As part of the first HSMAI Europe Resort planing session HSMAI Europe heldæa Think Tank at the Grand Hotel Oslo.æHSMAI Europe will host the first Annual Resort Marketing Conference in Spain in 2016.æWe invited two highly renowned international capacities to speak and lead us through the day in Oslo:
‘¢æPeter OÇConnor (right)æDean of Academic Programs at ESSEC Business School.æSee his LinkedIn profile by pressing here.
We focused on the following:
Resort Marketingæ and Generational Dynamic
Beach mountain and urban resorts are a distinctly different type of lodging business from convention airport and city boutique properties. Resorts employ different distribution channels have unique booking curves are subject to extreme seasonal demand swings and consumer behavior varies greatly from branded mass market hotels.
Leisure properties have long suffered from oversimplified market stereotypes. Many consumers imagine ‘ìleisure hotels’ as falling into two broad categories.æ One image consists of stuffy hotels with limited activities and classic dining options attracting honeymooners and the geriatric set. At the other extreme contemporary resorts are frequently viewed as catering to ‘ìbeautiful people’ seeking hot-and-heavy bars new wave music and all-night partying – surf singles sun and sex.
No longer can resorts sit back on the laurels of their beachfront location and expect vacationers to return year after year.æ The global economic crisis and changing demographics have obliged holiday destinations to reexamine their fundamental product. How should they portray their product attributes to an increasingly fickle market seeking creative recreational options? Maturing baby boomers and Generation Xers exhibit minimal brand loyalty. They place high value on free-time and can be unforgiving when they perceive inadequate value for money.
Conversely Millennials are ultra-conspicuous consumers for whom brands can be religious.æ They love everything Indie artisanal and local.æ While Echo Boomers can be among the most demanding of consumers they can also be the most loyal.æ Understanding their motivations expectations and lifestyle characteristics is critical to attracting their leisure dollars.
This presentation will explore the challenges and opportunities facing 21st century resort marketers in these challenging but exciting times.
Online Distribution – is the chaos clearing or continuing?
Following two decades of confusion the travel distribution environment finally appears to be achieving equilibrium. Although still faced with dictatorial online travel agents challenges gaining visibility in an overcrowded online marketplace rapidly developing new technologies and hyper-squeezed margins the path towards the future seems to be clarifying. This session explores latest trends in the distributionæhighlighting issues and challenges as well as emphasising short term priorities for resort properties.
HSMAI Europe’s two different Advisory Boards focusing on Revenue Management and Digital Marketing work very well. A number of Advisory Boards will be put together during the course of the coming months the third being the Resort Marketing Advisory Board gathering in January.
Learn more about the two Advisory Board members by pressing either of the following links:
‘¢æHSMAI Europe Revenue Management Advisory Board
‘¢æHSMAI Europe Digital Marketing Advisory Board
Photo: Grand Hotel Oslo
