Guest IntelligenceCompetitive Set Analysis

What drives guests to your hotel?What drives them to your competitors?

1. Guest Tracking By Season, Source, Market or Company? Utilizing your Action Plans: Daily-Weekly-Monthly to stay on

track!

2. How guests heard about your hotel property & where? Referral, Advertising, Online Online Market Tools that can help! Where exactly is the business coming from? (How to track it

down)

3. Competitive Intelligence: How to find specific information

How it helps your hotel stay up to date on trends & demand Staying current against your competitors: Amenities, Service, Rates &

Specials

4. Understanding ‘Market Drivers’ How people actually decided on your hotel may surprise you.

Agenda

◦ Are you using your Action Plans?

Guest Intelligence Tracking

STR Reports:◦ Market Forecasting◦ Trend Reports ◦ Pipeline Reports

Guest Intelligence

Guest Tracking• Target Markets: Corporate, Group, Leisure, Gov’t• Demographic: Age, Gender, Reason for traveling • Length of Stay History• Purpose: Business or Personal

◦ Guest Tracking: What brought them to your hotel & why?◦ Was it something you did? A special package or event going on in the

area? All Key Factors when you forecast for the future. ◦ For hotel companies, social media has essentially become a

sanctioned form of eavesdropping. “Hotels have trained their staff to be intense listeners and dig up information about their guests. This gives them a whole new realm in which to listen.”  Season: Understanding demand & pricing appropriately is

CRUCIAL Source: How was the reservation made? Online, Mobile, Call-

in? Market: Group, Leisure, Tour, Government, Corporate

Very Important that every guest is tracked accordingly to their length of stay, reason for staying & their rate.

Company: If a guest works for a company it’s very important to get that company information because there’s opportunities for more biz!

Guest Tracking

◦ Why/How guests heard about your hotel property?◦ Tracking: Make sure you’re tracking how a guest booked

with you Was it a special you were running? (GC’s-Vouchers) Referrals: Special Notes in reservation, pay close attention to rate Advertising: Require a ‘code’ to receive special rate (helps

tracking) Online: Specials, Packages or Deals you may be running QR Codes: http://www.qrstuff.com/

Guest Tracking

◦ Hotel Tools at your fingertips: Are you utilizing them 100%?

Examples of what to look for & how to break it down & understand it! E-Commerce Reports

3rd Party – Referring Websites: Are your rates & discounts correct & up to date?

E-brochures: Hotel information & pictures current & correct? GDS Travel Agents – Voice Call Centers: Are you utilizing all brand tools? Guest Demographics & Market Segments: What’s your strength? What’s your

weakness?

Where’s the Business Coming From?

Central Reservation System (CRS) Learn & Build off of it! Take advantage of a good thing See the big picture Understand market trends

Where’s the Business Coming From?

3rd Party Websites: Hotels.com, Expedia, TravelWeb, Travelocity, Orbitz, Booking.com (Retail) * Create 3rd Party Contact

Lists * Get recommendations

from them

Referring Websites: Google, RoomKey, Bing, Kayak

3rd Party Websites

Competition: Can be your best ally Other hotels can help your hotel stay up to date on marketing trends Inside track on demand & forecasting

Shows You How To Differentiate Through competitive intelligence reporting, you can track and analyze the

marketing and communication strategy of your competitors. By staying current with their messaging, press releases, and social strategy, you

can capitalize on areas that your competitors are executing poorly, and make your company stand out.

Alerts You To New Trends Your competition can alert you to larger market trends that you may have missed

previously. It can also alert you to lack of demand signaling that it is time to make changes or

stop certain campaigns or specials completely Helps with Timing

If you enter at the right time you can pummel the competition S.W.O.T Analysis

Revisit your competitive & marketplace S.W.O.T Analysis

Competitive Intelligence

COMPETITIVE SET S.W.O.T • Strengths

• Weaknesses

• Opportunities

• Threats

Long-term drivers and global trends In the long term, growth in the hotel industry is driven by a number of trends:Economic Over the long term, global economic growth and more sophisticated financial markets in emerging

countries has led to a 1.8% increase in global total hotel rooms supply over the last eight years.Demographic During the last 10 years the typical traveler demographic has changed. The younger workforce is driving more diverse and informal working patterns, with an expectation

that hotels will cater for flexible working arrangements. A growing ageing population with the desire, and means to travel, is expected to significantly increase travel flows and lead to an overall increase in demand for travel services.

Technology 2014 Trends Report found that the rapid rise of technology-enabled personalization is helping to

shape the experience guests want when they travel. It also found that personalized brand experiences which resonate with the local culture are

particularly important for the fast-growing number of international travelers from emerging markets.

Social Increased competition and capacity amongst airlines, lower air fares and more relaxed travel and

immigration restrictions in many regions have made international travel a viable option for an increasing number of people.

Competitors These long-term drivers and global trends are changing the competitive landscape within the travel

industry. Competitors are no longer simply branded or independent hotels, but now include travel

intermediaries and companies offering alternative lodging solutions and search options, providing inspiration for travel ideas and a range of travel solutions.

Global Market Trends

Market Drivers

◦ Understanding ‘Market Drivers’ How people actually decided on your hotel may surprise

you. Could be as simple as a positive (or negative) online review Might come down to how well your FD Attendant ‘sells’ them. Do some ‘Secret Shopper’ calls at night

Market Drivers

Visual Content Marketing: Some guests prefer ‘pictures’ over material Make your hotel as ‘attractive’ as possible! Run great specials, deals, promotions or ‘fun facts’ to keep interest

high! Are all of your ‘Market Drivers’ covered?

Use https://moz.com/local/overview (formerly www.getlisted.org) Next SLIDE (Example of your hotel’s listing score)

Market Drivers

Call to Action Assignment(s): Send to LHR within 2 weeks◦ Update Hotel Action Plans:

Market Segments: Changes, Updates, New Opportunities ◦ Market Drivers: Submit your hotel’s online search

engine score Use https://moz.com/local/overview

◦ Update Competitive Set Analysis Chart: Any new hotels in your market List of amenities & corporate clients (new & old)

◦ Update Competitive Set S.W.O.T Analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats

Action Items