One of the most important things you can do as a hotel owner or manager is to understand your target market. Knowing who you are trying to attract as guests will help you make decisions about everything from your hotel’s location and design to the types of amenities and services you offer.
Unfortunately, many hoteliers make the mistake of assuming that everyone is a potential customer. But if you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll likely end up appealing to no one. That’s why it’s so important to identify your target market and define your ideal hotel customer. In this article, we’ll give you some tips on how to do just that.
Why Do You Need to Know Your Target Market?
The hotel industry is extremely competitive. In order to succeed, you need to be able to stand out from the crowd and attract the right guests. Defining your target market is the first step in doing that.
When you know who your target market is, you can make decisions about your hotel that are specifically designed to appeal to them. For example, if you’re trying to attract business travelers, you might want to choose a location near the airport or major highways. Or, if you’re trying to attract families, you might want to offer kid-friendly amenities like a pool or playground.
Knowing your target market will also help you hone your marketing efforts. You’ll be able to create more effective advertising and promotional materials if you know who you’re trying to reach. And, you’ll be able to save money by targeting your marketing campaigns specifically to your ideal guests.
Common Types of Hotel Customers
There are many types of guests that hotels can appeal to. But, for the sake of this article, we’re going to focus on some of the most common types of hotel customers.
- Business Travelers: Business travelers are typically looking for convenience and comfort. They want a hotel that is centrally located and offers amenities like free Wi-Fi and a business center.
- Families: Families are often looking for hotel rooms that are spacious and have kitchenettes or other kitchen facilities. They also appreciate hotels that offer kid-friendly amenities like a pool or playground.
- Tourists: Tourists are typically looking for a hotel that is near the attractions they want to visit. They also appreciate hotels that offer a variety of amenities, such as a swimming pool, fitness center, and restaurants.
- Retirees: Retirees often look for hotel rooms that are spacious and comfortable. They also appreciate hotel amenities like a swimming pool, golf course, or spa.
- Couples: Couples often look for hotel rooms that are romantic and private. They also appreciate hotel amenities like a swimming pool, restaurants, and bars.
- Event Attendees: Event attendees are typically looking for a hotel that is conveniently located to the event they are attending. They also appreciate hotel amenities like free Wi-Fi and a business center.
- Backpackers: Backpackers are typically looking for a hotel that is centrally located and offers basic amenities like free Wi-Fi and a place to store their luggage.
- Solo Travelers: Solo travelers are typically looking for hotel rooms that are safe and comfortable. They also appreciate hotel amenities like free Wi-Fi, a business center, and a fitness center.
How To Identify Your Target Market
Now that you know some of the most common types of hotel customers, you might be wondering how to identify your target market. Here are a few tips:
- Study Data From Your CRM: If you have a hotel CRM system, take a look at the data it contains. This can give you valuable insights into who your guests are and what they’re looking for.
- Analyze Your Competition: Take a look at your competition and see who they’re targeting. This can give you some clues as to who might be interested in your hotel.
- Conduct Surveys and Focus Groups: Conducting surveys and focus groups can help you gather valuable information about your potential guests.
- Analyze Data From Social Media And Google Analytics: Social media and Google Analytics can give you insights into who is interested in your hotel. You can utilize this data to better target your marketing efforts.
- Build Guest Profiles: Once you’ve gathered all of this information, you can start to build guest profiles. These profiles will help you better understand your target market and what they’re looking for.
- Utilize Market Segmentation: Market segmentation is a powerful tool that can help you target your marketing efforts. By segmenting your market, you can identify the guests that are most likely to book a room at your hotel. In the next section, we will discuss how to utilize market segmentation to identify your target market.
Strategies For Hotel Market Segmentation
There are numerous strategies that a hotel can use in market segmentation. However, not all of these strategies will be appropriate for every hotel. It’s important to choose the right strategy for your hotel, based on your unique circumstances.
Here are a few common strategies that hotels use in market segmentation:
- Demographic Segmentation: Demographic segmentation is one of the most common strategies used in market segmentation. With this method, hotels target guests based on factors like age, gender, income, and location.
- Psychographic Segmentation: Psychographic segmentation is another common strategy used in market segmentation. With this method, hotels target guests based on factors like lifestyle, personality, and values.
- Behavioral Segmentation: Behavioral segmentation is another common strategy used in market segmentation. With this method, hotels target guests based on their past behavior, such as hotel stays, travel patterns, and purchasing habits.
- Hotel Type Segmentation: Hotel type segmentation is another common strategy used in market segmentation. With this method, hotels target guests based on the type of hotel they are looking for, such as a boutique hotel or a luxury hotel.
How To Appeal To Your Target Market
So you’ve finally collected all the data and information you need to identify your target market. Now it’s time to start appealing to them. Here are a few tips on how to do that:
- Use The Right Language: Be sure to use the right language when marketing to your target market. Use the terms and phrases that they are likely to use when searching for a hotel.
- Create Compelling Content: Your hotel’s website and social media accounts should be full of compelling content that speaks to your target market. This content should be informative, engaging, and persuasive.
- Use Targeted Advertising: Targeted advertising is a great way to reach your target market. You can use Google AdWords or Facebook Ads to target your ads to the right people.
- Offer Customized Packages: Offering customized packages is a great way to appeal to your target market. You can tailor your hotel’s services and amenities to meet the needs of your guests.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there is a lot that goes into identifying your target market. However, it’s important to take the time to do this research. By understanding your target market, you can better tailor your hotel’s marketing efforts to appeal to them. In turn, this will lead to more bookings and higher profits for your hotel.
It’s also important to note that during your research and segmentation work, you will probably identify a few target markets that you weren’t expecting. This is perfectly normal. The important thing is to be flexible and adjust your hotel’s marketing strategy accordingly. Though you don’t want to cater to every person that shows an interest in your hotel, it’s important to be open to new opportunities.
By following the tips and advice in this article, you should be well on your way to identifying your target market and creating an appealing atmosphere for them.