Hospitality Marketing: Travelodge Case Study and Marketing Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of marketing within the hospitality industry, using Travelodge as a case study. It begins with an introduction to marketing principles and the hospitality sector, followed by an examination of the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function within Travelodge, including situational analysis, target audience identification, and budget finalization. The report then explores how marketing relates to the wider organizational context, detailing the interrelation of the marketing department with other departments such as front desk services, reservations, and food and beverage. A comparative analysis of marketing mix applications between Travelodge and Hilton hotels is presented, highlighting differences in product, price, place, promotion, people, physical evidence, and process strategies. Finally, the report concludes with a basic marketing plan for Travelodge, aiming to meet marketing objectives and improve financial performance while addressing challenges related to customer satisfaction and financial position.

Hospitality Marketing
Essentials

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Explain the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function....................................1
P2 Discuss how roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to wider organisational context 4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
P3 Compare the ways in which different hospitality organisations apply the marketing mix to
marketing planning process to achieve business objectives.......................................................7
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................10
P4 Produce a basic marketing plan for Travelodge to meet marketing objectives...................10
Travelodge works with new and innovative technical aspects which improve quality of
services. ....................................................................................................................................11
Travelodge has weak financial position which affects policies for satisfaction of consumer. 11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is the process of attracting potential buyers to buy products and services. This
is the action in which managers of organisations research, promote, sell, distribute product and
services. These are the activities which are important and relevant for growth of association.
Hospitality industry includes hotels, restaurants, cruise, pub, travel agencies, theme parks,
amusement parks etc. This sector involves lodging, event planning for different purpose
according to demand of customers. In this sector, marketing plays vital role in order to
coordinate with external market. This report is based on organisation of hospitality i.e.
Travelodge. This is a private company operated throughout the UK. It has headquartered in
Thame UK and established in 1985. In this report, there is discussion about role of marketing, its
interrelation with other functions. It will also provide knowledge about marketing mix and at last
focus on marketing plan (Baker and Saren, 2016).
TASK 1
P1 Explain the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function
Marketing means actions which are important and crucial for creating awareness about
product and services among prospective consumers. There are different channels through which
marketing can be done such as email, viral marketing, word to mouth marketing etc. This
department is responsible for growth and brand awareness of organisation. As compared to initial
days, there are some more roles and responsibilities to marketing department as marketing
department plays important role in communicating and delivering information to society. There
are some specific process which has followed by marketing department of Travelodge are as
under-
 In first step, situational analysis is done. In this step, actual position of organisation is
being identified. In case, Travelodge is not up to the mark as per market trends, then it is
responsibility of marketing managers to work in appropriate way (Bogicevic and et. al.,
2013).
 After analysing situation of Travelodge, target audience has to be justified. When some
new services are launched, then there is some target consumers for which services is
being served.
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 After setting targeted goals, marketing goals has to be finalised. In this step, goals and
objectives which has to be attained are set.
 Marketing of product and services by Travelodge can be conducted with the help of some
communication channel such as social media, hoarding, campaigns etc. Most appropriate
channels of communication is selected through which large number of targeted
consumers can be selected.
 At last, marketing budget has to be finalised. There is requirement of financial resources
to Travelodge in order to market product and services (Cheng and Chen, 2017).
These days, role of hospitality increases because people are visiting place for different
purpose such as education, vacations, visiting relatives etc. It is responsibility of marketing
department to analyse market and then provide appropriate arrangement to customers. Hence, it
is responsibility of marketing department of Travelodge to convey information related to new
product and services. Some roles and responsibilities of marketing departments are as under-
Hospitality Organisation : Travelodge
The selected organisation operates their business across
UK, Spain, greater London. Travelodge is second largest
organisation in hospitality industry in terms of budget and
third largest in number of hotels. Marketing department of
Travel plays important role in creating brand awareness,
promotion, planning campaigns, etc.
Roles & Responsibilities How it is executed
1.Conducting campaign
management for marketing
initiatives
Marketing department of Travelodge is responsible for
making conducting marketing campaigns. Conducting
campaign is not one night process, there is requirement of
proper planning. They are responsible for planning,
organising, selecting and controlling campaign related
activities. This helps to give best outcome from campaign. In
market there are different campaigns on different occasions
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which helps to create brand awareness among society. There
are different events which are sponsored by Travelodge.
Hence all these planning are conducted by marketing
department. This must be performed in effective way so
positive impact can be attained on sales and profits of
Travelodge.
2 Maintaining customer
relations
Customers are one of the most crucial element for business.
These days, there is difference in demand of customers, so it
is essential to analyse their demand and then provide best
services. This is done by marketing department. Marketing
division of Travelodge is responsible for interacting with
customer in order to collect feedback. In case, there is
negative view from customers, then marketing department is
responsible for taking correcting measure and convey it to
other concern departments. This helps to maintain good image
of overall Travelodge. Customer satisfaction is one of the
important aspect for organisational growth and development.
3. Conducting market and
customer research
Market research is also conducted by marketing department.
This research helps to modify services according to market
trends. There are many competitors of Travelodge such as
Tripadvisors, Trivago, etc. Hence, it is essential to analyse
their strategies. Travelodge operates in different parts of
country so there is difference in demand of customers. It is
responsibility of marketing department to research it and
advertise best services. There is difference in government
policies as per change in geographical region. So this has to be
analysed by marketing personnel and plans policies must be
modified accordingly.
4. Serving as media liaison There are different departments in Travelodge such as food
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and beverages, reservation, front desk services, purchasing,
human resource management, etc. It is responsibility of
marketing department to deal with all departments in order to
convey information related to customer demand, grievances,
competitor's policies, etc. This helps to perform business
operations in appropriate way.
P2 Discuss how roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to wider organisational context
Marketing means actions performed in order to attain communicate with people
regarding product and services offered by organisation. This actions is important because this
helps to make positive impact on sales and profits. In this sector, there are different rivalries so
with marketing, it is easy to alter business plans and policies according to trends. Marketing
division play crucial role in the functioning of other division and functioning of organisation.
This helps Travelodge to perform work in synchronize way and best services can be delivered to
customers (Chhabra, 2012).
Travelodge has good image in industry because they have good quality services
according to customer demand. This can be possible with joint efforts of all departments.
Marketing department of Travelodge does not work on its own. There are different departments
which are working in order to attain goals and objectives of good profit and customer
satisfaction. There are many departments in Travelodge which has direct or indirect relation with
marketing department. Few are discussed as below -
Marketing and front desk service- Front desk service is the count where customer
interact foremost in Travelodge. This is the departments which gives first image about hotel.
Hence, it is important for front office personnel to be good with customers. Marketing
department has indirect relation with front office desk. They collect feedback from this desk and
then corrective measures are taken. There is competition in hotels, so according to market trends
plans and policies of Travelodge has to be modified.
Marketing and reservation- Reservation is done when some customers want to stay at
hotel. There are different purpose for which hotels are being reserved. There is research
conducted by marketing department related to reservation or mode through which reservations
are done (Dileep and Mathew, 2017). There are different modes of reservation such as mobile
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application, online consultants, etc. then it is responsibility of reservation department to improve
online services in provide satisfaction to customers. This helps to provide satisfaction to
consumers and improve operations of Travelodge.
(Source: Interrelation of marketing department with other departments, 2017)
Marketing and purchase/ accounting- There is requirement of some raw material such
as vegetables, fruits and other related items at Travelodge in order to satisfy customer demand.
So, in this case marketing department assist to provide best supplier or dealer through which
product and services can be purchased. This reduces cost for Travelodge and products are
available on time.
Similarly, accounting department is also related with marketing in direct and indirect
way. Marketing department perform different campaign, marketing activities (Dioko, 2016). For
instance: if majority of Travelodge's customers reserve their occupancy with online source . In
this, there is requirement of financial resources so it is responsibility of accounts managers of
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Illustration 1: Interrelation of marketing department with other departments

Travelodge to set budget and marketing i.e. performed in specified limit. This helps to maintain
profits of organisation and reduce cost.
Marketing and human resource management- There is requirement of some employees
in Travelodge time to time. There is requirement of personnel for marketing of product and
services at Travelodge. Hence, marketing department has to inform Human resource department
regarding skills, knowledge, qualification, etc. This helps to get best and desirable candidate in
organisation.
Marketing and food and beverages- Food and beverages department of Travelodge
works to cook varieties of dishes and eatables according to customer demand. In this case,
marketing department guides chefs related to taste and preference of customers. For instance: as
per feedback of customer, marketing manager analyse that Spanish menu is not up to the mark.
In this case, marketing manager convey this to food and beverages departments. This helps to
improve menu of hotel and customer's satisfaction can be achieved (Guilding, 2014).
Marketing and room service- Room service department works in order to clean rooms
after client's arrival. There is difference in reason such as educational trips, vacations with
family, honeymoon package etc. for staying hotels of customers. Marketing department analyse
it and then set up of room i.e. according to customer's demand. This helps to provide satisfaction
to customer and brand image of Travelodge can be increased.
From the above discussion, it is clear that marketing department is linked with different
departments which helps to perform business operations in best way. There are some alterations
which has to be done in business operations to satisfy customers. Travelodge has good brand
image because business activities are conducted in best and appropriate way because appropriate
information can be delivered to concern department (Huang and et. al., 2014).
TASK 2
P3 Compare the ways in which different hospitality organisations apply the marketing mix to
marketing planning process to achieve business objectives
Marketing mix includes components such as price, place, promotion, people, physical
evidence, product, process which helps to market and promote product and services. In market
mix there are seven main components i.e. product, price, place, promotion, people, physical
evidence, process (Lee, Reid and Kim, 2016). In marketing mix, each factor has influence on
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each other. This helps to perform business operations according to market trends. Marketing mix
of Hotel Hilton and Travelodge is as under-
Illustration 2: The Marketing Mix
(Source: The Marketing Mix, 2018)
Element
of (7Ps)
Hotel Travelodge Hotel Hilton
Product Hotel Travelodge deals in service
sector. They provide several services
such as room bookings, Wi-Fi
services, SPA and swimming pool,
metting room, Butler services, bar,
cafe, space of events etc. This
company is famous for Kebabs and
Kurries, DumPukt, Dakshin,
Peshawrai and many more outlets as
well.
Hotel Hilton provides full services such
as space for wedding, meeting, banquet,
special even services, restaurant, gift
shop, swimming etc. Thy have main
three types of services, they are: core,
facilitating and supporting services. In
core services they have bar, pub,
restaurants, etc. In facilitating services
they have 24*7 room facility, free
newspaper, magazines, concierge
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services. In supporting services they
have membership facility, discounts,
high class restaurants etc.
Price Pricing strategy of Hotel Travelodge
is skimming. They have different
price according to season and
demand of consumers (Mahadevan,
2018).
Pricing strategy adopted by Hotel Hilton
is premium class. Managers of Hotel
Hilton wants to make good brand image
in niche market. They only provide four
or five star hotel services through
dinning and staying so customer may
feel lavish and luxurious.
Place Hotel Travelodge operates in all UK,
Ireland and Spain. They have
portable mobile application through
which customer can enquire about
hotel and advance bookings. They
have reach in different parts of
country which helps to make good
image in hospitality industry.
Hotel Hilton operates in around 100
different parts of country. They have
world wide image. They have around
7,45,000 rooms. The hotel has around
570 properties in different parts of
country who believes in use of different
information technology and internet to
provide best and more quality services.
They have official website through
which they book rooms, plan events and
weddings, pick up and drop facility
from airport, etc.
They have good distribution system
through mobile portable application at
android and iPhone users. This platform
helps to book demand of consumer
frequently within seconds.
Promoti
on
Promotion strategies used by Hotel
Travelodge is not so upgraded and
optimistic. They do promotions
through internet, mass media, travel
Hilton Hotel is one of the biggest brand
name in hospitality industry. They have
unique and innovative ideas related to
promotion of brand. Lifetime
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agents, concept promotions etc. They
analyse demand of consumer and
then provide discounts which help to
increase goodwill of hotel.
membership, discount offers, first time
availing services etc. are exotic offers
that is delivered by Hotel in regard of
refraining their customer loyalty. This
helps to create good brand image in
hospitality industry. They use
advertisement, sales promotion etc. to
support the sales and promotional affairs
of organisation.
People In this hotel, there are different
personnel such as chef, waiter, F & B
manager, room service staff etc.
which helps to provide best services
to customers. Apart from this, there
are some employees who provides
ancillary services to customers such
as guard, drivers, cleaners etc.
Hilton has approx 163000 employees
who helps to perform operations in
effective and efficient way (Number of
Hilton Worldwide employees, 2017).
These personnel give best through
which customer's demand gets satisfied.
Physical
evidence
Physical environment of this hotel is
good. There is good music in
cafeteria, full furnished services,
conference hall, baby sitting, play
zone for children etc. Firm use
certain themes and colours to create
unique brand recognition and clear
appearance of hotels.
Physical evidence of this Hotel is good.
They have different types of rooms such
as near beach, twins room etc. which
has lavish look. This attracts customers
to stay and enjoy luxurious services.
Process Hotel Travelodge has fast services for
reservation of rooms. There are some
queries to customers related to room
service, booking, etc. Hotel Hilton
have fast computerised system
through which they quickly respond
Check in and check out process of Hotel
Hilton is quick and frequent. This helps
to reduce waiting time of customers.
Managers of Hilton respond to negative
feedback quickly. This helps to improve
performance of organisations in
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to their grievances by customer
relationship personnel.
positive context.
TASK 3 (Covered in Poster PPT)
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion it is clear that marketing department is one of the important
unit for organisational growth and development. This department deals in external environment
such as building customer relations, promotions etc. This helps to improve performance of
organisation through using different tools. Conducting market and consumer research, campaign,
etc. are two prime responsibilities of marketing department. Marketing department deals with
other departments also as it helps to improve overall performance of association. In this report,
there is discussion about marketing mix among two companies which helps to increase brand
image and market product and services to customers through marketing of products and services.
At last it discusses about business plan with expected budget, vision, mission of organisation for
launching new services.
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