Marketing Strategy Luxury Boutique Hotels

The notion of the marketing strategy is conceptualized in Boutique Hotels. The idea revolves around the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies of the intention to open up a boutique hotel in the Valley de Guadalupe an area in Mexico in the near future. Valley de Guadalupe is a wine-producing region of the country that is located in the Northern part of Baja California Peninsula that has over 60 wineries that produce wine of a quality similar to the California’s Napa Valley (Gilbert, 2014). Individuals with the spirit of adventure, who not only love traveling but also look for unique experience, would definitely prefer staying at Boutique Hotels. Boutique Hotels are the hotels that not only offer accommodation but also provide customers with unique experience camouflaged in the unique styles and designs; these hotels are characterized to be independent or affiliated with small brands, they are also known to be small in size because of having only up to forty rooms (Mayock, 2015). Thus, the marketing plan aims at attracting and managing the travelers who seeks to explore the wineries in the region of visit.

Luxury Boutique hotels are hotels that offer not only accommodation to its customers but also unique experiences; these hotels are usually customer centered. The following personalized customer services are provided by the hotels: the rose petal baths, the private plunge pools, the traditional spa services, motivational packages such as honeymoon packages, the provision of the recreational courses in dancing and painting (Mayock, 2015). Actually, the hotels are unique in their design, as it revolves around a consistent theme and may incorporate the designs of historical buildings. Thus, the aforementioned aspects result in the development of a new term that describes the luxury boutique hotels “AUTHENTICITY”. Such a term is explained as the search for recognition in which the customers look for person-centered unique experience at the place where they are able to feel and belong to the community they are visiting (Blotter, n.d.).

The Target Market Demographics and Lifestyle Segmentation

Market demographics and lifestyle segmentation influence the target market by identifying the market segments in quantities that take into account the following aspects: location, the age of the intended customers, the family income, the gender of the target customer, education level, the occupation and the ethnical belonging. In fact, the observable aspects can have a great contribution to identifying the target customer in relation to the market demographics and lifestyle segmentation that in many cases infer relevance from the social and cultural trends.

The secondary research on demographics and lifestyle segmentation according toOlga (2009) reveals that the United States boutique hotels identified their customers, who they target now, to be the people from early twenties to mid-fifties characterized by middle to upper-income. Likewise, McKenney (n.d.) has the similar study of the target market of the boutique hotels in Europe that identifies the target audience to be people from early twenties to mid-fifties characterized by middle to upper-income. One of the industry executives, Raul Leal, who is a CEO at Virgin Hotels, states that the boutique hotels are not for customers who he refers to be millennial, gen X’ers; the boutique hotels are frequently booked and visited by the travelers who have passion for travelling and have formed a creative class that loves travelling (Blotter, n.d.).

Demographics and lifestyle segmentation refer to target market that involves customer’s preference for boutique hotels to be a motivational factor. According to Wang (2013), the research shows that motivations to stay in the luxury boutique hotels employs the framework of the push or pull factor. Push factors are the motivational factors for travel that communicate the need to take a break from routine and get morale enhancement that could be provided by the adventure. According to Wang (2013), one of the studies that included the Chinese travelers shows the findings that relate to the need for experiencing uniqueness. Therefore, in seeking for uniqueness, the pushing factor that influences the motivation to occupy the boutique hotels became a driving factor for wealthy segment of the respondents. Actually, other interpersonal driving factors were found to arise from the need to socialize and make friends with other people who have different cultural values.

Pull factors are the motivational factors that are dependent on the features and attributes of a specified destination. Specified destination places could be identified as beaches, historical sceneries, and the famous landmarks. According to Wang (2013), the design of the Boutique hotels, the style and uniqueness they provide, were very significant in concern to pull factors that the wealthy seek to experience. Remarkably, the wealthy part of the respondents need appropriate cost for the appropriate convenience that gives rise to additional pull factors.

The Target Market Behavior Research

The market behavioral research takes into account emotional factors and psychographic influences that include people’s beliefs, personalities, values, opinions, attitudes, interests and individual statuses. Furthermore, the market behavioral research puts high emphasis on the relations and affections that customers have developed for some brands based on the knowledge, experience they had, the usage and the perception they developed. Such an aspect of behavioral research results in the development of the certain behaviors that include the brand attribution, perception of the benefits of the brand, the level of loyalty to the brand and the frequency of usage.

Thus, the market behavior research reveals that the travelers prefer the boutique hotels based on certain attributes such as the set of services offered by the hotels. Specifically, the customers enjoy the boutique hotels for the following reasons: they are friendly, they have staff capable of multitasking and managing customers’ requests in a warm and polite way (Van Hartesvelt, 2006). In fact, the customers develop a feeling of recognition and honor when the staff is able to identify the customers using their names. The customers have also developed a behavioral preference for the boutique hotels because of the fact that they are very small in size and are always located in downtown that provides the guests with an opportunity to walk to the restaurants, nearby shops and the attractive sites. Special characteristics of the Valley de Guadalupe communicate the need for the hotels convenient in providing the opportunity for exploring the wineries that is usually the major activity of interest that can draw the guest’s attention.

What is important, the research has found out that the majority of the boutique hotels offer quality and standard luxury services to the customers. Such services include the concierge services, treats including evening offers of chocolates, provision of the 24-hour butler services, fast laundry services that also provide dry cleaning , warm receptions that welcome guests by offering wine and cheese, and the availability of luxury services including the use of limousine to transport the customers. Moreover, the research has also found out that the boutique hotels offer extra luxury services to their esteemed customers in order to outperform their competitors. Fr instance, the Library Hotel that is based in New York City provides a complimentary visiting of New York Sports Clubs throughout Manhattan (“Library Hotel Services,” n.d.). The Marlowe (“Boston Luxury Hotel Service,” n.d.) boutique hotel based in Cambridge, Massachusetts provides complimentary use of a kayak and a bicycle. Surprisingly, the Vermont Twin Farms hotel provides the guests with the opportunity to ski at the private area with the staff providing lifts up the mountain on a custom bench-like sled at the back of a snowmobile (Olmstead, 2014). So, the boutique hotels use many ways and tactics to attract their customers and retain them.

According to the research findings, the boutique hotels are ideal for the customers that are looking for a new experience. Such customers find the unique experience in the overall design of the boutique hotels. According to (Mayock, 2015), an industry expert of 21c Museum Hotels Craig Greenberg, notes that boutique hotels are able to provide the customers with the unique experience and good designs they are in search of. Moreover, if the boutique hotels are well designed to portray a unique style, then they are able to create an atmosphere where warmth and intimacy are encompassed. Thus, the uniqueness of the hotel depends on the dramatic impression it provides which is created using the architectural skills, the colors, designs, the lighting systems and music.

Concept Testing

In fact, the concept testing is necessary in order to check the validity of the concept. A variety of concept testing methods can be used including the use of the questions and conducting interviews randomly to an identified sample. The use of the survey was chosen for the purpose of validating the concept. Therefore, the preliminary survey needed to be drafted in order to better understand the travelers’ choice to use the boutique hotels, with the emphasis on the Valle de Guadalupe,, . Thus, the survey involved several statements and contained seven-point scale used to evaluate the traveler’s attitude and preference for visiting a boutique hotel.

Sample Draft of Survey

The first and the foremost question of the survey intended to find out the comments from those respondents who might have stayed at a boutique hotel before. Then their answers then were guided in such a way that would identify the quality of experience associated with unique style, design-centric, affiliation to the small brand systems and the size factor that included information about small size of 40 rooms. No or Yes options were available for the answer in order to disregard vague answers, a.

The next questions intended to find out the following information: if the respondent had an intention to staying in any of the boutique hotels in the coming future; whether high level of staff service is important while staying; if the unique design of the boutique hotel is of importance; whether the respondent is expecting technology devices to be available; whether the availability of personalized services is important; if the quality of the restaurant is important; whether the respondent would use online travel reviews to help guide the decision. The questions related to familiarity with the Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico as a potential travel destination (Yes ? No ?) or any interests in one time taking vacation or weekend to the Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico area were following the questions about the importance of experience quality. These survey questions called for clarity in answers in which the respondent could strongly disagree, remain neutral and strongly agree. The demographics survey questions in turn, revolved around gender identification (male or female), the age of the respondent and the income generated per a household.

Relevant Information to Market Strategy

Marketing strategies must be superior to the competitors’ ones. The competition includes the presence of potential competitors, direct competitors, and the indirect competitors. So, any business that is about to enter a competitive area must have clear plans of outperforming competition and maintaining competitive position at the market. For instance, Hotel Endemico that is a boutique hotel in the Valle de Guadalupe area, La Ville del Valle that is the top-ranked boutique hotel on Trip Advisor, La Ville del Valle that is the top-ranked boutique hotel on Trip Advisor, Terra del Valle that is the second ranked boutique hotel in the area on Trip Advisor, Hotel Boutique Valle de Guadalupe, and Adobe Guadalupe are all the boutique hotels providing similar services to the target customers. So, the only way for the new hotel to enter a market is to provide unique service to the customers.

The Promotional Strategy Sections of the Creative Work

Recently, the internet connections have expanded all over the world. Thus, the internet has become a small village in which you can virtually be anywhere you want. Such a change is irresistible and the need to keep up to date with the variety of the technologies is obvious. The internet gave rise to a new type of business promotions – media of promotion. Several approaches in terms of social media are available for approaching the target customers in the market. Thus, electronic marketing becomes very much useful in promotion of the business of this Boutique hotels.

Every individual who plans to go on a vacation, on an adventure or visits some place at a given time period, often prefers to look for accommodation services using the interment. Such a technique is available as several hotel companies have embraced the technological advancements and are ready to go step in step with technological advances. Therefore, the customers are increasing their internet usage by searching for boutique hotels. In fact, Google search statistic shows that 60% of the hotel broad search includes specific hotel locations and that 35% includes search results for the hotel type that could be either the bigger branded hotel systems or the smaller ones including the Boutique Hotels (Loeb, 2012). Interestingly, the most searched entry for small hotels was found out to be the Boutique hotel identified as spa hotel (Loeb, 2012). Therefore, boutique hotels, when targeting customers, have developed a trend of relying on the online sources. Actually the customers base their choice on the reviews, when selecting and booking the hotels to stay at; the choice could also be influenced by friends recommendations that are dependent on the past experience at a given hotel.

In fact, the web site creation proves to be the most influential and reliable internet technique that allows every customer to be able to access the information that he/she is in need of. Moreover, a properly designed website should be created for the hotel to attract customers. The web site should have the best graphic design that shows the attractiveness of the Boutique hotel at a glance. Services that are provided by the hotel must be stated and well explained. Moreover, the information about the staff must be on the web site; the customers’ suggestions should be highly welcomed and well managed. The web site must also clearly state the information about the costs of the services; it should also provide guidelines about online booking and an online customer support service such as cell phone should be available 24 hours in the event that customer has difficulties,. Finally, the website must be kept updated and the administrator should always be available to respond to any challenges that might arise.

The second social media technique might communicate the necessity to create a YOU-TUBE Channel. YouTube is a place where the hotel would be able to upload the daily events; YouTube also provides an opportunity to allow for subscription where the initial subscribers would be the customers who had an experience at the hotel. The initial subscribers have the ability to recommend the hotel to their fellows using a direct link to the YouTube channel, if the hotel services satisfied their needs. Actually, their experience at the particular boutique hotel would be a significant factor when making a choice of either to recommend it or not.

In addition, the creation of YouTube channel has the advantage described as when the subscribers number increase, more advertisements are brought to the channel thereby increasing the popularity of the Boutique hotel and at the same time increasing revenues from advertisements. The creation of a YouTube channel provides information to the target customers in both the video format and the audio formatted. Customers who want to recommend the hotel to other friends, who need to go on a vacation or a trip, could download the directions of the hotel location, store it on any information storage devices and give it to their friends. In such a way people can travel by listening to the directions without having to undergo the stress of buying the guide maps.

Conclusion

Finally, the marketing strategy demands that the hotel properly studies the market and the type of the target customers that the business wants to deal with. Thus a thorough background research specific to the business needs to be conducted. What concerns the identification of the target audience, there is relevant findings of the possible factors that could affect customers’ buying frequency. In the case of service providing business, there is a need to investigate possible factors that could lower access and the preference for such services. What is important, the marketing strategy needs to identify and take care of the competitors. In the event that a business just enters the market and it cannot outperform the competitors in terms of the standards, the business would probably collapse. Moreover, proper promotion techniques need to be in place in order to ensure that the target customers are reached. The target audience could be approached using various media channels that are accessible to the target population.