Individual Marketing Report: Travelodge Marketing Plan

This report provides a detailed marketing plan for Travelodge Hotels, focusing on strategies to establish the brand as a leader in the budget hotel market, particularly after the COVID-19 crisis. The report begins with an introduction to the importance of marketing plans and provides a brief background of Travelodge. It then delves into a marketing audit, explaining its significance and conducting a TOWS (TWOS) analysis to assess the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Following this, the report establishes SMART marketing objectives for the 'Enabling a leading brand' campaign. The report also touches on the marketing mix and provides recommendations for enhancing customer service. The report concludes with a summary of the key findings and recommendations, emphasizing the importance of adapting to changing market conditions and maintaining a strong customer focus. The report aims to provide Travelodge with actionable insights to improve its market position and achieve its marketing goals.

Travelodge Project

Executive Summary
Marketing plan help the companies in effectively marketing about its products and
services in market so that right customers can be reached, at right place and at right time so that
the sustainability of company can increase. It also helps the company in achieving it overall
objectives so that company can become more competitive in market. In this report the marketing
plan and strategies which can be used by Travelodge to sustain in market after the corona virus
crisis is discussed.

Table of Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................2
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Background of the company...................................................................................................4
Task1................................................................................................................................................5
Marketing audit......................................................................................................................5
TWOS analysis.......................................................................................................................5
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................7
Marketing objectives..............................................................................................................7
Marketing objectives for Travelodge.....................................................................................8
Task3................................................................................................................................................9
Marketing mix........................................................................................................................9
Task4..............................................................................................................................................10
Customer service..................................................................................................................10
Recommendations for improving customer service.............................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
References......................................................................................................................................13

Introduction
Marketing plays an important role in an organisation as it efficiently helps it in reaching
to its target customers and promoting about the company products and services so that the
customers can be attracted and sales of company can be increased. It also helps the company in
conducting a market research so that the changing market conditions and customer demands can
be known which can help in offering the goods and services which can help in increasing profits
of company. In order to effectively market the company products in market it is important that an
effective marketing plan is outlined so that marketing strategies which can help in achieving the
marketing goals of company can be achieved (Chu, Tang and Luo, 2016). Marketing plan is an
operational document which can help the company in effectively advertising about its products
and services in market and also generation of leads is possible so that more number of target
customers can be reached. Marketing plan help in conducting market research based on which
decisions regarding pricing and entering the market are made so that the target customers can be
influenced to make purchases. An efficiently designed marketing plan also help the company in
building a brand image in market so that a value proposition related to the company’s products
and services can be created for customers that can help in adding value to customers and
satisfying their demands (Festa and Festa, 2016). In this report the marketing plan which needs
to be made by Travelodge Hotels will be discussed so that the company can become a leading
brand in market following the crisis of corona virus which has affected the travel and tourism
industry. In this report marketing audit will be done so that the market conditions can be
analysed which can help in making effective marketing strategies which can help the company to
become a leading brand in market. Further, marketing objectives, marketing mix plan and the
proposal which can help Travelodge in improving its level of customer service will also be
discussed that can help in improving company’s image in market and attracting customers. This
report will help in developing knowledge about how a company can deal with changing market
conditions so that it can survive sustainably in market and continue to offer its products and
services.
Background of the company
Travelodge Hotels Ltd is a private company which operates in the industry of travel and
tourism and is headquartered in England, UK which was established in the year 1985 and is the

UK’s largest independent hotel brand. The hotels are known for being the best budget hotel
brand which provides comfortable rooms to its guests at affordable prices. The company has
more than 11,000 employees and earns over £637.1million a year. The brand is also known for
its facilities which help in improving customer satisfaction so that they can have an enjoyable
and comfortable stay away from their home (Fill and Turnbull, 2016).
Task1
Marketing audit
Marketing audit is related with comprehensive and systematic analysis, evaluation and
interpretation of the business environment in which a company operates so that the impact of the
external and internal factors on business can be known. Marketing audit is important as it help
the business in evaluating the possible threat or potential opportunities which are present in
market and can also know about the business weaknesses which can be improved by taking
effective measures (Fornaro and Stubbs, 2016). This can help the company in gaining a
competitive advantage in market so that more number of customers can be attracted and
company sales and its revenue can increase. It is important that the marketing objectives and
goals of company are determined which can help it in analysing the ways in which it can achieve
those goals by the application of effective marketing strategies. It also help the company in
identifying competition which i present in market so that tactics that can help it in achieving a
competitive edge in market can be formulated so that high customer experience can be created.
Thus it is important that the marketing audit is independently and regularly conducted which can
help the company in efficiently achieving its marketing objectives on time and also in reaching
to its target customers in an effective manner.
TWOS analysis
TWOS analysis in an extension of SWOT analysis which helps the company in gaining a
holistic view of the internal and external factors that affect its business. This matrix help the
company in reducing the possible threats which are available in market, take advantage of
opportunities that can be grabbed by the company, exploit the strengths of company so that a
competitive advantage can be achieved and in reducing the weaknesses of company (Fursov,
2017). TWOS analysis can be efficiently used as a strategic planning tool by Travelodge Hotels
so that it can attract more number of customers in the corona virus crisis. In order to boost the

travel and tourism industry post the crisis it is important that Travelodge make such strategies
through which the safety and security of customers can be maximised against infection and their
trust in company can be maximised so that it can become a leading brand in budget hotels in
market. Following are the ways in which the TWOS analysis can be applied by Travelodge so
that the threats and weaknesses can be minimise while the opportunities and strengths can be
used to its advantage:
External Opportunities External Threats
Internal
Strengths
Strengths-Opportunities (Maxi-Maxi
strategy)
 Travelodge is a well known hotel
brand being a budget hotel and
after the corona virus crisis as the
economic conditions have
deteriorated the company has an
opportunity to attract a large
customer base who before the
crisis used to go for luxury brand
hotels (Hijle, 2016).
 The company has a strong
financial supporting which can
help it in taking the advantage of
technology so that the hotel
rooms can be sanitized so that
trust of more customers can be
achieved.
Strengths-Threats (Maxi-Mini
strategy)
 The company has a strong and
loyal customer base however
with the crisis people are
mostly avoiding their travels
so that they can avoid infection
which can affect the business
of Travelodge.
 The company has a large
number of branches all over
UK, Spain and Ireland
however it will increase the
cost of company to
maintenance the high level of
safety required after corona
crisis (Hollensen, 2019).
Internal
Weaknesses
Weaknesses-Opportunities (Mini-Maxi
strategy)
 As Travelodge is a budget hotel
it did not provide its customers
with room service, porter service
etc. However the company can
Weaknesses-Threats (Mini-Mini
strategy)
 The limited facilities given by
the hotel and increasing
demand of improved facilities
so that highest level of safety

use the corona crisis as an
opportunity to provide guests
with these facilities so that they
can be given highly safe food and
other services thereby enhancing
their trust in the brand (Kokil and
Kim, 2016).
 The company faced
dissatisfaction among customers
when the rooms were
overbooked which let some
customers getting last moment
cancellations which can be
improved as the reduced travel
will mean less number of
customers who can be given
better facilities thereby
improving their experience and
the brand image of company.
can be maintained for
customers after the corona
virus crisis.
 After the corona crisis the
market conditions have
weakened which can also
affect the hotel industry as the
company will face the loss of
customers along with
increased cost of improved
facilities so that highest level
of safety measures can be
taken to avoid infection in the
hotel (Kotler and Baloglu,
2017).
Task 2
Marketing objectives
Marketing objectives are goals which are to be achieved by the company through its
marketing activities so that it can reach its target customers which can help it in increasing its
sales and build a brand image in market. It is important that the company set clear objectives so
that it can progress towards achieving those objectives in an efficient and effective manner which
will enhance the sales of company and also increase its awareness in market. These objectives
can be communicated effectively to the employees of company who can then be trained in such a
manner that they can use their skills and talents in achieving those objectives. Marketing
objectives help the company in achieving the overall objectives of company and give a clear

direction to the marketing department so that the positioning and branding of company can be
efficiently done in market.
It is important that the company follow SMART principle before setting the overall
company goals so that company can become successful in market and achieve its targets on time.
SMART principle can help the company in setting clear, strategic, systematic, achievable goals
that can be achieved within the timeline set by the company thereby improving the efficiency
and productivity of company in market (Langston and Loreto, 2017). When the objectives are
based on the SMART principle, a strategic direction can be created in company that can be
followed in order to achieve the company objectives. Following are the components of SMART
principle:
 Specific: The goals should be well defied and focused so that clear image regarding what
is to be achieved, when it is to be achieved and how it is to be achieved can be generated.
This can help in communicating to the employees about the clear goals so that they can
put their efforts in achieving those goals.
 Measurable: The goals must be measurable so that success of a company in achieving
them can be evaluated along with its efficiency in achieving those goals.
 Attainable: The goals which are set must be achievable by the company with the help of
resources and capabilities available. It is therefore important that the goals are set as per
the capability of company in efficiently achieving those goals (Leung, Bai and Erdem,
2017).
 Realistic: It means that the objectives must be set in such a manner that they are possible
to be achieved with the perspective of time and resources available. They must be based
on the current conditions and realities of business climate so that they can look possible
to bee achieved.
 Timely: It is important that the goals should be set within a time frame so that a deadline
can be set to achieve these goals which can help in increasing the efficiency of
performance so that the goals are achieved on time (Lyes, Palakshappa and Bulmer,
2016).
Marketing objectives for Travelodge
In order to become a leading brand in the budget hotel industry it is important that
Travelodge set objectives based on SMART principle so that it can reach to its target in an

efficient manner and attract the customers and increase its sales. It can also help the company in
influencing customers by following complete safety at the hotel post corona virus crisis and
establish itself as a leading budget hotel brand. Following are the objectives set by Travelodge
for ‘Enabling a leading brand’ marketing campaign:
1. To increase its preference among customers by 10% by the end of 6 months.
2. To enhance customer satisfaction by 15% at the end of 6 months.
3. To increase the company revenue in comparison to other hotel chains by 20% by the end
of 12 months.
All the above goals of Travelodge can be achieved by the company in an efficient manner
and also these goals are linked with each other which can help Travelodge in achieving its
objective of ‘Enabling itself as a leading brand’. After the COVID-19 crisis the economic
conditions of market have deteriorated and the customers will prefer budget friendly hotels for
their stay which can help Travelodge in enhancing its preference among customers. It is
important that the company follow all the safety guidelines of WHO so that the risks of
transmission of infection while the stay of customers can be minimised. His can help in
enhancing customer satisfaction and their trust in hotel will increase (Mukherjee, Maji and Raja,
2019). The company can thus increase its revenue as compared to other hotel brands as it can
potentially attract more number of customers.
Task3
Marketing mix
Marketing relates to the set of actions or tactics which are followed by the company so that
it can attract its target customers by efficiently marketing its products and services in market.
Marketing mix help the company in making right products available to the right customers, at
right place and at right time so that their needs and wants can be efficiently fulfilled. Marketing
mix is important for a business as it help it in making profitable marketing decisions at every
level which help it in gaining a competitive edge in market. Travelodge can make use of
marketing mix so that it can improve its marketing strategy in market and attract customers post
the corona virus crisis:
 Product: Travelodge provide accommodation facilities to the travellers at budgeted rates
so that high quality services can be given to the customers at affordable prices. the

company can improve the safety standards which can help in reducing the risk of
transmission of corona infection in its customer through steps like sanitization of
complete hotel, use of masks and PPE kits by hotel staff etc.
 Price: Travelodge provide high quality hotel services to its customers at low prices so
that their experience can be enhanced. The company can increase discounts and offers so
that more customers can be attracted as after the corona virus crisis the spending power
of customers have reduced (Pedron, 2016).
 Place: Travelodge has more than 500 hotels across the UK and also has locations in
Ireland and Spain which can help it in broadening its customer reach and become the
most preferable hotels after the corona crisis.
 People: The employees of company should be given timely salaries and should not be
retrenched after the corona crisis which can help in boosting their confidence in company
so that they can use their skills effectively in achieving company objectives thereby
making it a leading budget hotel brand (Solimun and Fernandes, 2018).
 Promotional activities: Travelodge can make use of internet so that it can influence the
customer about the special facilities which are available in the hotel which can ensure
safe stay of customers. Also the company can attract its customers through discounts and
offers via internet so that its sales can increase.
Task4
Customer service
Customer service is related with the advice and assistance which is given to the customers
regarding the use of company’s products and servicers so that highest level of satisfaction can be
given to customers along with building good customer relations with them. through customer
service the queries of customers regarding the use of company products or services can be
solved, they can be given guidance and assistance, their feedbacks can be addressed etc. so that a
loyal customer base can be built. Customer service thus help the company in building a loyal
customer base as the customers are given importance and their issues are solved on time. It also
helps in spreading positive word-of-mouth by the customers about the company so that brand
image can be built.

Recommendations for improving customer service
Travelodge provide its customers efficient customer service platforms so that they can
make their bookings for the hotel rooms as per the time schedule as they desire. This helps the
customers of company in making their bookings either over the phone calls or on the website of
the company which also provide the facility of online payment so that the convenience of
company can be improved. Travelodge also has a customer service department which is involved
in dealing with the complaints of customers so that they can be attended on time which help in
improving the convenience of customer regarding refunds or cancellations or various other
facilities so that strong relations can be developed by customers. Travelodge can further improve
its customer service in the following manner so that it can achieve the objectives of its marketing
campaign of ‘Enabling a leading brand’:
 The company can include a feedback platform where the customers can be asked certain
questions which can help it in improving its services by addressing to the complaints of
the customers. This can also help it in analysing its brand image in market and its ability
in satisfying the customer needs (Steenkamp, 2017).
 The company can improve its refund policies so that the customers can get their amount
of refund as soon as possible which can help in enhancing the trust of customers so that it
can become a leading brand in market and customer preference can increase.
 The company can improve effective communication so that the customers can be
communicated about their bookings so that customer’s loyalty towards company can
increase.
The company is doing everything that can help in enhancing customer service and building
effective brand image in market. The company can however increase the use of internet so that it
can reach to a large number of customers and improve its market reach. Internet like social
media can help the company in knowing about the reviews and ratings posted by its customer so
that it can take strategic measures in improving its brand image in market. With the use of
internet it can also know about the additional requirements of the customers so that its services
can be improved in comparison to other hotels (Tatar and Eren-Erdoğmuş 2016). It will also help
in attracting more customers after the corona virus crisis so that it can emerge as a leading brand
in budget hotel industry.

Conclusion
From this report it can be concluded that it is important that the businesses in order to
efficiently survive in market conduct a regular marketing audit which can help it in analysing its
internal and external factors. This can help the company in taking effective measures so that
more customers can be attracted and sales of company can be increased. Further the company
needs to change its marketing strategies with the changing market conditions so that it can
survive in market.