Introduction
This paper aims to propose the attractiveness of a new hotel at Port Rashid, Dubai. The hotel will be 30 stories, including suites, king rooms, and double rooms. It is expected to cooperate with foreign businesses to offer customers the best food and beverage outlets, Asian and Mediterranean cuisines, as well as diverse entertainment opportunities. The mission of the cooperation between the hotel and other businesses is the integration of unique experiences to ensure that customers would receive a top-notch service. The conditions of the coronavirus pandemic limited many businesses, which makes it especially important to revitalize the industry of hospitality in Dubai.
Branding, Product, and Service Strategy
The recognizability of a brand increases the loyalty of its customers, while a unique product proposition also matters. Considering that a new hotel is proposed, it is important to focus on its unique values and memorable experience it can offer. The location at Port Rashid is characterized by the proximity of the vibrant urban waterfront. The geometry of the buildings is properly structured to meet the needs of both residents and business guests. The floor and seismic systems are advanced in accordance with the latest safety requirements. In addition, the location allows easily and rapidly assessing business centers and entertainments due to a developed transportation system. In other words, the chosen location makes the proposed hotel stand out from its competitors and offers customers a multi-use space.
The attention to customers’ interests and preferences along with a focus on extending their horizons would be the main differentiation point. For example, guests from Africa would be offered not only traditional Arabian foods and beverages, but also those of other cultures, with the detailed presentations from the staff. Such an approach would ensure individual attention to the hotel residents so that they can feel relaxed. The range of services would be constantly reviewed and adjusted, depending on the season, customer interests, global and local events, and other factors. It is suggested to adopt a 7P’s marketing mix to achieve the recognition of customers. In addition to customization, prices would be flexible due to promotional mixes and discounts, while the timeliness of the service would be the foundation of all the processes. Customers’ loyalty would be encouraged by means of special offers and cards, and constant staff training would also be a priority.
Marketing Objectives, Target Market, Channels, and Pricing / Selling
Marketing objectives are formulated to guide the promotion of the hotel and communicate its vision. The first objective is to ensure a high-quality hotel experience based on an individual approach to every visitor. The second objective refers to a sound and memorable marketing content. The partnerships with other businesses from different countries compose the third objective, which would contribute to enriching customer experience. As for financial goals, it is anticipated to achieve growth within the budget set within five years.
Another marketing objective is creating business partnerships with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Israel, the Asian region (India and China), the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Africa. These countries are largely interested in investing and collaborating with Dubai businesses as they attract a lot of visitors. The fact that Port Rashid is located conveniently and has a well-developed infrastructure allows targeting not only tourists but also business persons and organizations. The team of hotels plays a key role in ensuring that all the processes are smooth and coordinated, and multicultural teams have particular advantages. Therefore, it is expected to create teams consisting of people with different cultural backgrounds, which would promote diversity awareness and more conscious decision-making. The organization of weddings can be noted as one more benefit of business partnerships since they would offer a great variety of entertainment options to satisfy the needs of guests. Beginning with restaurants and bars and ending with pyrotechnic presentations, the hotel would provide many surprises.
The new hotel would target two main categories of customers, including corporate travelers and luxury leisure travelers. The first target audience will be attracted by providing restaurants with Arabian, Asian, and Mediterranean cuisines, spa and pool options, as well as well-designed negotiation rooms for business purposes. Such travelers prefer comfort and timeliness, which are the key valued points in hotels they visit. The second target market of luxury travelers is composed of people aged between 25 and 60, seeking coastal resorts and a high degree of enjoyment. For consumers preferring shopping, the partnerships with malls can be organized for convenience. Special promotional activities with famous brands seem to be beneficial to support the interest of travelers.
Speaking of the channels of communication, online marketing would be used predominantly to reach business and luxury travelers. The modern environment motivates travelers to access the Internet and review websites to look for comments about hotels (Thirumaran et al., 2021). In this connection, social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and others, will be considered as the platforms for promotion. The content of marketing would be designed in a way to engage and educate customers, using appealing visuals and messages. In addition, the opportunity to provide and receive feedback online would be realized. Among the traditional marketing channels, the hotel would apply business cards, creative and business events, and magazine advertisements.
The chosen selling strategy would be based on the destination marketing sales, which implies cooperating with travel agents in other countries to promote the hotel. This strategy is advantageous for business persons, looking for luxury hotels that are located in the areas with advanced infrastructure. The work with tourism business professionals would allow promoting the hotel not only to individuals but also groups. Since some travelers prefer individual planning, a direct sales strategy would be provided to make direct bookings via the hotel’s official website and global booking systems (Yang et al., 2016). To satisfy the needs of those who want to mix business and entertainment, a cross-promotional sales strategy would require collaborating with shopping centers, conferences, and other events. The pricing strategy would be flexible, depending on the stay days, room types, loyalty cards, and competition. The investments needed for the hotel include $5 million for operation costs and $2 million for establishing partnerships, while the payback of the project is expected within five years.
Conclusion
To conclude, this paper proposes a marketing plan for the new hotel at Port Rashid in the Dubai region, with a great location and infrastructure. Due to business partnerships with various countries, it is expected to create unique experiences for business and luxury leisure customers. Potential customers would be reached via traditional online media sources to ensure their greater engagement with the hotel. The combination of selling strategies would provide various options for visitors, including the destination marketing, direct booking, and cross-promotional sales strategy.
References
Thirumaran, K., Jang, H., Pourabedin, Z., & Wood, J. (2021). The role of social media in the luxury tourism business: a research review and trajectory assessment. Sustainability, 13, 1-13.
Yang, W., Zhang, L., & Mattila, A. S. (2016). Luxe for less: How do consumers react to luxury hotel price promotions? The moderating role of consumers’ need for status. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 57(1), 82-92.