Hotel Department Analysis INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL TOURISM & HOTEL MANAGEMENT

BY @DONIW A ASSESSMENT SUBMITTED FOR A HOSPITALITY CORE SUBJECT IN THE

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS (MARKETING)

Marketing & Sales Department

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction pg. 2

Department Analysis pg. 3

Knowledge, skills and abilities pg. 6

Conclusion pg. 9

Reference list pg. 10

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INTRODUCTION

Students studying the unit Hotel Management and Tourism are required to develop a Hotel

Department Analysis which will focus on one department of the student’s choice. The aim

of this assessment is to develop an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the

various departments that consists in an International Hotel. This assessment will be a great

foundation of knowledge to those who are undertaking Hospitality and Tourism degrees as

it will help them learn more about their desired hotel department. The Marketing and Sales

department will be the primary focus of this analysis. The marketing and sales department

will be analysed in various aspects including the overall structure, its key roles and the skills,

knowledge and attributes required to obtain a job position in this department.

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DEPARTMENT ANALYSIS

Background

Despite of what type of business it is, the role of any sales and marketing department is to

create awareness of a business’ products or services to a specific target market. To achieve

this, a mix of strategies need to be implemented. In an international hotel, the marketing

and sales department undertakes numerous strategic tasks to increase tourist demand to

various tourism destinations internationally.

Characteristics, Functions & Roles

It is important to take note that marketing and sales are not the same but essentially, two

aspects of the department. The following table will outline some characteristics, functions

and roles of each aspect of the department;

Marketing Sales

Tasks are undertaken at the corporate

level

In charge of developing a marketing

plan and the Marketing Mix

Identifying the needs of the targeted

consumers of the hotel

Responsible for maintaining positive

relationships with consumers

Informing and motivating potential or

current consumers

Analysing the current market place

and finding marketing opportunities

for the hotel

Tasks are undertaken at the local hotel

level

Aims to create a strong relationship

between consumers

Undertaking market research

Presenting information about a

business’ products or services with

customers

Targeting – allocating time among

customers

Finding new customers and giving

priorities to those who need it

Figure 1.1 Marketing and Sales Comparison (Kensbock, 2015) and (Kensbock et al., 2014)

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Department Structure

Here is a basic diagram of the structure of a marketing and sales department in a typical

international hotel. If one function fails to accomplish its role, it will significantly impact

other functions hence, the Director of Sales and Marketing ensure these roles are

commenced properly.

Figure 1.2 Marketing and Sales Department (Kensbock, 2015)

Considerations of providing quality service delivery

Customer loyalty is considered the key to business success and is an important marketing

tactic (Shanshan, Wilco, & Eric, 2011). The aim of the marketing and sales department is to

create and maintain a relationship with its targeted customers and ensure a quality service

is delivered to gain customer loyalty and a good hotel reputation. The department needs to

build a positive hotel experience by constantly assessing and managing service quality.

Quality management must be implemented, not only does it provide customer satisfaction

but also improves business performance (Mose & Kibera, 2015). Since intangible elements

are prominent in hospitality businesses, considerations need to be assessed to providing a

quality service.

According to the ‘Parasuraman Dimensional SERVQUAL management framework’, there are

five dimensions of service quality (Abukhalifeh & Mat Som, 2012). The marketing and sales

department should consider these dimensions when developing strategies to deliver a

quality service to consumers. This framework not only is relevant to the Food & Beverage

department but to all functions of an International Hotel.

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Figure 1.3 Parasuraman SERVQUAL management framework: adopted by Parasuraman et

al. (1985)

Dimension Brief Description

Tangibility The ability to make a service practical and useful

(having various mediums (e.g. Facebook, online chat) for the

consumer to access the hospitality business

Reliability The ability to deliver a good quality service

(marketing and sales staff always being available for consumers)

Responsiveness The ability to help a guest/consumer when requested

(sales agent quickly responding to a consumer inquiry online)

Assurance The ability to gain trust and confidence of the product or service

provided (following legal guidelines, corporate social responsibility)

Empathy The ability to contact a guest in a right and personalised manner

(sales agent contacting consumers in a friendly and comfortable way)

Figure 1.4 Dimensions of Parasuraman SERVQUAL management framework (Abukhalifeh &

Mat Som, 2012)

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KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Background

There are a variety of job positions available in the marketing department in an

international hotel. Many specialisations can be undertaken to work in such roles. A job

candidate can choose to be the Director of Sales and Marketing or even be a Sales Manager

at the international level. The necessary knowledge, skills and abilities will be outlined

separately below with some future employment trends in the hotel industry.

Figure 1.5 Marketing and Sales Department (Kensbock, 2015)

Knowledge

Employers may assess a job candidate’s ‘knowledge’ by the relevant degrees they have

undertaken and the number of years they obtained work experience. For the marketing and

sales department, a bachelor’s degree in marketing, hospitality or business would be the

minimum requirements for a job position (Henderson, n.d.). Additional to education

requirements, an employer may require a job candidate to have at least three years of work

experience. The more experience a job candidate has, the more appealing they will reveal

to a prospective employer.

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Skills

A future employer working at the Marketing and Sales department at a international hotel

may look for the following skills (Henderson, n.d.);

o Analytical skills

o Interpersonal skills

o Good communication

o Social media savvy

o Word processing e.g. Microsoft Office

o Specific language requirements

o Problem solving

o Creativity

o Teamwork

o Cooperation

o Leadership

o Public speaking

Abilities

A job candidate hoping to work in the Marketing and Sales department of the hotel should

be able to; ("Hotel Sales Manager Skills and Knowledge", n.d.)

o Analyse business needs

o Instruct others

o Communicate effectively

o Think critically

o Understand and relate with others

o Negotiate with others

o Take the appropriate decisions

o Manage time effectively

o Be an active listener

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Future Employment

Solnet, Baum, Robinson, & Lockstone-Binney (2015) states that in the future, roles and skills

required from hotel employees will be detached to the extent that the jobs of hotel

managers will become more complex and pressured. Another possible trend in the future is

that there may be an increasing demand for high level roles and skills in employees in the

future. This will make recruiting competitive and competitive. Currently, hotel customers

are becoming more experienced hence their perceptions and impressions of a certain brand

is dominant (So & King, 2010). This will force the hotel marketing and sales department to

change its strategies to suit the new developed customers of the future.

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CONCLUSION

The Marketing and Sales Department in an international hotel was analysed in various

aspects in this assessment item. As mentioned previously, the major aim of this department

is to create awareness about a product or service to the business’ targeted consumers. The

roles of the department, the structure and the considerations of delivering a quality service

in the department was outlined to provide a thorough understanding to students

undertaking tourism and hotel management degrees. Information about the knowledge,

skills and abilities required to obtain employment in this department was also outlined. The

knowledge gained from this assessment task will help form a foundation about the

Marketing and Sales hotel department.

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REFERENCE LIST (APA)

Abukhalifeh, A. & Mat Som, A. (2012). Service Quality Management in Hotel Industry: A

Conceptual Framework for Food and Beverage Departments. International Journal Of

Business And Management, 7(14), 136 - 137. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v7n14p135

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Henderson, W. Roles & Responsibilities of a Marketing Manager in the Hotel Industry. Our

Everyday Life. Retrieved 27 October 2016, from http://oureverydaylife.com/roles-

responsibilities-marketing-manager-hotel-industry-29901.html

Hotel Sales Manager Skills and Knowledge. My Majors. Retrieved 27 October 2016, from

https://www.mymajors.com/career/hotel-sales-manager/skills/

Kam Fung So, K., & King, C. (2010). “When experience matters”: Building and measuring

hotel brand equity: The customers' perspective. International Journal of Contemporary

Hospitality Management, 22(5), 589-608. doi:10.1108/09596111011053765

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Kensbock, S. (2015). The function of the Sales and Marketing Department of a Hotel and

Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Lecture, Griffith University.

Kensbock, S., Fraser, B., Walker, J., Walker, J., Cooper, C., & Walker, J. et al. (2014).

Introduction to international tourism and hotel management (pp. 298-361). Sydney: Pearson

Australia.

Mose, J. & Kibera, F. (2015). The Influence of Service Quality Management Practices on the

Performance of Hotel Firms in Kenya. European Scientific Journal, 11(22), 215- 317.

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Shanshan, N., Wilco, C., & Eric, S. (2011). A study of hotel frequent-guest programs: Benefits

and costs. Journal Of Vacation Marketing, 17(4), 315.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1356766711420836

Solnet, D., Baum, T., Robinson, R. N. S., & Lockstone-Binney, L. (2016). What about the

workers? roles and skills for employees in hotels of the future. Journal of Vacation

Marketing, 22(3), 212-226. doi:10.1177/1356766715617403