1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background Of The Study
In hospitality industries promotion is a key ingredients in marketing campaign. Promotion has contributed a lot to boost a better image of both major and minor hotels in every part of the world. It does communicate to its publics; the type of services it renders, and also believes in fair deals and considers the interest of its customers and various publics. Hospitality industries services, pricing, as well as promotional policies and strategies constitute elements of its promotion – mix.
Hotels provide meals, drinks, attractions, accommodation etc., to the general public or persons in transit especially people traveling to places where they have neither their own homes nor any relation to cater for their needs. Such persons will like to know few things about the hotels in their transitory area. In other words, they may like to know about available hotels, the categories of such hotels, the room and suit fares, and the type of food served, the necessary comfort customers are accorded – with, the game that is both indoor and outdoor games available and perhaps and other special feature that make such hotels appealing to the sojourners in transit.
These characteristics of hotels are boosted by promotions of various types in so many countries of the world. In Nigeria, major hotels live like Sheraton, Eko Hotels, Federal Palace Hotels, NICON NUGA, to mention just a few of them, have made impressionable image both nationally and internationally and the praises go to promotions that have heralded their various characteristics, class placement status to the public generally. Without promotion, the image of their hotels and their excellent services would not be so diffused to the public. For instance recently in Enugu, some hotels have come up with incentive – type promotions to attract new terriers, to reward loyal customers and to increase the patronage rates of occasional users. One of such hotels is Hallmark Hotel situated in Enugu, promoted its hotel as (10%) Ten percent discount awaits customers that patronizes its hotel superbly built, and lavishly furnished with ultra-modern guest houses, with about sixteen (16) air conditioned rooms each with its exclusive toilets, cold/hot shower, stand-by water storage tanks to ensure uninterrupted water supply; a lounge with well stocked bar and assorted types of edibles including Chinese foods available; a well cemented car park adorned with beautiful flowers, and powerful stand-by generators to ensure uninterrupted power supply..
1.2 Statement Of The Problem
The study is aimed at finding the importance as well of promotional problems experienced in hospitality industries. This is an organization that the principal objective is to make profit. To realize this objective, the business concern must be prepared to uphold the marketing concept of the supremacy of the consumer.
Marketing promotion contributes a great deal in upholding the supremacy of the customers which involves identification and satisfaction of specified needs. Hospitality industry like hotel-ling is a competitive business and must endeavour to identify and satisfy customers’ needs to be able to stay in business.
There are some promotional problems in hospitality industry business in Enugu State. The problems are the factors that hinder promotion of hotel services. One of such factor is income. The income level of both customers and proprietors will hinder the work of marketing promotion on hotels. Low income earners, for example may find it difficult to cope with high prices of hotel services which happened as a result of marketing promotion carried out which invariably attracted high prices on them.
1.3 Objectives Of The Study
The study is aimed at critical analysis of the promotional problems experience in hospitality industries like hotels. With the above problem statements, the main purpose or objectives of this research work will be as follows:-
- Finding out to what extent the selected hotels in Enugu State have gone in the application of advertising as one of the tools for marketing promotions on hospitality industry.
- Finding out what benefit have accrued to those hotels that applied advertisement in their business.
- Knowing what the customers have gained from hotel services because of the use of promotional element like advertising by the hotels in Enugu State.
- Understanding the mode of advertising mostly used by hotels in Enugu State.
1.4 Research Questions
In pursuance of the above objectives, questions of this nature will be asked by the researcher.
- How have these hotel promotions created awareness to present and potential customers to the hotels?.
- If any awareness has been created through advertising, how have the profit margin reflected this awareness?
- Are the hotels actually providing the services that they advertise/promote? If yes, does the patronage measures or reflects the promotion/advertising input?
- What are the problems noticed in hotel promotions?
- What recommendations can be put in place for improved hotel promotion?
1.5 Significance Of Study
The findings of this study is expected to provide useful information on ways to reach potential customers, travelers, institutions or corporate customers through planned promotion.
The significance of this study, therefore, lies on its contribution to the upgrading of hospitality industry image in general. To create awareness for the public to patronize this industry as providers of services essential to human life.
Finally, in the field of academics, the study will stimulate further research into marketing of hotel, catering services and hospitality industry as a whole and delivering of quality and competitive services.
1.6 Scope Of The Study
This study concentrated on promotional activities of hotel services. However, due to the researcher’s predisposition and many other limitations, which could not allow this, the scope of this study has been narrow down to Hall mark Hotel in Enugu metropolis.
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