Member of staffs: we will provide a professional atmosphere of respect and recognition. Our member of staffs will be proud to work for a profitable and thriving establishment.
Our Quality Policy & Objectives
Thistle Group Quality is a commitment to error-free workmanship and performance. We are committed to continuous improvement through the Quality Process and assure consistent conformance in all that we do.
Increase the hotel profits to 5% in 2011 more than the last fiscal year.
Increase the guest retention numbers by providing excellent services and loyalty schemes.
Increase the brand awareness amongst people by giving them the best services.
E-Marketing Objectives
- To increase the online booking sales from 50% to 58%.
- To provide a 360 degree view of the hotel room online so that the guest can have a look at the rooms before they even stay in them.
Marketing strategy:
Marketing segmentation:
The dark colour indicate to give more preference while targeting guests
Thistle hotel serves both internal and external guest.
Internal guests are the member of staff working for the establishment has benefits like discounts on the products and services they use.
External guests are the guests outside the organisation who come to try the products and services in the establishment. There are various types of guests who have different needs.
Families: This guest mostly has a bigger room or interconnecting room. In thistle heathrow the occupancy in the year 2010 was 15%
Business travellers: this guest needs fax facilities, printers, photo copy machine etc and last year the occupancy was 40%
Travel agents also provide Thistle Heathrow with rooms in 2010 they gave by 20%
Tourists and leisure guest’s occupancy in 2010 was 23 % and would need travel information, and still the booking for a number of events and concerts and gym and other leisure facilities.
Positioning Map for Thistle Heathrow Source: Subroto sengupta, 2007 Brand positioning)
More costly
Arora
Hilton
Sheraton
Park inn
Renaissance
Budget luxury
Days inn
Travel lodge
Luxury hotel
Semi-luxury
Budget hotel
Less costly
Summary:
Thistle heathrow hotel is a luxury hotel in heathrow and has competitors like Sofitel, Arora, and Renaissance. All these hotels are semi-luxury hotels and provide luxury facilities and high quality service for their guest which the guest expects as they compensate for those luxury services and facilities. These hotels are more costly then hotels that are luxuries and budget hotels with stipulation of all the services offered in full and partial services hotels with added luxury facilities services like sauna, gym, swimming pool , award winning restaurants and various types of room and quality service. The average room rate for this hotel is £100.
Luxuries hotel provide all the services essential for the guest. Hotels like Sofitel, Arora, and Renaissance are luxuries and semi luxuries. These hotels are less expensive than the luxury hotels and are higher priced then hotel which are budget hotels. Proving the service offers ny the budget hotels these hotel provided some extra facilities like room service, housekeeping etc. £80 is an average room rate for these hotel.
Hotels like travel lodge, Day’s inn and holiday inn aerial offer limited service to their guest i.e. the basic needs of the guest like room, meeting hall and restaurant. The average room rate for these types of hotels is £80.
Target guests:
Business clients
Travel and Leisure guests
Brides/ engaged couples
Hotel occupancy
Summary:
The above diagram shows that there is high amount of revenue generated from business travellers. Transit guest help in maintaining occupancy high of the hotel throughout the year and the new target guests is brides and grooms which will help to increase banqueting revenue as well as they keep the hotel occupancy high as when the event is booked they will few rooms reserved for their stay and refreshment which will automatically increase the hotel occupancy.
(Source: H.I. Ansoff, 1984 Implementing strategic management pg.197)
Establishment should go better not to go better idea but might have risk
.
Summary:
Targeting new types of guest means market development market i.e. bride and grooms is needed as now a day’s guests prefer getting married instead of live-in relationships.
Market can be expanded by investing in Asian market as market in Asia is growing.
Market penetration is basically the lower the price not as same as the competitors but to an average
Partial diversification of renting cars to the guest who are here for leisure is a good idea of attracting more guests to plan their holidays.
New product development is offering of champagne and wedding cake on booking a wedding which will attract more guests as they will get champagne and wedding cake free on booking with us.
Product can be expanded by offering welcome drink as champagne or tea coffee in the room on arrival.
There is risk of renting big car (sport car) as they might damage those products as those products are going to be expensive.
Marketing programmes:
Place and product:
The product which thistle heathrow hotel offers is only one of its kind and of high excellence standard. The Champagne and cake which are on offer will be served during the wedding day at the venue. The design of the cakes can be chosen by the bridge and groom.
Price:
The worth of the products served at thistle heathrow is low as compared to their competitors. The eminence of product and services is the similar as of competitors.
Promotion:
- Arrange a wedding function with us and free welcome drinks and champagne and wedding cake from us.
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Book by 30th June 2011 and held since 14th February 2011- 31st November 2012.
- A bottle of champagne and cake will be provided on the day of the event.
- Renting of cars, can be booked while booking the room.
- Offer is valid for new booking only and subjected to availability..
- Expand a compelling worth add offer to drive incremental wedding business.
- Advertising on social events.
- Press advertise in UK's top bridal and wedding magazines
- Promotion on hotel websites.
- Online promotion
- Email advertising to wedding contacts
Process:
For guests efficiency the process of quick check in and checkout should be implied by using the self check-in and check-out machine. There is a need for online support to help the guest by providing online help about various facilities or booking events.
Physical evidence:
Hotel brand name water bottle and chocolate should be place while giving the turn down service.
People:
The staff turnover in thistle hotel has increased by 7%to 11%. More motivation should be given to the staff and proper training and development plan should be arranged and by providing more benefit staff retention can be done.
Budget:
Estimated budget: £1079, 400
Press spend: £24K
Online media spend: £11K
Staff expenses: £70K
MEDIA TIMING:
Hotel website http://www.the-thistle.co.uk/london_weddings.aspx launches 10th January 2011
Press advertising:
Bride’s movement
You and your wedding
Online advertising:
4 weeks from third week of January 2011
Media Timing:
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Promotional landing page thistle-events.co.uk/Wedding launches 12th November 2010
- Press promotion
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Wedding: circulation 50, 142; 2x (Feb/Mar issue on stands 7th February 2010; May/Jun issue on stands 1th May 2011)
Online Advertising:
- 4 weeks beginning second week of January 2011
- Brides.co.uk, Wedding.co.uk, perfectwedding.co.uk
Sales, Operational and Finance Procedures:
- Guests should quote wedding 2011-12 to receive this offer
- Sales contact should select wedding 2011-12in the booking.
- Bookings will qualify only when the promotional offers above have been met.
- The booking should be recorded in the events booking sheet as a promotion.
- Banqueting and conferences manager should record champagnes in demand sheet as “Wedding champagne promotion”
- B&C manager should procedure the charges at the menu cost and settle as standard
Evaluation and control:
Contingency plan –
The Focus Strategy
Establishment that use Focus strategies focus on particular niche markets and, by understanding the dynamics of that market and the only one of its kind needs of guests within it, develop uniquely low down cost or well-specified products for the market. Because they serve guests in their market uniquely well, they tend to build strong brand loyalty amongst their guests. This makes their particular market segment less attractive to competitors.
As with broad market strategies, it is still vital to decide whether you will follow Cost Leadership or demarcation once you have selected a Focus strategy as your main move towards: Focus is not normally sufficient on its own.
But whether you use Cost Focus or separation Focus, the key to making a success of a general Focus strategy is to make sure that you are adding something additional as a result of serving only that market niche. It's simply not enough to focus on only one market segment because your establishment is too small to serve a broader market
The "something extra" that you add can add to reducing costs (perhaps through your knowledge of specialist suppliers) or to growing differentiation (though your deep understanding of guests' needs).
Ref: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_82.htm
Appendix
FEPSOS- for thistle heathrow hotel
FUNCTION
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result & Promotion- Thistle London Heathrow has 264 rooms to recommend which feature luxury and comfort of a five star hotel while keeping the rooms prices low to a competitive level of a four star hotels. As the hotel is a part of guoman Group so the promotional services are taken care by the higher hotel group as a whole. And as a knowledgeable and reputed hospitality business the guoman group promotes the hotel property in magazines, tourism journals, newspaper, radio, internet and social networking websites.
Price – The rooms range from deluxe single to junior suites at a price range of 80 to 150£ per night depending upon the availability.
Prices offered by the competitors in the same area.
Place – Heathrow one of the main London Airport and There is good connectivity as the hotel is within minutes of distance from the airport, underground tube station and bus stands.
People & Process – the hotel is part of a bigger hotel chain group thus all the staff have a bigger advantage of cross training and working in all the hotel properties of the Guoman and thistle in London (32 hotels). Some of the famous hotels are the cumberland, royal horse guard, thistle marble arch at Marble Arch, Guoman tower The staffs is equally employed on the terms of internal recommendation and open-day interviews as well.
Physical evidence –Thistle London heathrow is one of the oldest properties in the entire Guoman and Thistle group. Ancient Victorian reconstructed architecture is one of the distinguishing factors that separate it from some others. Moreover the hotel has switched over to fashionable furnishing in all the guestrooms which gives it a wealthy look. There is underneath floor heating in all the bathrooms. Rooms also support docking points for laptops and iPod music players. An additional fact is that the hotel has already gone under a recent renovation as to an obligation of an energetic physical look so as to keep the guests pleased by its changing interiors like carpets and wallpapers.
Environment-
MICRO
Guests:
There various types of guests which stays at Thistle london heahrow but Thistle london heahrow main targets high profile guests are, tourists, transit, families, International and domestic business travellers and corporate clientele who comes in London for big business and families.
Business travellers fax machines, Wi-Fi connection and all business related accessories like paper heads, envelops and pens etc are been provided to this guest complementary .
Tourists all the travel information and even the booking for some events and concerts are done by the concierge for this guest for their convinence.
Families some gifts like sweets and smoothies are been provided in this rooms and entertainment facilities like wii, play station are been provided in this room
Thistle london heahrow tries to give the guest more then what they are look forward to keep them pleased and to make them visit again.
Competitors:
The major competitors of Thistle london heahrow are Sofitel, Sheraton, Arora international who offers the similar kinds of service but with same or similar products and different service qualities. All the competitors have similar target guest and they try to attract more guest from their competitors by providing high quality products and services. Each hotel are expert in different way like Sofitel and Arora international is known for its luxurious rooms with speciality restaurants serving the guests in style with high standard of service and product.
Thistle’s’ FIVE FORCE MODEL OF COMPETATIVE STRUCTURE:
(Porter, M.E (1998) principles and practice of marketing)
MACRO environment:
Political and legal:
There is a main crash of political factors on the business like boost in labour wages from £5.72 to £5.93 from October 2010 which affects planning labour cost, cap on immigrants.
Economical:
The boost in VAT from 17.5% to 20% will have a larger impact on the guest as the price of items will increase which will indirectly affect the rise in menu pricing.
Sociological
The altering food habits of the guests have a major impact on the set menu of the restaurant. Now a day many of the guests are health aware and so the menu has to be designed as per the needs of the guests and their version of the food taste. Promoting HIV prevention and Go-Green campaigns and charity marathon also helps promoting the hotel.
Technological:
Technology has made a great impact on the establishment to market their products and services. With the development of technology Thistle london heahrowis able to internationally market their products and services. Thistle london heahrowis making various use of technology to keep track of information about the guests like Visual SMS system, micros.
Environmental:
The environmental factors like ash clouds affected the airlines thereby affecting the business travellers coming to the hotel. But there are some delay flights where we can again make revenue. So any natural calamity like earth quakes, landslide, floods heavy and snow fall affect or help the business of the hotel.
Productivity:
E-marketing is an essential tool of marketing products and services as it is cost effectual as less cost is involved in marketing the product online and can get to a wide range of market at less time as most guests favour using internet of getting data. The risk of e-marketing is the data is available to everyone and not only the targeted guests. The average room’s occupancy is 88% with return guests by 48%. The guest complaints are being promptly clarified by guest relations section by various means like complimentary champagne or afternoon tea, depending upon the situation of the complaint. The guests can give us the feedback online or by feeling in the feedback form which is placed in the rooms and in the reception while check-out.
Organisation
Strategy:
Strategies are made for to growing the company by attracting more guests. Strategies are made depending on the elegant objectives, mission and vision of the organisation.
Structure:
When a member of staff joins the establishment they are shown with the things they need to check when they start with their shift and then shows the way things need to be executed to get best results. They are shown the standard and procedures they need to maintain while performing the work with all health and safety procedure.
Systems:
Thistle london heahrow uses visual SMS system to in all the core departments like front office, food and beverage and housekeeping. By the use of internet and any manager can view or communicate the information system from wherever by the use of extranet as they have their personal login and password which helps in keeping the evidence of the transactions and communication.
Style:
Thistle london heahrow provides managers with Wi-Fi phones which help in effective communication and quick move of information. Managers conduct briefings at the beginning and end of the shift. Managers encourage staff to perform to the best of their ability and provide necessary training and development.
Shared values:
Thistle london heahrow believes in keeping their guests happy to keep them repeat by provided them the best promising product and services which are above their hope. The guests are surprised with a birthday cake and a bottle of champagne on their birthday depending upon the spending by that guest (http://www.chimaeraconsulting.com).
Conclusion
This report of Thistle London heathrow helps to understand the strengths and weakness of the hotel and how the weakness can be overcome into strengths. It tells about the objectives and different strategies to gain those goals and objectives.
These reports explain by means of different models about their strategies, product development, promotions, and their service quality and standards. It also explains about the a variety of weaknesses like high staff turnover, low percentage of repeat customers and the ways to beat it by motivating staff and training and development programmes for the staff with additional remuneration. It also explains about retaining customers by providing them better packages and benefits.
By overcoming those weaknesses and implement above mention strategies will help the hotel to develop competitive edge over their competitors.
- Bibliography
- Marketing in Travel and Tourism by Victor T. C. Middleton, Alan Fyall, Michael Morgan, Ashok Ranchhod, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2009
- Essentials of marketing by Frances Brassington, Stephen Pettitt, Pearson Education, 2007
- Relationship marketing: theory and practiceby Francis Buttle, SAGE, 1996
- Saunders, j. and D. jobber (1994) The marketing initiative, strategies for product launch and deletion, Hemel Hempstead: prentice-hall, pg227
- H.I. Ansoff (1984), Implementing strategic management, Englewood cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall International
- H.I. Ansoff (1965), corporate strategy, (rev. edn 1987), New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.
- Michael E. porter (1980), Competitive strategy, Generic Competitive Strategies pg.35-41
- Subroto sengupta, (2007) Brand positioning, The positioning concept and illustration pg4-14
http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/competitive_advantage.htm (Accessed 13th January 2011)
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(Accessed on 28th November2010).
http://www.thistlemarine.co.uk/tgmission.html (Accessed on 15 December 2010)
http://www.guoman.com/corporate/about_us/press_office/guoman__thistle_hotels_officially_enters_china_market_and_starts_the_asia_journey.html (accessed on 29 December 2010)
http://www.guoman.com/en/hotels/united_kingdom/london/the_royal_horseguards/index.html (Accessed on 16 January 2010)
