Despite encouraging predicted growth trends for hotels across Europe,
independent mid-market hotels are set to face considerable competitive pressures
in the early years of the new millennium. This is particularly evident in the
UK, where competition from both corporately owned branded hotels and the
burgeoning branded budget hotel product, as well as other independent hotels in
the mid-market sector, is noticeably strong. To counter the competitive threat,
this paper explores some of the marketing options available to operators of
independent mid-market hotels in the UK in their attempt to preserve market
share and enhance future success in an increasingly competitive and crowded
marketplace. The paper concludes with some broad lessons for the wider hotel
sector, in both Europe and the UK, and questions the extent to which much of the
sector can remain truly independent.
Weinstein, J.
(2000)
‘Where Do We Go From Here?’
, Hotels, January, pp.
54-60
.
2.
Ward, T.
(1997)
‘Hotel Market Trends in the UK’
, International Journal of Comtemporary Hospitality Management,
Vol. 9, No. 7, pp.
270-273
.
3.
(1997)
‘Trouble in the UK Hotel Sector’
, International Journal of Comtemporary Hospitality Management,
Vol. 9, No. 4, pp.
149-154
.
4.
Bailey, D.
and
Kemp, J.
(1999)
‘In Defence of the Mid-market’
, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 5, No.
4, pp.
370-375
.
5.
Ibid.
6.
Morrison, A.
(1998)
‘Small Firm Statistics: A Hotel Sector Focus’
, Service Industries Journal, Vol. 18, No.
1, pp.
132-142
.
7.
Ibid.
8.
Slattery, P.et al.
(1990-1995) ‘Quoted Hotel Companies —
Annual Reviews’,
Kleinwort Benson Securities, London
.
9.
Beioley, S.
(1999) ‘Star Wars — The Budgets Strike
Back’, Insights, B21-B32,
English Tourism Council, London
.
10.
Deloitte and Touche
(1999) ‘Briefing Paper on the Budget Hotel Sector
in the UK’,
Deloitte and Touche, St Albans
.
11.
Ibid.
12.
Euromonitor
(1998) ‘Hotels in the United
Kingdom’,
Euromonitor Market Research, London
13.
Ref. 6 above.
14.
Lucas, R.
(1999) ‘Survey Research’, in
Brotherton, B.
(ed.), ‘The Handbook of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Research’,
Wiley, Chichester
, pp. 77-95.
15.
Knutson, B.
(1988)
‘Ten Laws of Customer Satisfaction’
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol.
29, No. 3 pp.
14-17
.
16.
Yelkur, R.
and
Herbig, P.
(1997)
‘Differential Pricing for Services’
, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, Vol. 15, pp.
190-195
.
17.
Hall, L.
and
Rawlinson, S.
(1998)
‘The UK Budget Hotel Sector’
, Travel and Tourism Analyst, No. 4, pp.
55-72
.
18.
Palmer, J.
and
Mayer, R.
(1996)
‘Relationship Marketing: A New Paradigm for the Travel and
Tourism Sector’
, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 2, No.
4, pp.
326-333
.
19.
Bejou, D.
and
Palmer, A.
(1998)
‘Service Failure and Loyalty: An Exploratory Empirical Study of
Airline Customers’
, Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 12, No.
1, pp.
7-22
.
20.
ref. 19 above.
21.
Ref. 2 above
22.
Hart, C. W.L., Heskett, J.L. and Sasser
, W. E. (1990)
‘The Profitable Art of Service Recovery’
, Harvard Business Review, July-August, pp.
148-156
.
23.
Martin, F.
(1995)
‘Making Money on Midmarket Hotels’
, Hotels, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp.
30-34
.
24.
Ibid.
25.
Fiorentino, A.
(1995)
‘Budget Hotels: Not Just Minor Hospitality Products’
, Tourism Management, Vol. 16, No. 6, pp.
455-462
.
26.
Smith, C.
and
Jenner, P.
(1995)
‘Hard Budget Hotels in France’
, Travel and Tourism Analyst, No. 4, pp.
53-65
.
27.
Needham, P.
,
Ing, D.
,
Booth, L.
,
Ager. M.
,
Osler, D.
and
Hyde, J.
(1996)
‘Tight German Budgets Spark Boom in Chains/Spanish Shun the Idea
of Big-name Brands’
, TTG Europa, No. 618, pp.
20-21
.
28.
Ibid.
29.
Ref. 1 above.
30.
Ibid.
31.
Conway, H.
(1996)
‘Chain Gang’
, Caterer and Hotelkeeper, No. 188, pp.
56-58
.
32.
Hill, R. A.
(1999)
‘On Their Own’
, Lodging, Vol. 24, No. 8, pp.
84-86
.
