T HE IMPORTANCE OF S TANDARDS AND B RANDING FOR S MALL H OTELS SUB – SECTOR OF THE REGION
P RESENTATION The importance and impact of Standards and Branding in general for the small hotel sub-sector The Brands and Standards of the STEP Programme Credible Brands and Standards for small properties
Sharing of recommendations based on finding of from the Report Updating Brands and Standards, Small Tourism Enterprise Network (STEN) Project July 2011
I NTRODUCTION Hotels are expected to provide their guests with the best of everything Small hotels in the Caribbean are aiming to provide the best service they can and the people factor will make the huge difference It is crucial that the design of the hotel and service it offers, follow concepts of quality standards implementation.
M AINTAINING THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT IS REQUIRED through understanding guests’ expectations, setting service standards to meet these expectations, training the staff to follow these service standards, guiding the guests’ experiences, and identifying and closing service gaps.
W HAT IS THE VALUE OF ESTABLISHING S TANDARDS ? To determine the level of performance required And how that performance should feel to the guest. Guests are seeking consistency and quality at the right price
S TANDARDS Standards act as a quality minimum not a steadfast rule Standards create cohesiveness necessary to the survival of a hotel brand Standards are critical in creating Brand Equity
Standards are hard to maintain but without them where would the brand be?
S OME CRITICAL A REAS WHERE S TANDARDS CAN BE APPLIED Reservation services Arrival services Check-in Evening housekeeping Wake up call Room service (ordering and delivery) Check-out Departure services
I MPORTANCE AND IMPACT OF S TANDARDS Service standards should be set, implemented, and evaluated or DIM with the guests in mind. These Standards also help give the guests an idea as to what they should be expecting from the small hotel The service standards provide the staff with guidelines as to what they should be doing for their guests. Standards help to identify and close service gaps.
THE SMALL HOTEL Cottage Villa Bed and breakfast Small resort Inn These hotels should hold a certain mystique that invites their guests to continually return
P ULL FACTOR : Q UALITY S TANDARDS It is important that the service standards small hotels provide their guests meets or exceeds their expectations, by doing so, the guest will leave satisfied. Standards are hard to maintain but without them the Brand would be lost Standards act as a quality minimum not a steadfast rule
Standards are critical to maintaining Brand Equity Standards create cohesiveness necessary to the survival of a hotel brand
T HE CONCEPT OF B RANDS
B RANDING The term branding has traditionally been used with the promotion of products •Modern day meaning “ to implant on the mind” • American Marketing Association Definition - “ A name term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of the competition.”
B RANDING D OMINANT T REND IN THE H OTEL I NDUSTRY Branding/ re-branding can positively impact customer purchase preferences and intentions, satisfaction and loyalty and a firm’s financial performance.
W HAT IS A B RAND The product or service of a particular supplier which is differentiated by its name or presentation A brand is actually a promise given by the company to its consumer about what the product can give to the consumer.
H OTEL B RANDS
Travelers expect more than comfort and convenience Looking for an experience that look and feel different from the traditional branded hotels Era of Boutique Hotel- experience with members of the hotel staff e.g. A Caribbean small hotel
Effective branding strategies can increase customers’ satisfaction and strengthen customer loyalty, which in turn contribute to a company’s financial performance and as a result a potential source of strategic advantage.
I MPORTANCE AND IMPACT OF BRANDING A product brand is not only a name for that product or for a hotel. A brand will always be connected to a company’s identity which will remind the consumer about its performance.
V ALUE OF THE B RAND The value of a brand is based on the awareness of the brand, its quality perception, and overall customer satisfaction (Aaker, 1991). Satisfied customers of a BRAND tend to buy more, be less price conscious, and to generate positive word-of- mouth, thus contributing to bottom- line profit
From the hotel owner’s perspective, affiliating with an appropriate brand with the correct position can allow them to leverage on the brand’s established name to increase awareness of their property and market value (O’Neill & Xiao, 2006). This is especially useful if the hotel is rebranding in reaction to changes in market demand or market segment.
Effective hotel branding can also increase the level of reliability and risks associated with the hotel perceived by the consumer, and positively influence their consumption behavior as consumers will tend to purchase from brands they trust and are more familiar with (Bateson & Hoffman, 1999; Berry, 1999). In turn, owners can enjoy stronger customer loyalty and charge higher rates for greater financial returns (Kayaman & Arasli, 2007).
Due to this intangible nature of the service “product,” consumers are “forced” to anchor their decision based on relatively dependable cues such as the firm’s image and reputation Brands in the Hotel industry today are more than the concrete symbols associated with them…today they represent a lifestyle choice and create a whole new meaning system
Branding prescribe the look feel and function of the hotel Brand create a psychological and emotional experience for the guest
T HE FOUR CONSTRUCTS OF CUSTOMER - BASED HOTEL BRAND EQUITY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED TO BE brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality and brand image (Aaker, 1991; Bailey & Ball, 2006; Prasad & Dev, 2000; Yoo & Donthu, 2001 )
B ENEFITS OF B RANDING Introduces stability in the business Helps guard against competitive imitation Allows consumers to shop with confidence Reduces marketing cost Decreases operating cost Increases referrals Provides competitive adva ntage
Hotel operators should recognize that once they've developed a clearly defined brand, they need to work hard to maintain the standards and qualities associated with it.
C ARIBBEAN E XPERIENCES
S TEP The Small Tourism Enterprise Program (STEP) was designed to provide assistance to small tourism enterprises and Hotels to enhance their competitiveness. STEP provided training in product and services delivery, a mechanism to embrace international standards, avenues for cost-effective marketing.
Updating and Revise The Caribbean Experiences Brand, under Small Tourism Enterprise Network (STEN) Project July 2011
M AJOR FINDINGS STEP implemented activities and resources were off the radar and most tourism officials in place today were not familiar with the Project or its outputs That it appeared that there was a waste of resources as stakeholders were not utilizing the resources already in place. In several of the countries personnel are busy creating standards for the sector without the benefit of the standards produced under the STEP Programme
In terms of STEP project implementation By the time the Caribbean Experiences Brand Website had been introduced and promoted, many of the smaller properties had already gone ahead and got their individual Web Sites done. There was therefore little or no utilization. In most of the STEP Countries there was the need for real public/private sector partnership. The term was being applied but in actuality the partnerships were either weak or non-existent
R ECOMMENDATIONS An awareness, education campaign be launched to review/launch STEP/STEN activities – This could be a national campaign using peer leaders, testimonials, flyers and radio and television promotions. The Campaign must emphasize the evocation of a genuine Caribbean Experience. That the Coordinator role be defined to ensure sustainability. Use of a performance based job description could be used to help to determine the coordinators that are assigned.
That the OAS puts a mechanism in place for performance management of the coordinators to include goals, communication, contact with stakeholders, quarterly reports etc. A workshop is conducted for key stakeholders on the STEP resources and their uses e.g. Caribbean Experiences, The Innkeeper
Recommend
More recommend
