A comparison of the marketing methods of two multinational hotel brands Student name:Baby Lima Student ID number:2133582 The module title: BMIH4005Marketing Essentials BMIH4005 Lecturer’s name: Chris Wilkin, Ruth Taylor-Davies, Sabastian Joseph, Gaya Table of Contents Introduction​3 Discussion​3 Conclusion​6 References​7 Introduction Premier Inn and Marriot are both subsidiary Tourism sectors in the UK with different business and market approach strategies. Both companies have already established themselves as the tourism giants in the UK. The customer segments of both companies are quite different from each other. The main purpose of these two companies is to provide affordable and quality hotels for their guests which are the main reason why these two companies have been chosen for this study. The essay will analyse a comparative study of the marketing strategies of these two companies and it will also look into the current marketing position and sustainability approach of these companies. This will entail a discussion about the application of segmentation, targeting, and positioning, as well as marketing communications with their respective target audiences. Discussion Premier Inn was established by Whitebread and it was known as Travel Inn at that time. The company is located in several regions in UK, Germany and Asia (Premierinn, 2022). Marriott also has a strong historical background as the company was founded in 1927 (Mariott, 2022). Tourism is all about making sure people have a good place to rest. Since not everyone likes the same kind of comfort, there are now many different pillows to choose from in the hotels of Premier Inn. All of the beds in the hotel have been carefully chosen and tested to make sure they all feel the same. Even though Premier Inn's room rates are lower than those of its high-end competitors, they are still higher than those of its cheaper competitors, which gives the impression that it is a good place to stay (Bowie et al., 2017). On the other hand, Marriott hotels are extremely costly as the company focuses on a premium pricing policy. Premier Inn uses all of the parts of the marketing mix together in a well-planned way. Premier Inn sent its mailing list members an email with a sneak peek of its new TV commercial right before it first aired. After the Covid-19 pandemic, both companies are enhancing their operations online (Smith and Zook, 2019). From the online booking of hotels to receiving online payments, several changes in the operation have been made by both of the organisations. One of Premier Inn's best qualities is that it markets itself in many different ways. There is no difference between calling, going online, or using a mobile app to make a reservation. With the app, a traveller can easily find the Premier Inn that is closest to them. Premier Inn has taken a lot of steps to improve its operations for the comfort of its guests. It's easy and straightforward to make a reservation through any of the available channels, and guests can check in at an automated kiosk with little help from hotel staff (Kotler et al., 2020). Marriott has started making user-generated content to get the attention of young adults today. The way that Marriott uses social media to market itself is different from what other hotels do. The power of social media isn't in how well the company can show off, but in how well the company can see how its visitors show off themselves. When using the app, members of Marriott's rewards programme don't have to check-in. As soon as they check-in, they head straight to their room and use their phones to open the door. And it's the same when paying: easy to get in and out of. However, there are some problems with how Marriott uses technology and how it is developing customer-based marketing (Ryan and Jones, 2012). Their advertising is mostly aimed at people in the millennial generation. Marriott does not emphasise more on the older generation. The company uses social media and digital technology in order to attract modern millennial customers. Market position in simple words is the ability on the part of an organisation to influence their customers against the present competitors in the same sector and in the same location. Thus, the market position of Premier Inn can be analysed by the market share they hold in the UK tourism industry. According to the studies, the number of rooms in the hotel has increased from 110,000 to almost 125,000 in 2022 and these particular statistics show that the market share hotel industry of the UK has enhanced almost to 17%, of the whole market (Statista, 2022). Apart from Premier Inn, there is another hotel that is very renowned in the UK and that is Marriot Hotels and Resorts which holds almost 10.63% of the market share of the UK hotel industry. Thus, it can be observed that close competition always takes place between both of these organisations regarding the market share as well as the services provided on the part of the hotel chains. There are almost 8,000 hotels in the Marriot Hotels and Resorts that can be seen worldwide which also is evidence of their international presence, as both of the organisations are multinational in nature (Statista, 2022). Marketing strategies are the plans based on which the brands opt to attract new customers and also try to retain their present customers each organisation has their own marketing strategies. For instance, in Premier Inn, the organisation mainly focuses on pricing so that the customers can afford it. The pricing is very low compared to that of the luxury brand hotels and that is the main point of attraction on the part of the consumers (George, 2021). Apart from that, a seamless and consistent promotional strategy followed Premier Inn, based on which they launch TV advertisements and even sent emails to their existing customers regarding their new and attractive offers. In the case of Marriot Hotels and Resorts, the marketing mix is quite different as they deliver an exceptional type of guest service especially, for longer stays. However, the organisation involves almost 30 luxury brands in their services and thus, their services are quite expensive yet luxurious. The pricing strategy is quite different in the case of Marriot Hotels and Resorts as based on the luxurious type their pricing differs in different hotel locations (Slootweg and Rowson, 2018). Despite of luxurious and expensive pricing strategy, the services are top-notch. The organisation has a well-designed website and they also use a User-Generated Content strategy in order to collaborate with influencers for the promotion of its brand. Sustainability and its incorporation into business can be proven as a successful marketing strategy as it has the ability to attract and retain more customers (Kotler et al., 2020). The same strategy is also followed by Premier Inn as they have taken the pledge to reach the goals of net zero carbon emission by the year 2040. They have also taken several plans to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses, by investing in the efficient use of electric appliances and also, are maintaining their commitment to 100% renewable energy also, which is another evidence of their green message and sustainability adherence (Premier Inn, 2022). Marriot Hotels and Resorts are engaged in several environmental activities, they try their best to offer the people the message of sustainability and the importance of greenery. The organisation planted almost 1500 mangrove trees in Thailand in 2019 (Serve360 Marriott, 2022). Moreover, they cherish a partnership with the Foundation of Amazon Sustainability for over a 10 years time span. The particular organisation work for curbing deforestation and restrict the emission of greenhouse gas. They have also planted 82,000 trees along with Arbor Day Foundation in 2019 and these are the sustainability initiative taken by Marriot Hotels and Resorts. The tourism industry is one of the areas that has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 crisis. The loss in export income was extremely high due to the dramatic reduction in the overall revenue generation of Premier Inn, which is more than 11 times more than the loss that occurred during the previous economic crisis in 2009 (Wu and Kong, 2021). In order to get back on their feet, both Premier Inn and Marriott have adopted online, digital and social media marketing strategies. Even though the pandemic is far from being over, Marriott needs to make plans to move forward in a way that is more inclusive of the government, the corporate sector, civil society, and other partners. In addition, both Mariott and Premier Inn need to be prepared to adapt their business models and governance structures to meet the requirements of a completely new customer base. It will take some time to increase consumers' and investors' levels of confidence. However, the most pressing necessity right now is to communicate these efforts in a transparent manner (Long, 2020). It is also vital to make improvements to the long-term profitability and resilience of the system, as well as to distribute the advantages. When implemented together, these strategies have the potential to revitalise the operation of Premier Inn and Mariott by capitalising on the industry's market-creating capacity to bolster economies, generate employment opportunities, and propel development results that prioritise people and the communities in which they live. Conclusion In the concluding section of the essay, it can be said that there is a huge competition that lies between both the organisations, Premier Inn and Marriot Hotels and Restaurants, in the UK due to the market position as well as market share they have in the tourism sector market of the UK. thus, the essay from the very beginning to the end has evaluated several differences that both organisations have. Apart from that, it has also been proved that there is immense competition in which both organisations are involved. 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