Sales Development and Merchandising Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sales Development and Merchandising - Case Study Example The secondary source of information was the brochures and promotional material that the hotel manager provided as well as various hotel guides, reviews on the internet and the corporate website. I also stayed at the hotel for a day to get a feel of its environment, ambience and service and to understand its positioning fully. All the information and observations were recorded and classified into various subtopics. These included general information, consumer insights, desired positioning and image for Holiday Inn and communication strategy. These were then analyzed and feedback was incorporated into the assignment to give it a logical finish. Even though access to the hotel was fairly easy, certain problems were encountered in doing the assignment. Often customers had highly skewed perspectives of the hotel. Most had a very good opinion of the hotel while few also hated the international chain. However, it was alarming that no one considered the hotel to be moderate or average. To eliminate this skew ness from the sample, customers were encouraged to present a balanced picture of the hotel, detailing both the pros and cons. Sometimes this required prompting on part of the interviewer. Secondly certain formats and samples ... Even though I stressed on the importance of the information, the management was highly unwilling to furnish me with the same. Therefore I asked them to erase the confidential information and just present me with format of documents such as the order form format etc. Hotel Summary Holiday Inn is a 5-star hotel with all the services that make it a pleasure to stay at. It offers facilities and features which are exclusive to holiday inn and are not offered anywhere else. These include indoor water parks which provide an opportunity for relaxation and enjoyment within the premises of the hotel. It is a highly unique feature. It has a feature of kids eating for free which exists for most hotel packages and offers a discounted rate for senior citizens. It also has a unique reward program for group meetings. The hotel comes across as a convenient refuge for people. Its sup is mainly convenience with a bit of relaxation thrown in. In all its offers such as advance booking and park, stay and go for hurried travelers. The hotel is offering packages in line with its current sup and positioning. All its communications focus on the convenience aspect with some depiction of the relaxation opportunities as well. This can be deduced from the website which has related links for traveler's right on the main page, so that customers do not have to look elsewhere. Also, the information on the website is highly organized. and well classified. There's a lot of focus on corporate customers which again endorses the convenience positioning. It also has an image associated with being economical and being good value for money. It does not target the elites or very rich people. It offers services of Wife, spacious guest rooms, full service