New Players
Besides Groupon and LivingSocial, there are many other successful flash sale sites that offer travel deals and discounted hotel night stays. Founded in 2009, Jetsetter offers luxury vacation packages and discounted hotel rooms. It was a great move for parent company Gilt Group to expand into the travel market from high-end fashion. In 2011, Jetsetter began including full-price hotel rooms as well, which most other flash sites would not act as a retailer offering such services. When searching and planning the trip, members can also search the company's archive of previous hotel sales, checking the Jetsetter hotel reviews, recommendations, tips, directions, and maps. As an added feature, if the property is no longer for sale, the website provides pop up messages telling you the property contact or booking information, just in case people still desire to stay at that property. Jetsetters view is “We believe seeing the world in style shouldn’t have to cost the earth, so we always offer a selection of hotels, homes and tours at up to 40 percent off the usual price (that’s connections for you). These deals are for a limited time of between five and ten days only.”
In 2012, Jetsetter entered the Same-Day booking business on their mobile apps to cater to more mobile “on the go” customers. The Vice President of Sales and Operations for Jetsetter indicated that "last minute bookings dominate mobile purchases, especially on the iPhone, 76% of Jetsetter mobile bookings happen within two weeks, thirty two percent of which are within seven days. Aggressively priced mobile-only sales see a big increase in same-day bookings." (2012, Then Scene) It's a fast and convenient booking process, browse the deal by location and select the book...
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...divided over the value of flash sites. TravelWeekly. http://www.travelweekly.com/travel-news/online-travel/flash-reservations/
Dana, C., Anupreeta, D. (July 2012). Economic Unease Curbs Deals Appetite. The Wall Street Journal. Accessed April 18, 2014 from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304830704577494760061809738
Dane, S. G. (August 2012). Flash Sales Take on the Hotel Industry. Travel Blogs. Accessed April 18, 2014 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dane-steele-green/the-gay-traveler- flash-sales-take-on-hotels_b_1258716.html
Coupon Facts Report, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2014 from http://www.prnewswire.com/news- releases/coupon-facts-report-indicates-marketers-continue-steady-use-of-coupons- 188209401.html
Groupon Annual Report 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2014 from http://investor.groupon.com/
Jetsetter website http://www.jetsetter.com/about
You know the feeling you get when you look at the person dressed in the same designer outfit next to you, knowing you paid half as much for it? Choose jetBlue and that exceptional feeling will come right back to you. Operating as a safe, reliable, value-added airline focused on customer service and high quality travel, jetBlue’s prized mission is to compete as a low cost carrier while integrating great customer service. Do not be fooled by their low prices and operational efficiency, though. From leather seating to their customer bill of rights, from courteous flight crews to entertainment consoles, jetBlue offers inexpensive, stylish service unlike other contenders.
For their loyal customers, Southwest offers a “Rapid Rewards” program which gives the customers free tickets based on the number of times they fly with Southwest. Customers who make 8 round trips or 16 one-way trips receive a free ticket. Programs such as the “Frequent, Frequent Flyers-Companions Travel” offer a year of free trips to customers. Customers who make 50 round trips a year can designate someone to fly with the customer free of charge for an entire year. Award programs such as these show that they appreciate their loyal customers and that they are willing to take cuts, such as giving away free tickets, to prove to their customers that their patronage is valued.
Vivid, bold words and images draw in the curious readers who are searching for a company to take them on their next adventure. But is this the only thing that draws them in? When searching for an airline, people like to research the best deal. They want to know if there is a special membership they could obtain if they have flown with the company multiple times, or if the airline offers them a discount fare. They also might be curious if the airline flies internationally to exotic locales. These are the things that draw in flyers, that persuade them to choose one company over another, and which companies like Southwest and United are specifically aware of resulting in effective campaigns that convince potential flyers to purchase with them.
When an experience “fosters a sense of social connection…makes a memorable story…for years to come…links to your sense of who you are or want to be…[and] provides a unique opportunity, eluding easy comparison,” (Dunn and Norton, 2013, p. 20), it creates a memory that is cherished far more than a material good. The generation of a lasting impression offers a happiness that increases with time. Businesses, such as restaurants and tourism industries, apply this concept by advertising the experience their company delivers. For example, a restaurant must create a market to entice people into choosing it over all the other existing food options while for tourism to have success, it must market a once in a lifetime opportunity to give value to experience. People are more willing to forgo the cheap alternative as long as they find that the value, both monetary and happiness, overshadows the increased expense.
American Express has always been known for its benefits to travelers. Some of the new travel discounts; such as the “Bahamas Getaway” packages offer significant discounts for planning a vacation in the Bahamas through a travel agent. The catch is that one must charge it on the American Express card to get the discounts. Coupon books that offer discounts at many shops, restaurants and attractions are given to those who buy a package. Over $11 million in “Bahama Getaway” packages were sold in 1999. Other getaway packages are available to consumers all over the world. American Express has successfully used this marketing strategy, as it realized that consumers want an opportunity to enjoy an exotic vacation, while at the same time, getting value for their dollar. Saving money is important to most consumers. Once again, American Express aims to please its customers.
Although JetBlue focuses on service value through highly productive personnel and aircraft, potential consumers are still interested in value when they fly; the Price aspect of the marketing mix. Customers are interested in quality service at a reasonable price.
At dealsresults we have packages that will keep your Hawaiian experience etched in your memory. Our air fares are rigorously analyzed by our staffers so you get only the best deals to pick from. At dealsresults, you get to pick your hotel too. Our customers compliment us for being put up at clean, spacious hotels with friendly staff. Your convenience is our bread and butter.
Internet Marketing News and Know-How. Hotel Marketing. 18 Feb. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. .
For the introduction, brief information regarding my purchase and the travel and tourism industry is presented. It was then followed by the explanation of the 2 chosen theories from two different chapters.
These in their own possess hotels and franchises associated with their brands. An example is Marriot hotel one of the top competitors in the hotel chain industry, which offers exclusive apartments and sharing services aligned with independent companies in the various regional markets. This creates a strong competition in terms of consumer satisfaction, technological platforms, quality services, and venues. The top leading hotel bees are the Hilton, choice hotels, the Best Western, Accor and the
AirBnb is a worldwide company that allows people to rent rooms and houses from other people for vacation instead of renting a room from a hotel. Of all the companies mentioned, this is by far my favorite idea and favorite company. When traveling, even the best of hotels are still not as cozy or comfortable as an actual house. AirBnb allows consumers the option to continue living in an actual house instead of a cheap motel room. On the other end of the program, people with open rooms or vacation homes can turn these open rooms or houses into a little bit of cash. The only downside is a slight lack of convenience for the consumer because while on vacation tourists like to visit all of popular vacation hotspots, and houses are generally further away from these locations than hotels. Still despite this relatively minor drawback, AirBnb is a fantastic company with massive upsides both economically and environmentally.
In the sector of management, the popularity of travel distribution over the Internet has provided hoteliers the opportunity to review consumer-generated content across the industry, because these reviews and ratings provide a powerful tool and a wealth of data to hotel management. Also, it is important for hoteliers to take consumers’ negative comments seriously in order to provide a service recovery or change product to better suit consumers’ needs. In article “The implications of social media on customer relationship management and the hospitality industry”, it is said that hoteliers have found that review of the information in comments enabled them to make management decisions that resulted in improved service operations (Rosman & Stuhura 2013).
EasyJet’s provision of low cost flights and it basis of “the earlier you book the ticket, the less you pay“ gives it opportunity to target its customers. EasyJet also provides a number of aircrafts in various airports thus easily accessibility of their services; this acts as it drivers in the market control and competitive advantage. It also has the advantage of providing other services such as car hiring, internet services and restaurants (Saleem, 2010). The ‘Europe by easy jet’ established a resounding brand positioning that is effective across all the main markets and enhanced visits to easyJet.com. EasyJet targets the consumers through various channels that help them to reduce marketing cost per sales. In 2001, EasyJet launched ‘easy Jet mobile app” which was downloaded by over six million people which accounted for 5% of overall sales. Mobile boarding cards are available through the app and make it easy for cust...
The company’s target market appears to cater to every type of person in the luxury sector. This is reflected with its high class amenities, such as the Michelin restaurants and spas. The Mandarin Oriental International Limited Annual Report 2014 outlined that the leisure travellers have had higher demand recently over business travellers, as well as, “…higher spending leisure customers now making up close to 50% of the Group’s room nights” (Photos.mandarinoriental.com, 2014).
Moreover, the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is considered the first international hotel brand in the world, as it began operations in the year 1946 (About InterContinental Hotels Group Brands, 2015). Over time the hotel group has evolved to encompass quality hotel rooms not only in North America, but in Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and Asia-Pacific (IHG – InterContinental Hotels Group, 2015). In addition, they have acquired extended stay facilities and the Hualuxe Hotels & Resorts, which specifically “celebrates the essence of Chinese hospitality” (About InterContinental Hotels Group Brands, 2015). In my opinion, this shows that their target market has changed by expanding their scope of travel, which means they are traveling to farther and farther locations and require the familiar surroundings with equivalent product quality at the final destination. The InterContinental Hotels Group is in the fourth and final stage of the product life cycle, which is the decline stage (Editorial Board, 2014, p. 212). Indeed, the brands lengthy history indicates it has loyal customers, but its addition of innovations indicates the targeting of new customers for the organization, which are clear signs of a business in the decline stage of the product life cycle (Editorial Board, 2014, p.