By Frances Kiradjian
President, HSMAI Los Angeles Chapter
CEO, The Kiradjian Group

Topic: Winning In A Branded World - Case Studies In Innovation And Creativity
Speaker: John Fareed, CHME - Partner, Fareed & Zapala Marketing Partners

The following excerpt is an outline of the pertinent points of the Fall HSMAI Los Angeles Workshop given to hotels and hotel companies.  I personally found the experience to be a great review of what I knew but forgot, as well as many new things that can be instantly integrated into any marketing plan that will make a huge difference in your success factor.  Happy reading!

Word of mouth marketing has become global.  Always consider the investment vs. the expense.

• PR is the best use of your advertising $$'s.  
• Follow by direct 1-to-1 marketing to a niche mailing list (examples are Disney and Canyon Ranch)  
• Hire a clipping service. 
• Keys: Learn-Market-Measure-Repeat

Marketing

• Emails-Make them fun, special and interesting.
  Ensure you can track them by using separate email addresses, url's, packages or other I.D. that is unique.
  Create packages that will attract special markets.
  Do an email newsletter specific to groups, employees, etc.
• Note :
  Customer satisfaction and brand awareness have severely declined.
  Customer expectations are phenomenal right now.
• CRM
  Collecting client information is an asset!
  "Perceived" value is why people come back.  Remember ‘perception is reality.'
   Your hotel's uniqueness factor is your greatest single asset.
   Customers that have problems while staying in a hotel that are solved during their stay are the most loyal. 
   Remember, 1 guest = 1 experience.
   Break the golden rule:  "Treat others like I would want to be treated."  Instead, understand that each guest is unique.
  --  ASK ME what I like. Go above & beyond.
  --  Start at the time of the reservation by collecting data.
  --  Give the res staff a template to follow (different than sales)
  --  Send an email to a client 7-10 days prior to arrival. Make it personal, 1 on 1. Ask questions; can we do anything special for you? Here is my phone number.
  --  Guest feels valued and knows you're expecting them. ROI=higher ADR and occupancy rates.
  -- Run your Top 100 repeat guest report. Collect information on them. Store the data, and then act on any special need or request.

Planning for Success

• 1st: Get your team on the same page. Set a meeting with a specific Agenda.This includes every department in the hotel.  This will be your primary research which is Homegrown (the best). Question a minimum of 60 past guests and ask them no more than 12 questions the team agrees on.  Include groups and meetingplanners.  Send a thank you email or note thanking them for their time.
• 2nd: Purchase reports, i.e. American Express, Google reservations to find out who reads which magazines the most (your clue for where to advertise later). 
• 3rd: Do a comp analysis. Send a staff member (several) to competing properties. Have them make reservations at the property's 800# plus on-site (call 6 times over 3 days to get different reservationists; see if they up-sell or down-sell), printout the entire website, collect brochures, experience ALL services and record everything.
  Take inventory of your marketing tools and processes.
  Do a self-analysis.
  Stay at your own property.
  Make reservations / call each reservationist.
  Print your own website (now this is getting scary!).
  Know what's going on your environment, i.e. beyond the driveway into your hotel.  Ex:  is the bus stop a mess?  Then have your staff clean it up!
• 4th: Prepare a Behavioral Timeline Development worksheet.
  Set a target, i.e. we want more weddings.
  Who would you go after, i.e. planners, churches, brides, moms, shops, writers, photographers, limos.
  What is the Action required, i.e. partner with shops, ask writers to write about you, ask planners to refer you.
  What is the Belief factor, i.e. for planners your hotel is the "exact right fit", the $$ is right, value is there, your uniqueness.
  What Media is necessary, i.e. with planners you want to go 1-to-1, with brides and moms it will be word-of-mouth, do a Media Alert to get great P.R.
  Then create unique Wedding packages for room service, i.e. a lobster picnic, a champagne brunch, etc. 
• 5th: Prepare a Marketing Action Plan spreadsheet and hold another with the same in-house group from a. above.
  Review Tasks, Delegate who's responsible, Timeline (shade in what month they're to be completed), what is the $ budget, and Comments, i.e. where we're at.
  Put everything discussed above in one Notebook for each participant and each department so that everyone is aware and on the same page.

Your Goal:

• SELL MORE ROOMS  
• TO MORE PEOPLE  
• FOR MORE $$ 
• MORE OFTEN

Your Outcome:

• You'll end up with a bigger budget  
• Better customer service  
• Better revpar  
• The list goes on and on