Communications Strategy Hotels

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

Prepared By: Sonam Arora: 191176 Shikha Ghai: 191173 Vineet Verma: 191183 Sameer Narula: 191169 Naveen Yadav: 191150 Saif Khan: 191167

Product category: Hotels

Market situation: Hotel and tourism industry Strong growth in the services industry in the past few years has led to increased corporate spending on business travel. Increasing income and affordability have increased domestic leisure travel in the country. Foreign tourist arrivals in India have increased as India continues to be a favoured tourist destination for leisure, as well as business travel. Indias well-equipped hospital infrastructure and the low cost of treatment, compared to developed countries, make it a preferred destination for medical tourism. Medical tourism in the country is expected to grow at 29 per cent to reach US$ 2.4 billion by 2012. This indicates that there is immense potential for the hotel industry to grow. Major brands and their communication campaigns Shangri La: Its in Our Nature This campaign tried to reinstate that There is no greater act of hospitality than to embrace a stranger as ones own. The tools the campaign comprised of: 1. Print 2. Television The highlights of the campaign were: 1. Advertisements with high visual appeal 2. Clear communication of the idea 3. Use of nature in its visuals to emphasize on the love and care aspect of hospitality Hyatt Hotels Hyatts marketing strategy is designed to secure and build brand value and awareness while meeting the specific business needs of hotel operations Hyatt has launched a $20M ad campaign called sliced The campaign, featuring a series of 14 television spots (six: 30 second spots and eight: 15 second spots), marks a major return to television for Hyatt after a ten-year hiatus. In each version of 'Spliced', the spots' creators have filmed various Hyatt vignettes and then spliced them together to turn six or seven different stories into one remarkable tale of sensuality and intrigue. They have tried to create a pretty accurate mirror of the Hyatt experience. .print version

of the campaign featured in national lifestyle, travel and business magazines. It was aired on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ESPN, The Golf Channel, Bravo, The Travel Channel and A&E Sheraton hotels and resorts Sheraton's campaign is about the emotion of the experience and not just the physical experience underscoring the intangible benefit really shows what sets Sheraton apart in a memorable way. Sheraton Hotels & Resorts launched its emotionally driven $20 million global television campaign in 2006 and also made the debut of its signature "Warm Welcome" experience in hotels. Developed to introduce the brands new positioning around warm, comforting, connections, the new campaign and in hotel initiative invite consumers and guests to "belong this campaign was very successful as it relates to a core human truth the need to belong. More often than not huge sums of money are spent by hotels on such campaign. A Proper research of the needs of the consumers is done before formulating any campaign. They design a message which is short, attention getting, credible and reinforces the desired image of the company and its products. Timing of the campaign is also very important. Attractive visuals and images are very important role for the effectiveness of the communication campaign for hotels

Taj Campaign: Magnificently restored and joyfully re-opened This campaign was launched by the Taj Group of hotels in 2010. It was a resilience campaign post the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Therefore the objectives were very specific as follows: The message of resilience Bringing back old and attracting new customers Reassuring safety Immortality of the icon : TAJ Unity Arousing patriotism

Consumer Targeting: Primary Consumers: They share common characteristics and behaviors, account for the highest volume of sales and are most likely to buy. This segment generates the major revenues for an organization. The TAJ groups market covers the higher end of the society. Their primary consumers included the following: Tourists Domestic Foreign

Business Travellers Conferences Meetings Foreign Dignitaries & Royalties

Secondary Consumers: The secondary consumer includes future primary buyers and people who influence primary buyers. The secondary consumers for the Taj hotels would comprise of: People present at: Meetings Conferences Business Holiday packages Parties organized in the hotel etc.

Opinion Leaders: Media (travel magazines, Newspapers and TV) Rating Agencies Travel Agents

Critical evaluation of the tools used in the communication campaign 1. Press Conference: It was held on the 12th of August 2010. It started with a tribute in the voice of Mr. Amitabh Bacchan followed by a description of the new features n facilities at the Taj Mahal hotel. There was a pledge by the staff and employees in the presence of media on the famous stairway of the Hotel. Creative Execution Igniting a sense of belongingness and elation among the viewers Highlighting the emotional quotient by having the employees pledge to return its lost glory. A befitting end : rose petals showered from the dome , a magical experience Involvement of a powerful opinion leader as Mr. Amitabh Bachchan added to the strength of the message. Words like resurgence, enhancement, and reconfiguration convey that after reopening Taj would be better than ever.

2. Advertisements (print and online): The print and internet advertisements were mostly messages comprising of welcoming tones which reminded customers of the experience theyve had at the Taj in the past. It concentrated on fighting back with grace. Creative Execution: Powerful messages Stirred emotions and nostalgia Strong Brand Association Message Simplicity of their Messages Use of light subtle colors keeping in mind the sensitivity of the issue Inviting and warm tones in the messages I will prevail , Taj forever brings forth the message that Taj is immortal

3. Social media : Taj has presence on twitter and facebook . Before the reopening a countdown contest was held on Facebook. This was a strategy for engaging the facebook followers with the event. Pictures and videos were also uploaded which influenced them to visit the hotel. The print coverage for the reopening of the Taj lacked in comparison to the social media

coverage. The reopening was projected as a historical event and a desire was created amongst all to become a part of it.

4. Press Release: The press release was made on the 12th of August, 2010. This was primarily an informative press release. It gave details of the new Palace Wing which included an array of new additions like: a. Additional services b. A new Luxury suite c. A number of designer paintings and artifacts d. Restoration of old vintage pieces e. The palace lounge specially for the palace wing guests f. Jaguar transfers for the guests The press release was just a documentation and announcement of the press conference and formal ceremony before the opening of the hotel. Conclusion The campaign was very successful; the reopening grabbed the attention of the entire nation. The campaign was in sync with the hotels image. There can be no real recommendations for the campaign as the sensitivity of the issue was addressed aptly .the nature of the issue was such that it could not be sensationalized