Developing a Market Plan

Abstract

A marketing plan is an essential “road map” for management to assess a hotel property's position and chart its course in attracting guests. The marketing plan discussed in this article comprises two parts, a situation audit and a discussion of strategic directions. To illustrate how a marketing plan is developed, the plan for a real hotel (with a disguised identity) is explained. The “Inn at Plum Creek” is in a relatively remote location in the Canadian Rockies. The property is in an economic zone that enjoys both business and tourist traffic. One particular tourist group to target is persons over 60 years old, who enjoy both educational and sightseeing opportunities. By offering such activities as wildlife-education seminars, the inn should be able to tap this market. Sport fishing and winter activities are two other considerable tourist-demand generators. With those targets determined, the inn's communications program would involve an informational advertising campaign, as well as a sales effort at trade shows. In any marketing plan, the chief consideration should be building the hotel's business by meeting customers' needs.