and strategic business goals of Marriott international include diversity and
inclusion. They do take care of the people and their well-being by connecting, experience and
expand the world of them. The company provides accommodation services and wellness services
to the guests who are looking for luxuries and attractive places to experience in different
countries.
Analysis and forecasting
This includes analysis of the company's strength and weakness and competitors in the market
place. Marriot international is an MNC and serving their facilities at the global level. It is

providing accommodation and lodging services and other luxuries facilities that are the strength
of the company. The weakness of the organisation is the cultural barrier takes place in the
organisation as it is situated in the different countries and employee's work morale is also
different based on their culture and background. There are many other companies like Merlin
Company which is a great competitor of Marriott international so the company is required to
analyse and forecast the strategies of its competitors to achieve competitive advantages in the
market.
Goals and objectives
The goals and objectives of the Marriott International is to provide best customer service,
tidiness and travelling experience, by providing the best accommodation and other luxury
services in the market. Another objective of the company is to achieve a high occupancy rate in
the hospitality industry.
Adopting a marketing strategy
The market strategy includes positioning and targeting. The company should position themselves
in terms of wellness services, good architecture and safe place to stay and that company target
only high-income people to provide their luxuries services. The company targets for their
services only to those people who want to explore the world and want to get luxuries facilities.
The company can adopt different marketing strategies like creating a plan to constantly post on
social media, implementation of a reputed management program to expand their market (Wymer,
2011).
Tactics and action plan
This step includes how to apply market strategy to understand the marketing environment and
how to choose alternatives to meet the organisational goals. The marketing mix (product, price,
place, promotion) is essential for creating any marketing plan. The marketing mix decides the
effectiveness of the market strategy. Marketing communication mix includes different
promotional techniques. Marketing communication mix of Marriott international includes online
reservations done via booking.com, agoda.com etc. important media channels of Marriott
international are Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram. Marriot international uses online marketing