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IMPACT OF BRAND

EQUITY ON MARKET
SUSTAINABILITY AND
GROWTH
Critical Evaluati! O" T#$ Pr$%i$r I!! Bra!&
ANIKET KOLAPKAR
Dissertation presented to Mr. Karen Kalantari-Nazari
of the UNIVERIT! O" #ET LONDON
In partial f$lfil%ent of the re&$ire%ents for the de'ree of
Masters in ($siness Ad%inistration
UNIVERIT! O" #ET LONDON
O)to*er +,-.
Page 1 of 74
The research looks at the role of brand recognition in market sustainability and future growth.
The report considers the case of Premier Inn, evaluates the consumer perception about the
brand and recommends key strategies for developing a sustainable competitive advantage.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank my supervisor Mr. Karen Kalantari-Nazari
who has supported me throughout my dissertation with his
patience and knowledge whilst allowing me to work in my own
way. I am blessed that I had this opportunity to work under his
guidance. lso! a special thanks to my family who supported
me throughout my studies and all endeavours of my life.
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Table Of Contents
ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................................6
1. !NTROD"CT!ON..................................................................................................................................7
"." Premier Inn# $ompany %escription..................................................................................................&
".' Purpose of (tudy..............................................................................................................................)
".* Proposed +esearch ,uestions# ...................................................................................................."-
2. L!TERAT"RE RE#!EW .......................................................................................................................11
'." Product issues................................................................................................................................"'
'.' Pricing issues.................................................................................................................................."*
'.* +elationship marketing and .oyalty (trategies ............................................................................."/
'./ 0he 1ospitality Industry of 2K........................................................................................................"3
'.3 4rand Management In 0he 1ospitality Industry ............................................................................"5
'.5 $onsumer 4ehaviour in 1ospitality ..............................................................................................."&
'.& 0he (ocial Media............................................................................................................................"&
'.6 +ole 7f 0witter! 8acebook 9 :ou0ube 4logs In 4rand Management...........................................")
'.6." 8acebook.................................................................................................................................'-
'.6.' 0witter......................................................................................................................................'-
'.6.* :ou0ube..................................................................................................................................'-
'.6./ $orporate 4logs......................................................................................................................'"
'.) (ocial Media 9 0he Mobile Marketing ...........................................................................................'"
$. RESEARC% MET%ODOLOG& ...........................................................................................................24
*." ,ualitative +esearch......................................................................................................................'3
*.' ,uantitative +esearch ...................................................................................................................'5
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*.* %ata $ollection Method .................................................................................................................'&
*.*." Primary %ata...........................................................................................................................'&
*.*.' (econdary %ata......................................................................................................................'&
*.*.* Population...............................................................................................................................'6
*.*./ (ampling 0echni;ue...............................................................................................................'6
*./ (urveys ..........................................................................................................................................')
*./." ,uestionnaire %esign..............................................................................................................*-
*.3 0he +esearch (trategy...................................................................................................................*"
*.5 %ata nalysis..................................................................................................................................*/
*.& <thical Issues..................................................................................................................................*/
*.6 %ata ,uality! =alidity and +eliability...............................................................................................*3
*.) .imitations of the +esearch............................................................................................................*3
4. KE& '!ND!NGS ( ANAL&S!S.............................................................................................................$7
/." (urvey.............................................................................................................................................*&
). CONCL"S!ON......................................................................................................................................)1
3." +ecommendations .........................................................................................................................3*
3."." 4uild a 4randing (trategy.......................................................................................................3*
3.' 0he (ocial Media (trategy ............................................................................................................33
%ealing >ith Negative 8eedbacks 7n (ocial Media.......................................................................3&
3.* +esearch .imitations.....................................................................................................................3&
B!BL!OGRA*%&......................................................................................................................................)+
A**END!, ...............................................................................................................................................6-
ppendi? "# Porter@s 8ive 8orce nalysis# 2nited Kingdom 1otels 9 Motels......................................56
Page 4 of 74
ppendi? '# 0he ,uestionnaire ...........................................................................................................5)
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ABSTRACT
In fiercely competitive markets! one of the challenges that lie before the organisations is growing in the
future or atleast sustaining its e?isting market share. $learly the double dip recession! gloomy outlook
of <uropean economies and sovereign debt crisis had a profound impact on modern day@s businesses.
Most businesses are looking for various internal advantages that can enable these businesses to meet
the challenges of market sustainability and future growth. mongst various parameters! that can enable
a business to grow in future or atleast sustain its market share! are developing human assets!
improving ;uality Acustomer services in services industryB! developing brand e;uity or looking for new
channels of advertising i.e. social media and mobile marketing. Most established businesses are
increasingly investing in brands and social media to keep growing in future and sustain its share of the
market. 0he ;uestion however is! does brand e;uity meets the challenges of market sustainability and
future growth. 0o prove this point! one of the established brands in the budgeted hotel chains was
chosen and the image of being Caffordable@ was tested through surveying various consumers in the
marketplace. 0he second part however deals with the role social media in meeting the challenges of
market sustainability and future growth.
0he research aims at e?amining and investigating the influences of brand e;uity in competitive
advantage and performance of Premier Inn Droup of hotels based in the 2nited Kingdom. ccording to
the e?isting literature! brand e;uity is the value added for products and services that will help
businesses obtain greater competitive advantage and improved performance! hence sustaining the
market share and growing in future. In this study! different dimensions for antecedent of brand e;uity
including brand awareness and brand recognition are being considered. 0he results indicate that the
brand e;uity has a significant positive relationship with competitive advantage and performance. Market
turbulence as a moderating between competitive advantage and performance do not moderate the
relationships. 0hus! theoretical and managerial contributions are provided and limitations of the current
study and suggestions for further research are introduced. 0he first of the research proved that Premier
Inn has kept its image consistent and hence this fact was reflected in growth of the brand in the
financial markets and revenues. 0he second part of the research observed that although Premier Inn
realises importance of social media advertising strategy! but the brand has not yet been able to fully
integrate the social media strategy with overall marketing processes. 0he report concludes with
recommending an appropriate branding and social media strategy that Premier Inn can utilise to a.B
sustain its market share and b.B growing in future.
Page 6 of 74
1. !NTROD"CT!ON
4usiness oracles believe that brands communicate with the consumersE it reflects the hidden value
associated with the brand. 4ut does brand recognition effectively impacts the market sustainability
"
and
its future growth. It would hence be interesting to investigate whether brand communication meets the
challenges of market sustainability and future growth. 8urthermore! over the past few years it has been
observed that internet has revolutionised the way people and organisation used to communicate! hence
enabling both consumers and brands to overcome time and distance constraints. >ith the advent of
online communities! people from around the world connect with each other either through blogs! online
communities! similar interests or even online gaming. Not to mention! but this evolution in technology is
also attributable to the rise of social media. 0oday@s fiercely competitive industries are governed by the
intensive knowledge and through deploying intangible assets. 7ne of the biggest challenges that
organisations face is recognition of the brand name and communicating with general consumers.
$ompetition within the mid-market is very strong as a result of independently owned hotels! small group
owned hotels and larger corporately owned hotels all operating within this sector. 0he larger corporately
owned hotels and to a lesser e?tent the small group owned hotels generally have a well focused
strategy which encompasses clear strategic direction! clear branding! well developed sales and
marketing functions and economies of scale. 1otels generally accept that a much more profitable
customer Adue to factors such as reduced marketing costs and higher revenues that can be derived
from such customersB is the customer that returns to the hotel regularly each time that heFshe re;uires
accommodation in the area in which the hotel is located. In effect a loyal customer is one who! as
A$rittenden! '-""B say! G recognise a relationship built on trust and commitment between the buyer and
sellerH. .oyalty of the e?isting customer base is one way in which mid market hotel chains can face the
increased competitive environment. 1owever loyalty is not earned easily or ;uickly and is certainly
difficult to achieve due to the inconsistency in service levels which can result in hotels.
1.1 *.e/0e. !nn1 Co/2an3 Des4.02t0on
In the hospitality sector! brand e;uity plays an important role in determining the market share of a hotel.
Premier Inn is a hotel chain of >hitbread Plc which is engaged in operations of hotels! coffee shops
A$ostaB and restaurants. It would hence be important to analyse the hospitality sector that would in
return reflect the nature of intense competition! which would hence outline the importance of branding
strategies.
"
Market sustainability in this conte?t means upholding its present status! and not losing the current market share.
Page 7 of 74
/.0,
1.,,
1.-,
1.2,
1./,
7.40
7.0
7.!0
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!.0
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Val$e of U.K. Motels and 3otels 45
*illion6
%alue of &.'. (otels and
)otels *+ billion,
E560b0t 11 "n0te7 K0n87o/ %otels ( Motels !n79st.3 #al9e :Ma.;etl0ne< 212=
Premier Inn especially competes in the economic provision of hotel rooms and accommodation. 0his
means that the hotel needs to compete against various other brands to gain their share of the market.
lthough there is lack of product differentiation in a budgeted hotel segment but through providing
e?cellent customer services renowned hotel brands like Premier Inn can e?pect to gain market share.
>hilst branding is a crucial factor in hospitality industry sector! the contribution of social media in the
today@s modern conte?t of corporate world cannot be undermined. s shown in e?hibit " above the
value of motels and hotels in the 2nited Kingdom has been on the increase since '--6. 0his clearly
testifies the fact that the hotel industry! by largely! has been unaffected by the great recession. Most
industry e?perts and analysts e?pect that by '-"5 the overall value of this industry will reach I"'.*
billion by '-"5. 0he industry is predominantly dominated by the big global players who vie intensely to
grab their share of the market. Premier Inn operates in the budgeted hotels and not in the lu?ury hotels
which further intensifies the level of competition. >ithin the hotels and motels industry! where switching
costs are rather negligible and competing on price alone is no longer a key to success! brand
recognition and innovation helps to attract first-time customers and also repeat business! hence
sustaining the key markets and also growing them in future. 4uyers are generally price sensitive!
e?cept in the premium market. Innovation is also vitally important in attracting customers! as competing
on price alone can be difficult. (uppliers include providers of various goods and services! as well as a
;ualified workforce. 0he ;uality and availability of supplier services and e;uipment is essential to the
hotel and motel industry. 1otel operators are reliant upon sophisticated technology and systems!
including technology utilized for property management! procurement and reservation systems. %ue to a
high reliance on sophisticated technology and systems and the growing importance of mobile
communication channels! some suppliers may e?ert strong supplier power. Dlobalization is an
Page - of 74
important key driver within the industry! with emerging and developing industries offering significant
opportunitiesE however! it also involves employing various business strategies and e?tra costs. (ome of
these emerging industries! such as in 0unisia and <gypt! which had previously provided strong areas
for growth! have been hit by political disturbances. 0hese events may have upset consumer
confidence. 1ow ;uickly these industries recover remains to be seen! but the currently volatile nature of
the tourism industry as a whole! will directly affect the hotel and motels industry until confidence in the
global economy is restored A$rittenden! '-""B. 0he importance of cross border e?pansion is another
method of grow organically and the Premier Inn@s brand e;uity has a critical role to play in this
e?pansion. It is hence ;uintessential for Premier Inn places a huge emphasis on its branding strategies
that would conse;uently impact its sustainability on the present markets Aemerged economiesB and
future growth Aemerging economiesB.
midst the fiercely competitive hotels and motels industry the Premier Inn as brand carries strong
strengths. Premier Inn is the largest chain of budgeted hotels of '-"' and continues to e?pand in the
<uropean economies. Premier Inn was awarded the CMost Improved 4rand of the :ear '-"'@ by an
industry source specializing in providing market intelligence across sectors. Premier Inn has been
e?panding its product offerings to the customers through opening more than /--- rooms in its ') hotels
in the 8: '-"' and more than /'-- rooms in 8: '-"* only in the 2nited Kingdom. 0his means that
company generates revenue through competing on the volume rather than value. 0his proposition
reflects that marketing and managing is ;uintessentially important as the customers must perceive
CPremier Inn@ as an affordable yet a comfortable place to spend money on. >ith more and more
customers around the world comes to the 2nited Kingdom as a tourist this mean that demand of hotels
and motels will continue to grow in the near future.
1.2 *9.2ose of St973
0he initial catalyst for this study - Gn analysis of customer retention and loyalty in the mid-market hotel
sector of the 2KH - was as a result of industry commentators writing about future challenges which will
face the hotel industry in the 2K J especially the independent mid-market hotel sector. %eloitte A'-"'B
has written about the Gsignificant growth in the budget lodge sectorH and the Gpressure from
international brand operators to gain a foothold in the 2KH! both of which! along with the e?panding 2K
corporate branded hotel sector! will aggressively attack the middle market. 8urthermore Marketline
A'-"'B discussed that the hospitality sector Aespecially mid market hotel chainsB is the most competitive
industry sectors and customer loyalty remains one of the critical success factors APlease refer ppendi?
" for detailed analysis of Porter@s 3 8orce nalysisB.
Page + of 74
4uilding a brand reputation in a hospitality industry not only enables to engender consumer brand
loyalty but also promotes market sustainability and foster future growth. 7ne of the critical factors that
most brand managers concentrate is their brand@s social media strategy. Most brand managers believe
that traditional brand management practices are passK! in fiercely competitive environment social
media is the prime channel to reach and communicate with customers. In simple words! social media is
an electronic form of communication where information can be shared through messages! videos and
pictures. 0here are various media such as 8acebook. Doogle Plus! .inkedIn! 0witter etc that are used
to share information between friends. 0his concept is now widely used by the brands to communicate
with consumers. 0his thesis will focus on the role of brand management in the conte?t of Premier Inn
and also how can Premier Inn utilise social media in promoting its brand.
1.$ *.o2ose7 Resea.46 >9est0ons1
Resea.46 >9est0on 11 Does *.e/0e. !nn?s b.an7 .e4o8n0t0on /eets t6e 46allen8es of /a.;et
s9sta0nab0l0t3 an7 8.o@t6A
S9b %32ot6es0s 11 Most consumers hold positive opinions about the Premier Inn brand.
S9b %32ot6es0s 21 Premier Inn is able influence customer loyalty through providing uni;ue services
>2. Does *.e/0e. !nn?s so40al /e70a st.ate83 s9ff04e to /eet t6e 46allen8es of /a.;et
s9sta0nab0l0t3 an7 8.o@t6A
S9b %32ot6es0s11 Most consumers are aware about Premier Inn@s social media presence and have
subscribed to their social media pages.
In the coming section a brief discussion about the literature relevant to the brand management will be
discussed in detail. It will also be imperative to discuss role of social media in the conte?t of its use in
the hospitality sector.
Page 1 of 74
2. L!TERAT"RE RE#!EW
0he investigation of the literature concerning factors which influence retention and loyalty was focused
mainly on academic Lournals. (pecifically! Lournals which concentrated on the hospitality industry! the
field of service ;uality and of services marketing were searched.
Product characteristics - ssaf et al A'-"*B! smussen et al A'-"'B and 4rown A'--'B
Pricing issues J 4owie A'-"'B! $hen A'-"*B! Martin A'-"'B and 2rde A'-""B
+elationship marketing J 4haradwaL et al A"))*B! 4rotherton A'--/B and $rittenden A'-""B
.oyalty strategies J7strom and Iacobucci A")66B! Mc%ougall et al A"))6B and Mittal and .assar A"))6B
(ocial Media Marketing J 4erkowitch A'-"-B! Densler A'-"*B! Mung et al A'-"*B and Mowat A'-"-B.
customer@s e?perience of a hotel stay will involve both tangible and intangible elements! any one of
which could illicit positive or negative perceptions and could therefore influence the propensity of the
customer to reuse the particular hotel on a future occasion. If e?isting mid-market hotels are to retain
their e?isting customer base and ensure loyalty of their current customers! managers must ensure that
customers@ e?pectations are at least met and if possible e?ceeded. 0herefore in attempting to
determine the factors that would influence a customer@s loyalty to a hotel or a hotel@s retention of its
e?isting customer base! a wide ranging research analysis will be re;uired into the rich comple?ity of
factors which influence the decision to re-purchase.
0he hotels of the budget lodge sector and the upscale corporate sector are generally highly branded
which confirms the observation by Kunz A'-"'B! that branding has become a core management
practice. 4ut why has branding become a core management practice in the hotel industry. Many
industry insiders believe that hotels are generally offering high levels of service! ;uality restaurants and
a range of added value offerings which is resulting in a difficulty in being differentiated from the
competition. 7ne way to move ahead in differentiation is brand building where an emotional attachment
beyond the services offered is provided. 0his has been the driving force behind the brand building of
the budget lodge sector and the upscale hotel sector. 0he independent hotel is generally unable to
build a brand on their own although through marketing alliances with other independent hotels such
hotels can adopt a branding policy AKunz! '-"'B. 8rom a theoretical perspective creating a
differentiated brand is relatively simpler! but the challenge lies in creating a distinctive feeling
associated with the brand. It is this uni;ue feeling associated with the brand that provides a basis for
the longer term relationship with the consumers. Most of the brands die due to lack of e?clusiveness
Page 11 of 74
associated with their brand personality i.e. lack of productFservice features and lack of customer
satisfaction. It can hence be said that brand recognition holds a uni;ue importance creating a
sustainable competitive advantage and future growth A.eaver! '--'B.
1ence! branding is one of the key factors that hotel chains can use to win over customers and earn
their loyalty. Nougaeli A'-"'B describes sustainability branding as the process of creating and
maintaining an identity of a specific product! service! or business that reflects the underlying value
associated with the product or service. brand is only perceived as being sustainable if it can credibly
convey sustainability benefits which are noticeable by and relevant to the consumer. 7pposed to the
term green brands which mainly focus on environmentally sound business practices! sustainability
brands additionally acknowledge the social dimension of providing products and services. 0his entails!
among others! health and safety issues resulting from direct or indirect product use Aconsumption levelB
as well as the conditions under which a particular product is produced Aproduction levelB. 0he physical
protection and well-being of people at work Ai.e. employees as well as workers within the supply chainsB
are important indicators of sustainability brands and sustainability marketing in general which adheres
to the triple bottom line of ecological AenvironmentalB! social Ae;uityB! and financial AeconomicB
sustainability A1arris! '--&B. 0he importance of market sustainability and future growth is not only
imperative for the brand but it also outlines that consumers will be ensured about the desired features
of a particular product or service. 8or instance! brand recognition of Premier Inn will reinforce
customer@s belief of getting a desired level of services! i.e. location! affordable prices! customer
services etc. It is hence that most brands invest heavily on the branding activities! hence ensuring that
their market presence would be sustained in coming years and that the brand will grow in coming future
AOzsomer! '-"'B.
:ada A'--&B asserts that a brand must be able to evoke positive or negative feelings! especially in the
conte?t of sensitive social and ecological issues. 0he more positive the perceptions and feelings are
towards a brand! the higher will be the likelihood of identification and loyalty amongst consumers. It is
therefore crucial in sustainability marketing to build up strong brands. In doing so! companies face far-
reaching decisions in the areas of brand positioning! sustainability brand name selection! and
sustainability brand development! in order to create and build sustainability brands that consumers
associate with social and environmental added value ADensler! '-"*B.
2.1 *.o794t 0ss9es
0he central issue of the problem facing mid-market hotels is the ;uestion of whether their e?isting
customers will defect down to budget hotels or trade up to upscale A/ starB properties. 0hese are two
Page 12 of 74
categories of hotel with clearly differing product characteristics >hat physical attributes of an hotel are
important to the customers of mid-market hotels and are mid-market hotels satisfying customer
re;uirements. 0he physical Aor technicalB attributes of an hotel are e?tensive and comple? and include
the visible aspects of the e?terior! foyer! restaurant and bar! public areas! bedroom! leisure facilities
where provided and the functional aspects of services provided by hotel employees Ae.g. ;uality of
service deliveryB within these areas. 0echnical aspects also include cleanliness! ;uality of furnishings
and fittings! size of rooms! aesthetics! ;uality of bathrooms! bedroom facilities! restaurant 9 bar design
and style whereas 8unctional aspects also include hotel reputation! style of services offered and
empathy.
ssaf et al A'-"*B! smussen et al A'-"'B and 4rown A'--'B have all measured the attributes of hotels
and their relative importance to hotel customers and compared these to the attributes which hotel
management were providing. ll these studies showed that management believed their customers were
demanding a greater specification of technical hotel product than the customers were themselves
re;uiring. dditionally! it was found that management was placing greater importance on the technical
elements of hotels rather then the functional elements. 0here will of course be a base level of technical
aspects that must be attained to satisfy any hotel customer. 4udget hotels and upscale hotels owned
by larger groups are invariably heavily branded and trade under well known and highly promoted brand
names e.g. 0ravel Inn! 0ravelodge! 1oliday Inn <?press! 0histle and Marriot. 0hese brand names have
been established as a result of their well researched technical attributes and their consistency of
product delivery. $onsistency of product is important to meet or e?ceed customer e?pectations and if
the independent mid-market hotel is to be competitive against the group hotels then consistency of
product ;uality must be achieved.
2.2 *.040n8 0ss9es
s previously stated! the price charged by hotels invariably increases as the official star rating of the
hotel increases i.e. a ' star budget lodge will charge a much lower room rate than a mid-market * star
hotel which will in turn charge a lower room rate than a / star corporate hotel. re some customers
willing to pay a higher price for the e?tra technical and functional attributes of an upscale hotel and
some in turn willing to accept the limited technical and functional attributes of a budget hotel in return
for paying a much lower priceP >hen these two statements are considered! the immediate ;uestion
that arises is one of whether mid-market hotels are adopting a suitable pricing strategy in today@s
marketplace to be seen as competitive.
0he intangibility of a hotel room and other hotel services makes the area of pricing very difficult 4owie
A'-"'B. 0he dilemma of the chosen pricing strategy can be illustrated as follows. Pricing of hotel
Page 1$ of 74
services may be cost-orientated! the advantage of which is that a profit will be achieved. 1owever! the
disadvantage is that a price! which is too high for some customer segments! may be set. $ompetition-
orientated pricing may result in a competitive price in the marketplace being set that may or may not
cover costs. %emand-orientated pricing applied rigidly across all customer segments simultaneously is
difficult to manage and implement and may also not cover costs. 1owever! another demand-orientated
pricing policy is differential pricing Acharging different prices to different customer segmentsB and this
has been shown by $hen A'-"*B to be appropriate for service firms! including hotels. In their study of
differential pricing for services Martin A'-"'B concluded that differential pricing was an appropriate
strategy when Gthe target market can be divided into narrow segmentsH and past demand by segment
can be estimated. 0his is relatively simple for hotels to achieve! as it is common practice for hotels to
segment! as a minimum! their customers into business customers! $onference customers! Individual
leisure customers and Droup leisure customers for e?ample. Past demand can be estimated from
historical room occupancy data A2rde! '-""B.
2.$ Relat0ons602 /a.;et0n8 an7 Lo3alt3 St.ate80es
4hardwaL et al A"))*B defines the promotional mi? as Personal (elling! dvertising! (ales Promotion!
%irect Marketing! Publicity! (ponsorship! <?hibitions! $orporate Identity! Packaging! Point-of-(ale and
>ord of Mouth. It is beyond the scope of this research to fully investigate the effectiveness of all areas
of hotels@ promotional mi? strategies in securing customer retention and loyalty. 1owever there are
recurring themes of the promotional mi? within the literature of hotel customer retention and loyalty that
do merit further discussion and investigation! these being loyalty strategies! relationship marketing and
branding.
ny investigation into customer retention and loyalty must consider the issue of .oyalty cards! which
are as prevalent in hotels as any other retail or service situation. G$ompanies can boost their profits by
"--Q through retaining 3Q more customersH 7strom and Iacobucci A")66B. 0his is a powerful financial
incentive to achieve success with any loyalty card scheme whose obLectives are to reward the
customer! generate customer information! ma?imise the share of customer and manipulate the
customer@s buying behaviour Mc%ougall et al A"))6B. dditional benefits of loyalty card schemes can be
comple? as studies by Mittal and .assar A"))6B concluded that if customers stay longer and buy more
it encourages employees to remain loyal which increases their productivity and Lob satisfaction and
therefore increases service ;uality and customer satisfaction. 1owever! cautionary considerations for
loyalty card schemes in attaining customer loyalty include instances where the customer is loyal to the
reward as opposed to the product AMc%ougall et al! "))6B. In this situation no sustainable loyalty is
Page 14 of 74
achieved! even when the customer is satisfied! because whenever a competing supplier offers a more
attractive reward scheme the customer will switch to attain the greater rewards.
.oyalty cards schemes fall within the realm of +elationship Marketing Aor one-to-one marketingB which
is defined by 4rotherton A'--/B as being at the opposite end of a Gmarketing continuumH from one off
transactional e?changes! the other end being on going regular e?changes between the buyer and
seller. 1owever relationship marketing involving loyalty schemes can! according to $rittenden A'-""B!
be often no more than short term tactical sales promotions.
2.4 T6e %os20tal0t3 !n79st.3 of "K
0he 2K hotels 9 motels industry has been fluctuating in recent years. nalyst and business insiders
e?pect solid growth from '-"5. 0he 2K hotels 9 motels industry had total revenues of I"- billion in
'-""! representing a compound annual growth rate A$D+B of './Q between '--& and '-"". In
comparison! the 8rench and Derman industries grew with $D+s of "Q and ".6Q respectively! over
the same period! to reach respective values of I"&.3 billion and I"6 billion in '-"". 0he number of
hotels 9 motels increased with a $D+ of -./Q between '--& and '-""! to reach a total of /-.3
thousand in '-"". 0he industryRs volume is e?pected to rise to /' thousand hotels 9 motels by the end
of '-"5! representing a $D+ of -.6Q for the '-""-'-"5 period. 0he leisure segment was the
industryRs most lucrative in '-""! with total revenues of I 5.3 billion! e;uivalent to 53.&Q of the
industryRs overall value. 0he business segment contributed revenues of I *./ billion in '-""! e;uating to
*/.*Q of the industryRs aggregate value. 0he performance of the industry is forecast to accelerate! with
an anticipated $D+ of 3.6Q for the five-year period '-"" - '-"5! which is e?pected to drive the
industry to a value of I "*.' billion by the end of '-"5 AMarketline! '-"'B.
2K@s hospitality industry is dominated by large international players! who compete intensely for a share
of the market. >ithin the hotels and motels industry! where switching costs are rather negligible and
competing on price alone is no longer a key to success! brand recognition and innovation helps to
attract first-time customers and also repeat business. (uppliers include providers of various goods and
services! as well as a ;ualified workforce. %ue to a high reliance on sophisticated technology and
systems and the growing importance of mobile communication channels! some suppliers may e?ert
strong supplier power. Dlobalization is an important key river within the industry! with emerging and
developing industries offering significant opportunitiesE however! it also involves employing various
business strategies and e?tra costs A>hitbread! '-"*B.
Page 1) of 74
>ithin the hotels 9 motels industry! which is both mature and very competitive! brand recognition is
important to attract consumers. strong brand image helps to attract first-time customers and also to
repeat business! as switching costs are negligible in this industry. %ifferentiation between brands
becomes important! as one particular brand becomes synonymous with ;uality! price or a specific
target age group A.eask! '-"*B. 4uyers are generally price sensitive! e?cept in the premium market.
Innovation is also vitally important in attracting customers! as competing on price alone can be difficult.
In the premium segment! companies can attract customers by better security and more facilities! such
as spas! gyms and integrating hotels into golf comple?es. .arger companies have implemented loyalty
schemes! by offering a points system or air miles to regular customers! which reduces buyer power. s
customers are numerous and mostly small in size! their buyer power is reduced! since the impact of
losing one customer is not a significant threat to business AMayawardena! '-"*B. 1owever! as many of
the countries with a heavy reliance on the tourism industry have discovered! the reduction in the
number of holiday makers and overall travellers@ number means that buyer power has increased! as
consumers have more options available! often at a lower price point Assaf! '-"*B.
2.) B.an7 Mana8e/ent !n T6e %os20tal0t3 !n79st.3
0he value of a brand is based on the awareness of the brand! its ;uality perception! and overall
customer satisfaction. (atisfied customers tend to buy more! be less price conscious! and to generate
positive word-of-mouth! thus contributing to bottom-line profit. %ue to increased attention of customer
focus brand managers use satisfaction as a measure of operational success of their overall branding
strategies A4almer! '-"'B. $onsumers often base their hotel-stay decisions on their perception of a
specific hotel@s brand name. 0he 2nited Kingdom now has over *- leading hotel brands competing for
business! more than in any other product category. 0hese noted brands include! +amada! 1oliday Inn!
0ravelodge etc many of which are e?tensions of e?isting brand names. brand-e?tension strategy
allows firms to penetrate a variety of market segments with differentiated products that carry a single!
well-established brand name. 1otel firms see several advantages to brand e?tensions! including
;uicker acceptance of new products by consumers! economies of scale in marketing support
e?penditures! lower risk associated with introduction of new products! and retention of guests A4owie!
'-"'B. 0he value of a brand chiefly resides in the minds of customers and is based primarily on
customers@ brand awareness! their perceptions of its ;uality! and their brand loyalty. fter customers
become loyal to a brand! the brand owner can capitalize on the brand@s value through price premiums!
decreased price elasticity! increased market share! and more rapid brand e?pansion. 8inally!
companies with successful brands benefit in the financial marketplace by improving shareholders@
value. 0he recognized goal of hotel branding is to provide added value to both guests and hotel
Page 16 of 74
companies by building brand loyalty. It was reported that 63 percent of business travellers and &5
percent of leisure travellers preferred branded hotels over independent properties. 7ne reason for this
finding is that hotel guests rely on brand names to reduce the risks associated with staying at an
otherwise unknown property AMartin! '-"'B.
2.6 Cons9/e. Be6aB0o9. 0n %os20tal0t3
In the age of social media and given the prevalence of Cinformation search behaviour@! it is noteworthy
that already in this early model the preparation! satisfaction and evaluation are emphasised. In general!
consumer researchers suggest that the e?periential aspects of consumption play important role in
consumer choice behaviour A.i! '-"'B. 0he Internet is intrinsically global in nature! as it is globally
accessible and crosses national boundaries to allow consumers around the world to participate e;ually.
(ince the "))-s! there have been many online consumer research studiesE however the scope of these
published studies is rather broad. >ith some overlapping areas the research can be categorised into
three streams! the early emphasis being on web-site attributes and ;uality of e-tailer! following with the
research on attitudinal antecedents and more recently the e?perience and emotional factors within the
online purchasing conte?t A$hen! '-"*B.
2.7 T6e So40al Me70a
Most marketing managers use social media as an integral component of their branding strategies which
also results in brand recognition! hence leading to future growth of the brand through attracting more
customers. 4y definition social media can be defined as the combination of internet tools that enables a
user to generate e?change and modify contents continuously AMung! '-"*B. In second ;uarter of '-"*!
total 8acebook users stood at "."3 billion. In conte?t of total number people using 8acebook! it is said
that if all people want to form a country! that country will be third most populous country after $hina and
India. >hilst 8acebook marked itself with an e?ponential rise in the number of consumers! 0witter in
'-"" witnessed "6'Q increase in its mobile phone users. It can hence be inferred from the discussion
so far that social media is here to stay and it would be suitable for companies to integrate social media
in their overall market strategy. (ocial media plays a vital role in not only brand management but also in
other avenues of business activities A4urson-Marsteller! '-"-B.
Page 17 of 74
0-
"0-
40-
0-
!0-
$00-
.orldwide &nited
/tates
0urope 1sia Pacific
7 Of 8o%panies Usin' o)ial Media
As A Mar9etin' Tool
-2f 3ompanies &sing
/ocial (edia 1s 1
(arketing Tool
E560b0t $1 *e.4enta8e of Co/2an0es 9s0n8 so40al /e70a :B9.sonCMa.stelle.< 21=
<?hibit * above clearly outlines percentage of companies using social media a tool of strategic brand
management. It is evident from the research that western companies i.e. in <urope and the 2(!
employs social media as an active source of marketing. lso it has been observed that about )-Q of
the marketers use social media as an integral part of their strategic marketing and 53Q of the
marketers have used it for the first time A4erkowitch! '-"-B. 0he maLor advantage of social media
website is that it provides an option for the consumers to comment and provide their invaluable
feedback about a specific product or services. 0his feedback can be related to the user e?periences
and customer services as perceived by the consumers. 0his feedback would serve as basis for the
productFservice improvement in the coming future. (ocial media websites are user friendly and
immensely popular and hence this is no surprise that more and more hotels and travel businesses are
increasingly using social media to attract more and more customers.
ccording to Pappu A'--3B! the concept of social media is not limited to but mainly embraces following
key concepts#
Monitor brand reputation
Increase sales
Increase brand awareness of services
<ducate and inform customers
Improve customer service
Page 1- of 74
Providing visibility and awareness about the brand is the biggest advantages of the social media
channels which are ;uintessential parameters of converting potential customers into loyal customers.
0here are number of e?amples around the market that clearly outlines the power of social media. 8or
e?ample in early '-"-! (ony claimed that it achieved I" million sales only through its twitter account.
nother e?ample of that of world@s third largest P$ maker %ell which achieved S5.3 million worth sales
of P$@s! laptops and other computing accessories in the same year. 0he difference between traditional
media and social media comes from the fact that the former method of communication only apprises
customers while the later involves and stimulates the consumers. 0he level of customer support
increases with the engagement in the social media. %eloitte A'-"'B in its research report @1ospitality
'-"3@ claims that the new technologies i.e. social media and mobile marketing will have a maLor role to
play over the coming ne?t few years as the worlwide number of social media users and smartphone
users are e?pected to increase by 3-Q. $ompeared to other industries! the hospitality sector was bit
slow in intergrating use of social media.
ccording to Mowat A'-"-B the adoption of social media channels can bring a vast avenues of growth
for marketers. 0he website gained popularity in early '---@s and presently every business has a
dedicated website! on the other hand social networking media is a relatively new concept. 0he Nielson
$ompany researched and found out that almost 35Q prefer to read reviews by previous customers
before they book their favorite holiday. 7n the other hand due to the ease of using technology most
consumers post their reviews predominanty through the social networking websites A0he Neilson
$ompany! '-"-B.
2.- Role Of T@0tte.< 'a4eboo; ( &o9T9be Blo8s !n B.an7 Mana8e/ent
4urson-Marsteller A'-"-B compiled a report and state that there are some international companies that
acknowledge the value of engaging in social media. >ithin the cluster of social media platforms! 0witter
is the preferred media tool among 8ortune Dlobal "-- companies! with two-thirds A53QB having a
presence on the social network. >ith at least one half are reaching audience through 8acebook A3/QB
and :ou0ube A3-QB. Most of the well known brands maintain their blogs profile and these organisations
realise hidden value in such a sustained engagement. It is indeed clear that if in present times an
organisation fails to engage its brand with the customers then it is clearly missing upon which can be a
huge opportunity in digital marketing. 0o gain more and stay abreast in today@s fiercely competitive
markets! hotels needs to make their brands visible! engage with customers and participate in online
discussion forums. 0hese discussion can be through +(( feed! podcasts! hotel forums and videos on
the :ou0ube about the customer services and ;uality of the meals provided by the hotels.
Page 1+ of 74
2.-.1 'a4eboo;
8acebook has gained immense popularity in the past few years and marketers believe that having an
active presence at 8acebook can help to stay visible compared to peers. 8acebook is one of the most
famous media which reaches more than 3-- million consumers worldwide. $ustomers visit various
other social media websites and hence it is imperative for big brands to maintain a close eye about their
presence AManchanda! '-"-B. %epending upon the marketing strategy a brand can either have a single
8acebook page or depending upon the geographical location can have different 8acebook pages.
2.-.2 T@0tte.
0witter amongst all social media platforms is the most effective medium of conversation. 0witter in the
hospitality industry would allow a constant communications with the customers for e?ample resolving
customer complaints online or it can be leaving a feedback to consumers i.e. either thanking them or
telling them valuable they are for the business. Many big names including 1yatt 1otels! +amada! M >
Marriott and many others opened their twitter accounts A(mith! '-"'B.
Most marketers believe that secrets of effective use of 0witter a brand must closely observe following
points#
0rack the conversion rate measure +7I
4uild (ocial <;uity
%etermine :our Doals
$onduct (ome +esearch
Identifying a 0witter Profile
$learly! a 0witter presence harness credibility of a company and makes it standout when compared
with the other competitors. 4ut brand managers must be meticulous about the contents shared on the
social media platform which must reflect the true brand proposition APenumaka! '-"*B.
2.-.$ &o9T9be
0he advent of technology has brought myriad of opportunities to ma?imise the sales potential. :ou0ube
is collection of videos which are viewed by over /-- million people each year. 0hese people are
consumer seeking new information about a particular product or a service A(mith! '-"'B. hotel brand
such as Premier Inn can use :ou0ube to upload videos of the rooms! meals! dining hall! nearby
location and overall aura of the hotel that would attract more and more customers. Most brands have a
uni;ue way of social media strategy as they strive to associate their social media channel with a viral
effect. viral effect is a result of innovative marketing campaigns that makes a product instantly
popular among the customers Asmussen! '-"'B
Page 2 of 74
Premier Inn must strategise its presence on the social media channels like :ou0ube. It can offer
discounts! free drinks or a complimentary service during check in process if someone uploads their
video or provide their positive feedback about the Premier Inn@s services. 0his would be a small
investment but would yield big results for Premier Inn such as positive image about the brand.
2.-.4 Co.2o.ate Blo8s
4log is defined a short collo;uial version of weblogs that a company or an individual users to
communicate with customers.
0-
$0-
"0-
40-
40-
50-
0-
7 Of 8o%panies Usin' 8orporate
(lo's As A Mar9etin' Tool
-2f 3ompanies &sing
3orporate 6logs 1s 1
(arketing Tool
E560b0t 41 *e.4enta8e of Co/2an0es "s0n8 Co.2o.ate Blo8s :B9.sonCMa.stelle.< 21=
4logs give a personal touch that makes a huge impact upon the consumers. 0he use of corporate
blogging enables companies to strengthening relationships with their customers. s evident from the
e?hibit above that small companies drive the success of corporate blogs. $orporate blogs are not only
cheaper but also effective too A=an Noort! '-"'B.
2.+ So40al Me70a ( T6e Mob0le Ma.;et0n8
0he increasing popularity and recent technological developments in the smart phone industry has also
complemented the landscape of strategic marketing. Mobile marketing allows business to outreach the
targeted business more precisely than ever before. 4oth pple and ndroid platforms offers over
'3-!--- applications Aalso known as appsB to its consumers A+ohm! '-"'B. Most of these applications
Aor atleast the prominent social networking websitesB offers check in facility which can track one@s
location. 0his location track can be an effective tool that can be used by the marketers to reach various
others potential customers. 0he preset trend in the field of marketing is usage of this data in market
research! loyalty programmes and other activities to build and sustain a longer term relationship with
Page 21 of 74
the consumers. 8or a global company such as Premier Inn the challenge lies in reaching and
communicating with consumers based in emerging economies. $ompared to developed economies! in
the emerging economies the total usage of mobile phones and computers are far minimal. 1owever!
most researchers claim that by '-'-! mobile phone would be largely the primary mode of internet
especially in the emerging economies A(mutkupt! '-"'B. 0his is a realistic e?trapolation that with the
evolving mobile revolution! the compactable devices are future of technology that provides answers to
various corporate problems. 7n daily basis numbers of people are churning out huge data regarding
their favourite brand! their preferences and their buying behaviour. 0his data can serve as a basis of
analysing the market and the upcoming trends in the market. >hile data through social networking
apps A8acebook! 0witter and >htsappB remains one of the emerging themes of the market research
another revolution can be in the form of gaming. Daming is increasingly used as one of the marketing
channels by the big brands! where most companies enable its consumers to compete with each other
through online games APersaud! '-"'B.
2ndoubtedly! technology has imparted managers with the lu?uries that were not even in e?istence in
the past. >hile most of the businesses have embraced or are in process of embracing idea of social
networking in their marketing strategy. 1otels J big or small! lu?ury or economic! global or local and
independent or chain are trying to gain a competitive edge through keeping themselves abreast with
the new age consumer A>agstaff! '-"-B.
0he customers are getting more resourceful and would do their research online for their travel needs
before making a decision. lot of time is invested and when online initiatives are carried strategically!
they are able to see the fruits of their labour. 1otels that e?perience healthy returns on their investment
should continue to increase their intensity on the time spent in order to build the business for their
online market. >hile others who have not venture into the online era for their business! must be aware
that their customers may not necessary make a booking online! but would utilize online resources when
making a decision A4haradwaL! "))*B.
lthough there are many advantages of social media but there also various disadvantages associated
with the use of social media. 0he very first disadvantage of using social media content is that marketers
have to ensure that they share only that content which is relevant to consumers and must reflect the
overall strategic intent of the organisation. Most brands are at the peril of committing this mistake of
sharing irrelevant information that does not adds value either to the consumer or to the brand.
(econdly! social media appears to be low cost alternative that promises to reach ma?imum consumers
but it takes investment in terms of time and opportunity costs associated with it APicazo-=ela! '-"'B.
Page 22 of 74
2nlike traditional media which is one way! social media has an added advantage as it is a two-way
communication and conversations are e?changed as a result. 0raditional marketing tools such as print
advertising! direct mail! and even email blast may be losing their effectiveness since consumers are
going online before making a purchase ADreen! '--)B. >ith the internet! consumers source for trusted
sites for hotels recommendations when making travelling arrangements. 0hese tools allow the
consumers to start a conversation and potentially are at the advantage to be converted as the brand
ambassador. <ven though the hospitality industry has not gone full trotter on social media adoption!
some international hotel chains already understand the effects and are taking advantage of the
benefits. 0he organization re;uirements and direction of the business has to be considered when
considering the implementation of social media. In brand communication! in order for the organization
strategies to be effective! social media needs to be integrated within the strategies before e?ecution
takes place. 0he study will e?amine the suitability of social media as a method of marketing for the
1ospitality Industry A4rown! '--'B.
0his section looked deeply into the basic tenets of brand management! brand awareness Abrand
recognitionB and role of social media in brand management. It can be established so far that brand
management has a profound impact upon the market sustainability and future growth AMills! '-"'B.0his
report has so far discovered the critical success factors of branding for budgeted hotels! basis of social
media and the burgeoning trend of mobile marketing. 2ndoubtedly! brand e;uity meets the challenges
of sustainability and future growth! this will however be proved through comparing the customer
feedback and sustained increase in profits of >hitbread Plc over the past "- years. 0he coming section
will discuss the research methods used to carry out this research.
Page 2$ of 74
$. RESEARC% MET%ODOLOG&
0he literature review resulted in a number of ;uestions being formulated within the key themes of
product! price! promotion and role of social media. 0hese ;uestions can be summarised as follows# -
Prod$)t iss$es
>hat technical and functional attributes of a hotel are important to the customers of mid-market!
independent hotelsP
Pri)in' iss$es
re the customers of mid-market independent hotels accept value for money services
Pro%otional iss$es
%oes the practise of relationship building encourage the customer to be more loyal to a hotelP
%oes branding play any part in customer retention and loyaltyP
Role of o)ial Media
%o customers actively seek better deals through subscribing to the social media websites of their
favourite hotels chainsP
$an social media be e?tended to be a vehicle that encourages hotel chains to attract customers.
8rom these key themes and ;uestions a hypothesis was developed! which proposed that! the
customers of independent mid-market hotels would remain loyal and would be able to be retained in an
increasingly competitive situation! subLect to a number of critical marketing variables being achieved by
the hotel. 0hese being specific customer focused product! pricing! location and booking! promotion and
service ;uality aspects. 0o test this hypothesis a study was undertaken to investigate the customers@
perceptions of the midmarket! independent hotel sector who will tend to stay loyal. 0he main research
method used was a customer survey which is efficient in eliciting data about a larger population.
%ata can be collected in two forms! namely! primary and secondary data. 0he data collection methods
used in this research involves the search for both primary and secondary data. Information gathered by
observing phenomena or surveying respondents. Primary data are originated by the researcher for the
specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand. lso that obtaining primary data can be e?pensive
and time consuming Malhotra A'--3B. (ince primary data is collected with specific purpose! it is the
Page 24 of 74
most significant. %epth interviews! focus groups! observations and surveys are the maLor methods of
gathering primary data. In this particular study! surveys and indepth interviews have been used as a
means for obtaining primary data. Information compiled inside or outside the organization for some
purpose other than the current investigation. ccording to Malhotra A'--3B! (econdary data are data
that are collected for some purpose other than the problem at hand. 2sually Lournals! e?isting reports!
and statistics by public and private authorities are used collect (econdary data. 1ere! the secondary
data have been collected through case studies and using marketing Lournals and other e?isting reports
that were based on the topic. s a general rule stated by Malhotra A'--3B! G<?amination of available
secondary data is a prere;uisite to the collection of primary data. (tart with secondary data. Proceed to
primary data only when the secondary data sources have been e?hausted or yield managerial returns.H
0he study hence! involved collection and analysis of primary data in foundation with the secondary
data.
<ven before a research is started! the researcher needs to evaluate and select the type of method they
will to be used for collecting the data for the research. 0he ,uantitative research methods and the
,ualitative research methods are two options of approaches available for the researcher. s noted by
$reswell A'--*B! G0he situation today is less ;uantitative versus ;ualitative and more how research
practices lie somewhere in continuum between the two Aeg Newman 9 4enz! "))6BH. In most
researches! in some way or the other both form of data collection are used. In this research! since! the
study was conducted to understand the perspective of consumers and their brand image! more stress
was laid on ;ualitative research rather than ;uantitative. ccording to $assel and (ymon A'--3B!
C,ualitative methods@ is what people recognize and which is widely used! it is actually very problematic.
0hey could only talk about the characteristics of ;ualitative research! without an overarching definition!
because there were such a variety of methods that might claim this title and little consensus over a core
meaning. 0he simplest definition is to say it involves methods of data collection and analysis that are
non-;uantitative A.ofland 9 .ofland ")6/B.
0his traditional view is that ;uantitative en;uiry e?amines data which are numbers! while ;ualitative
en;uiry e?amines data which are narrative A<asterby-(mith et al.! "))"B. Inherent in this dichotomy is
the view that ;uantitative en;uiry generally adopts a deductive process! while ;ualitative en;uiry
generally adopts an inductive process A1yde! '---B.
$.1 >9al0tat0Be Resea.46
It is believed that ;ualitative research originated in recent times. 1owever! as noted by Milliken A'--"B
and 1amilton A"))/B! the real roots of ;ualitative research could be traced back to an eighteenth
Page 2) of 74
century disruption that occurred in the fortunes of ;uantitative research. 1ere! in order to e?plore the
selected topic of the study! ;ualitative research is selected as the means for research. Positivism and
post-positivism are based on realism and involves comparisons of results and findings with preliminary
propositions. Interpretive research aims at understanding the actual production of meanings and
concepts used by social actors in real settings. >hereas! critical postmodernism is a combination of
critical theory and postmodern thought! which assumes that realities are value laden and contain
contradictions ADephart! '--/B.
G ;ualitative study is defined as an in;uiry process of understanding a social or human problem! based
on building a comple?! holistic picture! formed with words! reporting detailed views of informants! and
conducted in a natural settingH A$resswell! "))/B. nother way of defining it is to say it focuses on
T;ualityT! a term referring to the essence or ambience of something. 7thers would say it involves a
subLective methodology and yourself as the research instrument Adler 9 dler! ")6&B.
s cited by Dolafshani N. '--* say GenLoying the rewards of both numbers and wordsH i.e. the
knowledge obtained through detailed interviewing process with focus on compatibility or a ;ualitative
analysis is different a ;uantitative analysis. +esearchers have argued that that unlike ;uantitative
research where the tool is the most important in ;ualitative research the researcher himself poses as a
tool and is the most important part of the research. (o it is very important role of the researcher in
;ualitative research.
s Malhotra A'--3B noted! ,ualitative research is unstructured! e?ploratory in nature! based on small
samples! and may utilize popular ;ualitative techni;ues such as focus groups Agroup interviewsB! word
association Aasking respondents to indicate their first responses to stimulus wordsB! and in-depth
interviews Aone-on-one interviews that probe the respondents@ thoughts in detailB AMalhotra! '--3B. 0he
;ualitative research interviews differ in practical features such as length! style of ;uestioning! and
participant numbers Agroup or individualB. 0hough most of them are face-to-face! it can also be carried
out via internet or on the telephone. In this case however! the researcher has personal contacts with
Premier Inn@s business managers in different departments so most of the interviews were conducted
face to face. 8or the interview set of ;uestions were designed through referring to the relevant subLect.
$.2 >9ant0tat0Be Resea.46
,uantitative research methods are the orthodo? way of researching. In very technical terms!
G,uantitative data is data e?pressing a certain ;uantity! amount or range. 2sually! there are
measurement units associated with the data! e.g. meters! in the case of the height of a person. It
Page 26 of 74
makes sense to set boundary limits to such data! and it is also meaningful to apply arithmetic
operations to the dataH. ,uantitative +esearch methods are important and the traditional form of data
collection and analysis ANorman! '-"*B. 8or this research the surveys and online ;uestionnaires were
used as the ;uantitative method of research. 0he results of the surveys and online ;uestionnaires were
inputted in the (P(( and the results were analysed through the graphical representation. 0he results of
the survey gave an insight about the consumer preferences! perceptions of consumers regarding the
Premier Inn 4rand and the role of social media in the hospitality industry.
$.$ Data Colle4t0on Met6o7
It was ;uintessential for this research to match the obLectives! findings and key recommendations with
the theory of brand management and social media. <ast A'--&B argues for the accuracy of case studies
that use several sources. 8or that reason this study is based on different sources of data. 0he same
industry work e?perience and personal involvement of the researcher in the marketing position at the
chosen company offers also a source of information. Moreover! this data is complemented with the
survey and case study of an established brand! who are renowned and have e?perience on social
media marketing in consumer marketing. <isenhart A'--)B argues for that case study can
accommodate a rich variety of data sources! including interviews! archival data! survey data!
ethnographies! and observations. In this research ;uestionnaire will be used as the main mechanism
for collecting the primary data ANaumes! '--5B.
$.$.1 *.0/a.3 Data
$ollecting the primary data however! enabled to generate data that was not e?istent before and can
answer the research ;uestions efficiently and effectively. (ince collecting primary data is mainly for a
particular reason hence it is easier to be precise and accurate in achieving the results. =arious forms of
primary data can be e?periments! observations and communication. Mainly a primary research consists
of two main forms# ;uantitative and ;ualitative research. ,uantitative research is an empirical research
that uses numbers as form of data through which it answers the research ;uestion. ,ualitative research
on the other hand mainly re;uires non numeric data to prove a specific point of research. s stated
earlier the primary data would be collected through survey which is form of ;uantitative research.
Interviews however would also be a part of primary data which would ;ualify under ;ualitative research.
$.$.2 Se4on7a.3 Data
$ompared to the primary data! secondary data is mainly collected from the other sources i.e. other than
collected by the researcher directly. lthough sometimes referred to as borrowed research! various
advantages of secondary research are that it not saves researcher@s time but it also aids the research.
Page 27 of 74
In this research the data especially about the social media and branding practices of different brands
would be difficult to obtain directly. It was mainly due to this reason that secondary data is used in this
research that has helped to prove researcher@s perspective. 0he secondary data would be calculated
through the secondary data would be collected through the interviews and case studies which is a form
of ;ualitative research.
$.$.$ *o29lat0on
8or the research the population will be the general public who have used facilities of Premier Inn
Athrough staying! e?hibiting or attending a formal event at the hotelB and active users that would be
available in the public domain of popular social media sites through the selected case study
organizations.
$.$.4 Sa/2l0n8 Te46n0D9e
(ampling involves following a rigorous procedure when selecting units of analysis from a larger
population. In research! population does not only refer to the people! but can also represent any group
or aggregate of individuals! groups! organisations or social interactions and events A1eaton! '--/B.
Mainly two types of sampling techni;ues have been identified as mentioned below#
*.obab0l0t3 Sa/2l0n81 Noor A'--6B has stated that the Ebasic principle of probability sampling is that a
sample will be representative of its population if all members of that population have an e;ual chance of
being selected in the sampleH. 1owever the fact is that the probability samples very rarely! if ever!
perfectly represents the populations from which they are drawn.
0wo types of probability samples are simple random sample and stratified random sample. (imple
random sample is drawn when a sampling frame is available and each unit in the population has an
e;ual chance of being selected and stratified random sample is drawn when we along with the
representative sample! also wants to include the subgroups in the sample in the same proportion as
they occur in the population A1eaton! '--/B.
Non F *.obab0l0t3 Sa/2l0n81 Non-probability sampling considers that every unit in the population does
not have e;ual and therefore probable chance of being selected as a part of the sample! which means
that the sample will not have the same parameters as that of the population A1eaton! '--/B.
0his research uses Non-Probability $onvenience (ampling techni;ue. In this type of sampling
techni;ue! a sample is drawn from the units of analysis that are conveniently available to the
researcher. s a part of this research! survey was sent online to the family
Page 2- of 74
members! friends and colleagues. 0his is done due to the limitation of time and budget on the part of
the researcher and also it was convenient for the researcher to approach this set of respondents
Aplease refer analysis part for sample size and the detailed procedure for collection of dataB.
L0/0tat0ons of Resea.46 an7 NonC*.obab0l0t3 Sa/2l0n8 Te46n0D9e
(ome of the limitations of this research and hence the non-probability sampling techni;ue is as follows#
aB 0he sample is not a representation of the target population and therefore has no e?ternal validity. In
this research! sample from .ondon has been considered only and hence! it does not represent the
whole of 2K.
bB (ize of sample is very small Aonly "-- respondentsB.
$.4 S9.Be3s
Most of the business researches are performed through surveys and online ;uestionnaires. (urveys
are defined as G0he method of collecting information by asking a set of pre-formulated ;uestions in
predetermined se;uence in a structured ;uestionnaire to a sample of individuals drawn so as to be
representative of a defined populationH A1utton! "))-B. It is a mandatory re;uirement that
;uestionnaires must be ethically in line with the 4ritish government regulations. 0his ;uestionnaire is
fully complied with such regulations as laid by the government.
,uestionnaires hold various advantages as compared to the traditional methods of research. Dathering
an indepth understanding of consumers@ perspective about the Premier Inn and usage of social media.
n online ;uestionnaire is not only the ;uickest but also the reliable source of information. face to
face interview in such a scenario would consume time and lot of resources. 7nline ;uestionnaires on
the other hand are cost effective and simpler to analyse. 0he online survey website provided with an
option to tabulate the results of the survey through a website. >ith this research it was necessary to
consider opinions of different consumers! since each person holds different viewsE hence interviewing
few people or a group of individuals would not have yielded optimal results. 7nline surveys are type of
;uantitative research which is based on the paradigm of being empiricist. (ince! the target audience of
such a kind of research would be huge it is hence beneficial to reduce the biasness about the topic
through surveying people from different ethnicity! background and professions. Not only for the
researcher but also for the respondent! ;uestionnaire can be answered at the own ease of the
respondent various other advantages can be enumerated as follows#
0he information is practical and can be trusted to base one@s decision.
Page 2+ of 74
7nline surveys and ;uestionnaires can be easily understood by the respondent.
.arge amount of information can be collected from different consumers that too in a short
period of time.
+e;uires basic knowledge of using internet and (P(( and no specialist skills are re;uired to
undertake the study Aincluding analysisB.
0he data! thus obtained can be ;uantified and compared with other sources of data. 0his data
is valid! and can be used to test hypothesis and creating new theories.
$.4.1 >9est0onna0.e Des08n
ppropriate title is the key to any ;uestionnaire as it gives respondents an idea about what a
researcher is trying to find out and hence they are more likely to respond appropriately and helpfully or!
indeed! at all A(aunders! '--&B. 0he title mentioned on the top of the ;uestionnaire Arefer appendi? 'B
as designed for this research is self-e?planatory. brief description about the ;uestionnaire and
purpose of this research is also mentioned in the ;uestionnaire which will encourage the respondents
to respond appropriately. Moreover to encourage some respondents! I have agreed to share the results
of my findings with the respondents who are interested in this research.
variety of ;uestionsFanswer types has been used through-out the ;uestionnaire Arefer appendi? 'B.
0his is done specifically to keep the interest of the respondents in the ;uestionnaire as it can be very
boring for the respondents to respond to a series of same set of ;uestions A(aunders! '--&B.
,uestionnaire is divided into three parts Arefer appendi? 'B with the following ;uestion types being
used#
D046oto/o9s >9est0ons1 0hese types of ;uestions are an e?treme type of multiple type ;uestions
allowing only two choices like male-female! agree-disagree! etc. advantage of these types of ;uestions
is that it is simpler for researcher and respondents both. 0he disadvantage of these types of ;uestions
is that giving only two choices might be very restricting for the respondents A+obson! '--'B.
0hese types of ;uestions are used mainly in the first part of the ;uestionnaire to gather the basic details
of the respondents like their age! gender! profession etc. so that they can be segmented on the basis of
these parameters and conclusions can be drawn keeping an individual segment into consideration.
M9lt02le C6o04e >9est0ons1 0hese are the ;uestions for which we have multiple choices as answers.
0he advantage of this type ;uestions is that it is easier for both researcher and respondents and the
tabulation and analysis in multiple choice ;uestions is simpler. 1owever! the disadvantages of this type
Page $ of 74
of ;uestionnaire is that a considerable effort is re;uired to form a sound set of multiple choice ;uestions
and too many ;uestions and choices can make the ;uestionnaire monotonous A+obson! '--'B.
*a.a/ete.s Relate7 >9est0on No.
Deneral ,uestions "! '! *
Product $haracteristics /! 3! 5! 6
Pricing A=alue 8or MoneyB "'! "*! "3
.oyalty 9 Deneral $onsumer 7pinion &! )! "-! ""! "/
(ocial Media (ubscription "5! "&
n <ffective 2se 7f (ocial Media "6
$.) T6e Resea.46 St.ate83
s discussed in above section! there can be various forms of research approaches and for each
approach there are different research strategies. 0his research is mainly supported by the e?ploratory
approach to research and for that the research strategy is discussed in coming sections. 0he primary
research is mainly answered by the ;uantitative method i.e. analysing responses of consumers through
their participation in surveys. 8or the secondary research! which supports the understanding and
e?plains the research obLectives! mainly Lournals and research publications were used. =arious sources
of secondary research can be enumerated as follows#
3.5.1 University of West London Library
%atabases like 4usiness (ource Premier! <merald! KeyNote! M(07+! Mintel! (cience %irect and (D<
Publications were mainly used for the research purposes.
(urveys and online ;uestionnaires are scientific mode of observation that is most suitable to the
research. 0he purchasing differs at each stage of the buying process and is one of the factors that keep
evolving along with technology and demographics. 0he research will revolve around the theory of social
media and will strive to prove that social media play a very important role in influencing consumer@s
decision in making a purchase of an item. ccording to (aunders A'--&B number of different research
methods can be used for the purpose of research for e?ample! e?periments! surveys! case studies!
archival research etc to name a few. 8or this purpose however! ;uestionnaires are found to be useful to
answer the research ;uestions. 0he survey strategy directly complements the deductive approach to
research. (urveys not only help to accurately map the consumer behaviours but are also cheaper and
Page $1 of 74
simpler to use. (urveys not only enable to collect a huge amount of data in an economical way but are
also very precise and depict the true results. 0he main aim of the survey was to find out the interactions
of the consumers with their favourite brand on social networking websites. 0here has been numerous
e?amples where a brand forecasts its success or failure from the popularity on the 8acebook. 8or
instance most 1ollywood producers now days make a dedicated 8acebook page about their upcoming
movie. Most researchers e?pect that ma?imum likes on 8acebook Aor ma?imum views in the :ou0ubeB
automatically translates to the success of the new movie. 0hrough this research a link between the
consumer and social media will be e?plored. 0his link would be necessary not only for the success of
the brand but also would highlight social media as an emerging channel of advertising. 4usiness
researchers e?plain that data collected from the surveys are by far very reliable! standardised and can
be easily adLusted for comparative purposes. 2sing a standardised data was necessary for research
purposes. 0o best answer the research ;uestions the survey was divided into three main sections. 0he
first section deals mainly with the generic information about the respondent i.e. name! occupation and
age range. 0he second part of the ;uestionnaire deals mainly with the respondent@s interaction with
social media networks. 0his ;uestion lays the basic knowledge of the respondent regarding the social
media and how often they use social media. 0he third and final section which is also the backbone of
the whole research relates consumer@s with the brand. 0his part of the ;uestionnaire mainly answers
consumer@s buying behaviour! brand interactions and decision to make purchase Aor influenceB via
social networks ADhauri! '--3B.
0he survey would be shared via social networking websites mainly A8acebook and .inkedInB. It would
also be however useful to search for special groups consisting of '- J /) age group on the social
networks and post the survey on the wall. 7n .inkedIn there are several links of business professionals
and e?ecutives etc who are active and will have no obLection in filling a small survey. In all of the
aforementioned scenarios the target age group is '- J /) and in order to broaden the research!
undertaking manual survey would also be beneficial. Manual survey can be performed on the busy high
streets areas such as <aling! $hiswick and 1ammersmith in >est .ondon. 0his survey would be an
invaluable source of information as the data comes directly from time spent Gon the fieldH. Marketing
managers would find it e?tremely helpful to administer the responses of the consumers and how well
they use social media. >e however will mainly be focussing on internet mediated ;uestionnaires and
structured interview type of ;uestionnaires. +esponses collected through the social media networking
websites can be categorised under internet administered while writing down responses can be
categorised under structured interview AMingers '--*B.
Page $2 of 74
0his study delves deeper into the evaluation of consumer perception about the Premier Inn@s brand but
the highlight would be integrating social media strategy with Premier Inn@s overall strategic intent.
<?ploring ways of using social networking websites as a marketing channel is not a new topic but
certainly an une?plored territory which can be promising for big brands. 0here are however few brands
that are using social media for e?ample (tarbuck is giving an option to consumers to buy special gifts
through 8acebook as a present for their friends and family. In order to answer the research ;uestion! I
have used both e?ploratory and descriptive studies. (aunders! et al! cited +obson A'--'B to define an
e?ploratory study as a valuable mean of finding out Cwhat is happeningE to seek new insightsE to ask
;uestions and to assess phenomena in new light. 7n the other hand! +obson A'--'B asserted to define
a descriptive study as a mean to Cportray an accurate profile of persons! events or situations@. 8or the
purpose of the research I needed to combine these two kinds of study since I have used both deductive
and inductive approaches to answer the research ;uestion. Moreover! I have used descriptive study in
order to test the theory. 0his has been done by collecting and analysing ;uantitative data through a
survey. %uring the research I have also used an e?ploratory study through interviews and the collection
of ;ualitative data in order to understand what was happening in the (ocial Media Marketing area
A+obson! '--'B.
0he constraints of time and budget restricted data collection. Moreover it was impossible to collect data
from an entire population since (ocial Media population is way too wide. I have thus decided to use
sample of population. I have used a non-probability sample for the purpose of the research. 8or the
sampling techni;ue! I have used a purposive sample! that is to say! a non-representative subset of a
larger population. I have thus administrated the survey to my own network of contacts through (ocial
Media. 0he research being based on (ocial Media! it appeared thus as the most adapted to use these
media to diffuse the survey. 8urthermore! by doing so! I was sure that the respondents were familiar
with (ocial Media platforms and tools.
0o answer most of the research ;uestions primary data is one of the preferred methods of data
collection A$ooper! '--*B. Primary data collection enables to address various issues to consumers
about the social media and especially how an emerging field of marketing impacts the decision of
consumers while making a purchase. $learly! data collection method forms essential part of the
research as this forms basis of the dissertation. 0he survey would take responses for "- days only
which were enough to collect data from varied consumers i.e. of all ranges and from different
nationalities. 8ree survey websites were used as a platform to prepare and distribute ;uestionnaires.
0his enabled an effective and efficient use of technologies that has ma?imum impact and that too for a
free of cost services. >hile designing a ;uestionnaire! it was made very clear to keep the ;uestions
Page $$ of 74
concise! simple to answer and all ;uestions were free from Largons. 0he maLor limitation about the
website used for the survey was that it was limited to three sections ma?imum! while in a section there
can@t be no more than "- ;uestions.
2sing social media as a data collection method not only proved to be ;uick but also the most accurate
too. 4y posting on the link on the 8acebook! didn@t only allow ;uick responses but also feedback from
the respondents about the potential limitations. 0he upcoming generation i.e. students were main target
of the research discussion. 0his is because any trend in the future will be determined by the
preferences of these respondents. 0here are numerous undergraduate and postgraduate pages and
forums on the internet which enabled me to collect data ;uickly. (ome if the e?amples of students
forums include! www.e?pedia.co.ukFforums! www.tripadvisor.co.ukFdiscussions! etc were really helpful
to find online student communities. It was also very helpful that most of the students understood the
importance of dissertations and research in a post graduate course. Main emphasis has been given on
respondents average time spent on the social media platform and how a consumer interacts with the
various brands on the social media. >hile age was one of the important preponderant variables of the
;uestionnaire! focus was also given to the occupation and present status of the respondent.
$.6 Data Anal3s0s
=arious researchers used different data analysis tools! e.g. personal or computer based. 8or the
;uestionnaires however a data analysis software (P(( is used for analysis of the results. 0he (P(( is
one of the most effective efficient software for analysing data. $ompared to other softwares such as
Microsoft <?cel! (P(( enables to get results in Lust a click. >hile the other sections such as case
studies were analysed! keeping in mind the overall fashion industry and considering two different
organisations that use social media as a tool of marketing. Nevertheless! academic Lournals and
research papers are also used as an inseparable part of the research but all the perspectives are
analysed from a critical perspective.
$.7 Et604al !ss9es
Krippendorf A")6-B asserted that any advertisements must adhere to the current rules and regulation.
>hile performing research over specific topics related to social media! ethical issues must be given due
consideration. 8or an instance it would be against ethics to ask consumers number of friends in their
network or their relationship status on the social networking website. 0here is a degree of sensitivity
associated with each ;uestions asked to the respondents.
Page $4 of 74
nother ethical consideration that was followed is related to storage of data collected from the
;uestionnaires. Needless to say that name and identity of the respondents were kept anonymous and
the system is protected with passwords. 0here were hence minimal chances of data theft from the
computer system and from the free survey website.
$.- Data >9al0t3< #al070t3 an7 Rel0ab0l0t3
It is ;uintessential to test the data through pilot study! which would prove the validity of the research.
0he online ;uestionnaire was duly consulted with the academic e?perts and supervisor before rolling it
out for the consumers. nalyses and conclusions are made based on the actual numerical fact
collected from the survey. n e?cel copy of the survey is attached along with the research report.
$.+ L0/0tat0ons of t6e Resea.46
0here are several limitations about the research that has been undertaken. 8irst of all limitation of time
and resources were the main hindrance. 0he research span was short lived and being started out in
ugust! the piece of work has to be submitted by 7ctober. 4udget was another constraint for this
research. In ideal conditions this research can be e?tended to evaluate use of social media in the
market research and other areas of marketing. >hile the total number respondents can also be
e?tended more than "--! if there was provision of e?tra time. More respondents would have more
closely demonstrated the market conditions. 0he constraint of budget however affected the possibility
of travelling to different parts of the 2.K. and gathered responses from the middle aged group regarding
their perceptions about the social media.
(ince! 2.K. is a multicultural nation which welcomed millions of students each year who study and
move back to their respective home countries. (ince the survey includes students predominantly!
hence there are chances that results might have been influenced by the respondents who are on a
short stay in the 2.K. $onsidering case studies in most of the times limits one@s ability to gain an
indepth understanding about the strategies used by the respective companies that could pave the way
for emerging companies in the same industry. lthough cases studies gives a holistic perspective about
the industry and provides the tangible evidence that can be used by the researcher to support their
piece of research.
Deographical limitation is another aspect that can impact on the findings of the research. 0he research
is mainly centred on universities! colleges and centres around the .ondon areas. 8or the purpose of
generalisation it has been assumed that the results observed in .ondon can be further generalised to
the entire nation. 0his can probably be a fair assumption but .ondon is predominantly younger areas
Page $) of 74
compared to other areas such as >ales and North (cotland. 0he fact that each geographical location
has its own demographics which might affect the preciseness and accuracy of results. 8inally! the
concept of social media is fairly a new concept and there can be inherent error to replies by the
respondents.
Page $6 of 74
4. KE& '!ND!NGS ( ANAL&S!S
4.1 S9.Be3
In the first part of this chapter! data collected from the survey will be analysed and key findings will be
inferred from the obtained data. 0he survey was primarily focussed on the 4ritish consumers living in
and around the area of .ondon. <ach ;uestions asked in the survey was based on set of theories
backed by the principles of consumer behaviour. 0he survey was carried out on appro?imately "3-
respondents out of which )& respondents answered. 1ence! the total percentage of respondents who
replied stood at appro?imately 53Q. 0he total ;uestions were divided into three main sections! general
information! ;uestions about social media and association with the brand. APlease refer ppendi? * for
the ;uestionnaireB.
E560b0t )1 T6e Gen7e. Rat0o of t6e .es2on7ents :So9.4e1 S*SS=
0he gender ratio of the respondents was fairly distributed and was almost 3-Q each. 0otal number of
males who replied was /) while /6 was the total number of females who responded to the
;uestionnaire.
Male /)
8emale /6

(ince social media networking websites and the internet is more popular with the younger generation it
was due to this reason that most of the respondents were between '- -*3 years of age.
Page $7 of 74
E560b0t 61 A8e G.o92 of t6e Res2on7ents
It must however be mentioned here! that this research aims to analyse the impact of brand recognition
and market growth.
"0 7 45 5!
4 7 45 "#
4 7 55 7
55 and above 4
It is observed that most of the respondents belongs to the '- J *3 age group! hence one of the
limitations of the study would be that there were very few respondents who were above /3 years of
age. Premier Inn strives to be one of the brands that caters to most of the (mall and Medium
<nterprises A(M<@sB. It is hence that there is considerable number of consumers who are above /3
years and utilize Premier Inn@s facility. 7n the positive however! most respondents belonged to younger
population who will grow up to successful professionals and business managers and if Premier Inn can
inspire this target! then the hotel chain has a sustainable future.
Page $- of 74
It was also observed that among all the respondents *" were students! '* were Lob professionals! "'
were business owners! "& were non professionals while "/ were either volunteers or other groups. It
was important to consider the occupations of respondents because Premier Inn strives to be one of the
first choices of consumers of different backgrounds and occupations.
E560b0t 71 *e.4enta8e of Res2on7ents @6o 6aBe 9se7 *.e/0e. !nn?s Se.B04es 0n t6e 2ast
7f all the respondents who replied about )/Q of the respondents Ai.e. )" out of )&B said that they have
used Premier Inn@s services before.
Used Pre%ier Inn:s "a)ilities
!es 0-
No 2
0his is one of the positive aspects of the research that most of the people have used service of Premier
Inn and hence the feedback that they will give can be trusted for the purpose of the research. 0he
population of the survey was randomly selected and this is one of the facts that about )/Q of the
population respondents have used the facilities of Premier Inn. 0his is mainly because the hotel is mid
budgeted and offers value to the money. ccording to Marketline A'-"*B in '-"'! Premier Inn
welcomed about // million customers which was an increase of '&Q over the previous year.
7f all the respondents! )* respondents were either interested to use Premier Inn@s services again or
were willing to use in near future.
Page $+ of 74
E560b0t -1 *e.4enta8e Of Res2on7ents @6o @o9l7 l0;e to .eboo; o. 9se *.e/0e. !nn?s se.B04es
n integral part of the Premier Inn brand is to offer guests a combination of ;uality and value for money
in convenient locations. It@s a combination that amounts to Cthe right product! in the right place! at the
right price.@ 4usiness ccount scheme is therefore a natural e?tension of the brand@s core
proposition! because it rewards 4usiness ccount customers who have a mobile workforce with a wide
range of cost control! convenience and efficiency benefits. In essence! the 4usiness ccount card
scheme enables organisations of all types and sizes to pay for business related e?penses at Premier
Inn hotels and restaurants. 0he card is free to use! with no set-up fees or administration charges! and
organisations can opt to manage their 4usiness ccount centrally! or make their employees individual
cardholders. lthough this scheme was started out in '--& but this is Lust one e?ample of brand
recognition that lead to Premier Inn@s future growth.
Page 4 of 74
E560b0t +1 *.e/0e. 0s al@a3s t6e f0.st o2t0on
bout 6/Q of the total respondent said that Premier Inn is always their first choice when it comes to
booking a hotel.
Pre%ier Inn Is Al;a<s M< "irst
8hoi)e
!es 1-
No -2
0here were some respondents who would consider alternative options than Premier Inn while making a
hotel booking. %espite the fact that Premier Inn has a strong loyalty scheme! there are some customers
who look out other cheaper options such as local bed and breakfast and other hotels which are cheaply
priced. It must also be noticed that Premier Inn@s closest competitors 1oliday Inn and 0ravelodge
provides a stiff competition in this category. 1owever! despite tough competition and highly
recessionary economy Premier Inn has added nine hotels comprising "!3&5 rooms to the city during the
past "' months and now has &!&-- rooms. .ondon represents **Q of Premier Inn@s committed
pipeline. 7utside of the 2.K.! the company@s international arm! Premier Inn International! signed ""
letters of intent for "6 hotels! with a focus in India! the Middle <ast and the siaFPacific. 1igh visibility
certainly is a value addition to the brand! more fre;uent the customer see the brand! more trust they
gain over the brand.
Page 41 of 74
It is very important for a brand to decide about how does it wanted to be perceived in the market.
Premier Inn claims to be a brand which is for everyone. <veryone wants to spend less money and in
return e?pects lu?urious treatment and aura. Premier Inn promises to fulfil these promises.
E560b0t 11 *e.4e2t0ons Abo9t *.e/0e. !nn?s B.an7
s shown in above graph most respondents believe that Premier Inn is a budgeted hotel chain or a
chain of hotels that offers value for money. 0he research ;uestion was used to analyse the perception
of Premier Inn as a value for money brand or an ine?pensive brand! and there is a difference between
the two.
Per)eptions A*o$t Pre%ier Inn Is
($d'eted 3otel 8hain
.
/
Val$e "or Mone<
=
,
E>)ellent 8$sto%er er?i)es
-
0
E>pensi?e -
Page 42 of 74
value for money brand is that charges lesser and provides e?ceptional services! an ine?pensive
brand however! is Lust a brand! which is cheaper. Premier Inn strives to be value for money brand and
hence needs to work out on its branding strategy A+ecommendation " deals with building a brand
strategyB.
E560b0t 111 Relat0ons602 bet@een *.04e ( Se.B04es *.oB07e7
'
More than 63Q respondent held either positive or very positive reviews about Premier Inn when asked
about relationship between price and services offered.
Relationship (et;een Pri)e @ er?i)e
Ver< Positi?e -A
Positi?e 21
Ne'ati?e /
Ver< Ne'ati?e +
Did not Ans;er A
'
" 0he No. 3 represents that the respondent didn@t answered
Page 4$ of 74
0here were however! number of respondents who responded to ;uestion! these are the respondents
who were unsure or have not used Premier Inn@s services in the past. 7verall! it can be assumed that
Premier Inn has been successful in its endeavours of managing the parado? of cost and ;uality.
E560b0t 121 *.e/0e. !nnGs '0.st Co/es To M3 M0n7 W6en ! T60n; Abo9t B978ete7 %otels
0his specific ;uestion intended to analyse consumer perceptions regardless of the fact that whether
they have used Premier Inn@s services. Most of the respondents replied that Premier Inn comes first to
their mind when they think of budgeted hotels.
Pre%ier Inn:s "irst 8o%es To M< Mind
#hen I thin9 A*o$t ($d'eted 3otels
!es /.
No +=
.egendary brands have firm values involved with them! Lust like Mc%onald@s comes into mind when we
think of a burger and pple Inc. strikes our mind when we think of innovation and creativity. In a similar
way it was tried to analyse whether Premier Inn strikes with budgeted hotel. 0he response however was
not very e?cellent! and about '3Q of respondents didn@t linked Premier Inn with budgeted hotel chain.
0his means that there is lack of consistent communication with the customers. 0his is in contradiction
Page 44 of 74
with the principles of sustainable branding As discussed in $hapter '! Page ""B. It is hence that
Premier Inn still needs to develop its branding strategy to identify the most appropriate target market.
Exhibit 13: Premier Inn Was Affordable For Me
Most of the respondents agreed to the fact that Premier Inn was affordable to them. Price is on the
most essential components of marketing mi?. %ynamic online booking systems allow customers to
book on price point rather than on personalityE and the power and attraction of brands has never been
greater. brand offers consistencyE and availability! and a competitive price seals the deal.
Pre%ier Inn #as Afforda*le
!es /0
No -,
Did not Ans;er 1
0here were few respondents who did not preferred to answer the ;uestion! most of them were people
who have not used Premier Inn@s services or were unsure about the ;uestion.
Page 4) of 74
0he competition in the budgeted hotels market is very stiff and there are big names in the market who
work on the similar business model. 0he budget hotel sector includes chains such as 0ravelodge!
ccor and <?press 4y 1oliday Inn. Premier Inn has shifted the marketing focus on a point of difference
and helps create an emotional connection with customer.
E560b0t 141 Mostl3 *.efe..e7 B978ete7 %otels
2ndoubtedly! Premier Inn gets a tough competition from its archrival 0ravelodge. '/ respondents each
amongst the value hotel chain preferred Premier Inn and 0ravelodge while other preferred other
cheaper hotels and 4ed 9 4reakfast.
Most Preferred ($d'eted 3otel
Pre%ier Inn +=
Tra?elod'e +=
3olida< Inn -=
Lo)al (@( -2
Others -0
0he intense competition in the hotels industry is also in $hapter '# .iterature +eview APage "'B.
$ompared to total number of chain! Premier Inn has 5'- hotels compared with closest rival 0ravelodge!
Page 46 of 74
which Lust opened its 3--th in .ondon. s a part of this survey it was also asked that whether most
people in someone@s network held positive opinion about Premier Inn.
E560b0t 1)1 Most *eo2le !n M3 Net@o.; %ol7 *os0t0Be ReB0e@s
7ne of the ;uestions asked to respondents@ dealt mainly to analyse whether most people held positive
opinions about the Premier Inn brand. It was found that most the people in the respondent@s network
holds positive opinion about the brand! meaning thereby they have not heard of any negative
comments about the brand. 0herefore! strong brand recognition allows the company to maintain its
leadership position in the market as well as sustain it in tough economic times. 0his leadership position
enables it to increase its market sustainability and future growth. It also enhances its customer base
and! in return! benefits its top line growth. 0his signifies that Premier Inn@s branding strategy is in-line
with the principles of budgeted hotel chain as discussed in .iterature +eview Page "3.
Page 47 of 74
E560b0t 161 Reasons 'o. C6oos0n8 *.e/0e. !nn
>hen asked about the main reason of choosing Premier Inn! largely respondents replied that it was
primarily location! price and good value for money that enticed them to choose Premier Inn. 0hese
advantages has strengthened economic condition of Premier Inn as it enabled them to build a strong
financial position indicated by growing revenues despite the economic downturn and its conse;uences.
>hitbread has witnessed a continuous growth in its revenues over many years. 0he company@s
revenues increased at a compound annual growth rate A$D+B of "-Q from I"!**/.5 million AS'!"*/
millionB in 8:'--) to I"!&&6 million AS'!6/* millionB in 8:'-"'. s compared to 8:'-""! the revenues
increased "".'Q in 8:'-"'.0he growth in revenue was attributed to a combination of new openings
and improved sales in like for like units during 8:'-"'.
Page 4- of 74
E560b0t 171 S9bs4.0be7 To *.e/0e. !nn?s So40al /e70a 2a8e
n indepth discussion of social media and its importance in the strategic conte?t is discussed in the
$hapter ' of .iterature +eview! (ection '-3 APage ")B. 0he earlier discussion established that! social
media may be interpreted in different ways depending on who is looking at it and what approach one
takes. In general! it relies on Internet and >eb-based tools and services to enable anyone the ability to
publish informationUbe it data! audio! or videoUon the >eb. 0he hospitality industry has yet to identify
the effectiveness of marketing through the use of social media. 7ne of the areas of development for
Premier Inn remains developing the social media strategy of Premier Inn.
(ocial media is becoming a powerful and most brands motivate customers to make a purchase through
social media accounts. 8or e?ample (tarbucks has recently started to give an option on 8acebook! to
present coffee vouchers as a birthday present.
Page 4+ of 74
E560b0t 1-1 !ns20.e7 to /a;e boo;0n8 9s0n8 So40al /e70a
s shown in <?hibit "6 above most customers have not yet made booking through social media
campaign! hence outlining that there lies a huge potential for Premier Inn to take advantage of social
media channels in order to penetrate the e?isting markets and hence increase brand awareness. 2nlike
traditional media which is one way! social media has an added advantage as it is a two-way
communication and conversations are e?changed as a result. 0raditional marketing tools such as print
advertising! direct mail! and even email blast may be losing their effectiveness since consumers are
going online before making a purchase. >ith the social media! consumers source for trusted sites for
hotels recommendations when making travelling arrangements. 0hese tools allow the consumers to
start a conversation and potentially are at the advantage to be converted as the brand ambassador.
Page ) of 74
). CONCL"S!ON
0his study attempts to determine whether brand e;uity has relevant significance with the sustainability
and future growth. It also researches whether brand e;uity influences competitive advantage which
from a critical perspective is a key component for Premier Inn to gain substantial market share. In this
study! brand e;uity has a stronger significance positive effect on competitive advantage and
performance of Premier Inn. In addition! antecedents of brand recognition have profound relationship to
the future growth. 0he analysis of this methodology will contribute significantly toward understanding
how Premier Inn in 2nited Kingdom can utilise channels of social media to enhance market recognition
and gain a sustainable competitive advantage.
Resea.46 >9est0on 11 Does *.e/0e. !nn?s b.an7 .e4o8n0t0on /eet t6e 46allen8es of /a.;et
s9sta0nab0l0t3 an7 8.o@t6A
It has been observed in the survey section that an investment on the brand e;uity has yielded positive
results for Premier Inn. Most consumers feel more loyal towards the brand! and an evidence of this is
not only positive opinions about the Premier Inn but also increasing profit margins Ain '-"'! Premier Inn
witnessed '&Q increase in revenues compared to '-""B. 0he survey found that consumers were
recognised Premier Inn as an Caffordable@ brand which has resulted in positive growth.
E560b0t 1+1 W60tb.ea7 *l4. Sto4; *e.fo./an4e :&a6oo< 21$=
Page )1 of 74
s shown in <?hibit ") above it is evident that shareholders have shown interest in the success of
Premier Inn@s branding strategies. 7ver the past five years! the brand has capitalised upon its brand
and sustained its market share whilst e?ploiting new opportunities. 7ver the past ten years the hotel
chain has consistently outperformed the markets through beating its closest competitor 0ravelodge and
e?panding in new geographies i.e. Middle <ast and sia A1otelNewsNow! '-"'B. It can hence be
deduced from these observations that brand recognitions meet the challenges of market sustainability
and future growth.
Interviewing marketing and revenue managers outlined that Premier Inn believes that brand positioning
was mentioned as an effective branding strategy. Premier Inn uses price and ;uality attributes to
position their products in the market. (mall and large companies use different pricing strategies in order
to achieve competitive advantage. >ith a rise in the number of businesses today! the level of
competition is also rapidly increasing. 0he company leaders and managers mentioned that to compete
favourably in the market! prices can be lowered or increased in a bid to attract more customers but also
based on the competitors price. (ometimes there is an increase in repeat customers even with the
high prices because of the strong brand as well as companys reputation of providing high ;uality
products and services.
successful brand gains momentum from innovative products or process. Innovations in services
industry can be in form of customer services improvements or development of new services while
process innovation involves integration of operation steps or reduction in cycle times that improve
operations efficiency and effectiveness. 0herefore! Premier needs to have a strategic know-how
system in place to put the innovations into use and the creation of an innovative product or service can
provide marketers with a sustainable competitive advantage. It is because of this reason a branding
strategy has been recommended for Premier Inn in the later sections this report.
Resea.46 >9est0on 21 Does *.e/0e. !nn?s so40al /e70a st.ate83 s9ff04e to /eet t6e 46allen8es of
/a.;et s9sta0nab0l0t3 an7 8.o@t6
It was observed in surveys and interviews that most consumers held positive reviews about the Premier
Inn but have not subscribed to their social media pages. 7n the other hand! interviews observed that
Premier Inn realise the importance of the social media and believe that this is going to be future trend
and Premier Inn must utilise its strength to the full e?tent. $learly! there is mismatch between the
Premier Inn@s brand intentions to its current scenerio. It is however recommended that social media
needs to be fully integrated in the Premier Inn@s marketing process. Marketer@s need a solid internet
strategyE merging social media marketing into their marketing plan and the hotels brandE integrating
Page )2 of 74
videos! images and blogs to increase e?posure and improve online positioning. (ocial media gives
marketers an incredibly ine?pensive way to build brand awareness! while doing it in a way that makes
the hotel seem simultaneously hip! down to earth and fun.
(avvy marketers are increasingly using social media to let guests sell their hotels! which is authentic
marketing at its best. Duests who have had e?tremely positive e?periences do often feel motivated to
post their positive feedback on the internet. (uccessful word of mouth marketing isn@t about what the
hotel thinks it representsE it@s what the consumers choose to talk aboutE C>ord of mouth hinges on real
consumers spreading the word for you.@ It@s the best marketing toolE with high credibility as it comes
from previous customers and there is no cost to the hotel. 1owever! if consumers have a bad
e?perience it can be unfavourable for the hotels reputationE Ca single negative online guest review can
cause significant damage by scaring off future potential guests.@ 0he scope of internet marketing is
hugeE numbers could be in the realms of tens of thousands of potential guests scared off from one bad
review on the internet. 1otels reputations are at stakeE consumers are going to be talking about how
they were treated for better or for worse. 0he second recommendation discusses the most appropriate
social media strategy that Premier Inn can utilise.
).1 Re4o//en7at0ons
).1.1 B90l7 a B.an70n8 St.ate83
0his research outlined that brand recognition does meets the challenges of market sustainability and
future growth. 1owever brands need to be careful about sending messages to the consumers Ai.e.
consistency is essentialB. Premier Inn has established itself as an affordable chain of hotels and must
continue to communicate the same message in future. 4ased on the analysis Ai.e. surveys and
interviewsB! it was observed that Premier Inn needs to strategise its branding philosophies and match it
with the customer e?pectations. 4ased on findings from the survey and interviews! following three
phases are identified as crucial for branding Premier Inn. 0hese are brand essence! brand reflection
and brand strategy! they will be further e?plained below.
B.an7 Essen4e
0his phase is more of an evaluation of the brand. 0he essence of a company@s brand can be compared
to an identity. 4ased on this analysis the most important factor for branding at Premier Inn is to know
the brand identity i.e. who Premier Inn actually and where does the brand wants to be in coming ten
years. .ack of clear commitments would end up the brand leading towards a wrong identity to its
customers. Not only the top management but each employee at the Premier Inn has a maLor role to
play in meeting the brand challenges.
Page )$ of 74
B.an7 Refle4t0on
0he brand reflection part is the phase where Premier Inn needs to realise its corporate identity and how
the same is being portrayed in the market. 0his phase will work as a foundation for the brand strategy.
0he brand reflection phase is about recognising the possibilities and liabilities that can be used to form
the brand strategy. 0here can be three essential aspects of brand reflection that should be
implemented in the brand strategy within Premier Inn. 0hese are consistency! fle?ibility and brand
pooling.
Flexibility
7ne of the three most important factors we stress when building a strong brand is the ability to be
fle?ible. It can be argued that Premier Inn needs to be able to follow and take advantage of actual
events and happenings to strengthen its brand.
Consistency
No matter what type of branding activities the company conduct it is crucial to be consistent in order to
hinder confusion in what the brand stands for.
Brand Pooling
0his factor is a recommendation for something we believe is a great way to gain advantages to your
brand through using already e?isting brands and their strong brand e;uity. <?amples of such activities
are co-branding! using celebrities or sports person.
Page )4 of 74
E560b0t 21 T6e *.o2ose7 B.an7 St.ate83 fo. *.e/0e. !nn
Past researchers have analysed that there are some very important factors to consider! as well as
some risky pitfalls to avoid. 1owever! no matter what direction one choose to brand its company we
stress the importance of consistency. If a company proLects its brand inconsistently the customers and
consumers will not be able to trust the brand and the associations to the brand will vary a lot. 0his can
create a large confusion around what the brand really stands for. Premier Inn on the television
commercials portray itself as an affordable brand hence it needs to consistent with this strategy. 0he
strategy must be reflected in all the marketing endeavours and also prices Aan important component of
marketingB.
B.an7 St.ate83
>hen a company has gone through the evaluative phase of brand essence and built the foundation for
the brand strategy in the brand reflection phase it is time to make a plan of action. 0he brand strategy is
where the aspects of brand reflection is interpreted and used to guide the strategy.
).2 T6e So40al Me70a St.ate83
0his research has observed that it is important to integrate the use of social media into the company@s
marketing communication mi?. It can be seen that Premier Inn has been aware of this and are working
with the same communication strategy across the 2.K. Premier Inn has developed its marketing
communication mi? in a way where direct marketing and other ways to directly advertise to customers is
Page )) of 74
more in focus then before as a result of the evolvement of social media. (ocial media is integrated in to
the established brand identity! but is not limited by historical facts. 0he company is willing to take risks
and come up with new ideas. It will! hence! be suggested to adopt a robust social media strategy
especially allowing customers to book through the social media pages.
;uick glance Premier Inn@s 8acebook page reveals that there is a need to actively work with
integrating the different social platforms with the company@s strategic obLectives. 0here is also an
awareness of the importance of conveying a consistent message across the different social media
channels. 0he messages can be the same but they are e?pressed in different ways due to the technical
differences as well as to the different people using the sites.
0he company is also aware of the importance of integrating inside the company. ll instances must be
able to find ways to cooperate. 4y doing this they can be more successful in both communicating with
the employees at the company and with their customers. (ocial media is not Lust a matter of creating an
account and share contents! it however is meticulous approach that brand managers need to take
seriously. It is recommended that in order to get best out of social media! Premier Inn needs to device a
three step approach# identify the target customers! employ consistent strategies and evaluate the
performance regularly.
Targeting the right people
4rand managers must segment the market by defining customers that share similar ideals. >ith
segmentation they can stand out and different themselves from other companies. In our analysis it can
be seen that Premier Inn is focusing too much on the global perspective instead of finding local
consumers who can ignite the fuse among others and start word-of-mouth trends. >e can also see that
Premier Inn at the moment is not actively engaging or actively targeting their customers to optimize
their social media efforts.
Strategies and tactics
Premier Inn approach to social media is not different from their conventional marketing communication.
(ame kind of communication strategy across the 2.K. but the message is tailored to fit different social
media platforms. It must be useful for the company! to adopt tailored advertising for different hotels. 8or
e?ample! hotels in areas in and around bigger cities such as .ondon! 4irmingham and Manchester
must be offered cheap Ai.e. compete on volumeB while in other areas such as >ales! $ornwall and
other tourist attraction! prices must be premium Acompete on valueB.
Page )6 of 74
ccording to the interview e?cerpts! Premier Inn is using different monitoring instruments for listening to
the consumer responses. 0he responsibilities must be shared by each member of the staff in different
locations. It is imperative for a brand to monitor the businesses industry! niche! and competitors@
Aconcerning the price and product featuresB rather than assessing social media strategy of other
organisations.
$ontrolling the flow of feedbacks and incoming messages is important. It was observed during interview
that Premier Inn found it much harder to control the messages in social media. 0he brand was
providing the consumers with different platforms and same account for sharing contents and receiving
feedback and complaints. It is hence ;uintessential for Premier Inn to monitor 8acebook! :ou0ube!
0witter and other sites by using either technological tools that are available in the platforms as well as
analysing the comments.
Deal0n8 W0t6 Ne8at0Be 'ee7ba4;s On So40al Me70a
Most often brands receive negative feedback and it is important for a brand to deal in such
circumstances. 0he organisational structure is important in order to have an efficient social media brand
strategy and there should be a cross-functioning and cross product category social media team! from
analyzing the case it is clear that there is no such team in place. 0he team members should be trained
in social media strategy and they should analyze and react to comments! happening! rumors etc. taking
place on social media. 0he team should have representatives from each product division with
completing e?pertise! there should be corporate social media guidelines but each division are
responsible for their actions and allocation of budget. 0he team should have meetings on a regular
basis and discuss challenges! opportunities and evaluate campaigns and proLects that have been
conducted in order to learn from each other. 0he company have previously ignored and deleted
negative comments! instead they should try to respond in a constructive! fact based and preferably
humorous way. %eleting many negative comments will dilute their trustworthiness.
).$ Resea.46 L0/0tat0ons
$learly! resources and time is the maLor limitation of this research. 7ther weaknesses with this study
are connected with the further studies that can be suggested to be made. If there was more time for the
study it would benefit from investigating each outlet of Premier Inn! evaluate their branding strategies
and compare it with other competitors Aof same sizeB to see whether there were differences. 1owever! it
must also be suggested that a study with fewer employees in each company investigated would not be
recommended because of the different views from the respondents on branding given from different
levels in the organisation. 8urthermore! additional studies in different geographical areas would be
Page )7 of 74
relevant to see whether the attitude towards branding differ in different cultures Aculture of Dreater
.ondon would be altogether different from the >alesB.
Page )- of 74
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=an Noort! D.! 9 >illemsen! .. M. A'-"'B. 7nline damage control# the effects of proactive versus
reactive webcare interventions in consumer-generated and brand-generated platforms. Mournal of
Interactive Marketing! '5A*B! "*"-"/-.
>agstaff! M. A'-"-! Mune ')B. Personal technology# >hy hotels should avoid social media. +etrieved
from http#FFwww.theLakartapost.comFnewsF'-"-F-5F'6Fpersonaltechnologywhy-hotels-should-avoid-
social-media.html. ccessed as on '"F-6F'-"*.
>alsh! +. A'-"-! 8ebruary -/B. 1otel social media perspective. +etrieved from
http#FFwww.hotelmarketing.comFinde?.phpFarticleFhotelXsocialXmediaXperspective. ccessed as on
''F-6F'-"*
>eizhong! M.! $hekitan! %.! =ithala! +. +.# Brand /xtension and Custo!er Loyalty, /vidence fro! t"e
Lodging +ndustry( $ornell 1otel and +estaurant dministration ,uarterly! =ol. /*E No. 3! '--'! pp. 3-"5.
>hitbread. A'-"*B. nnual +eport '-"*. vailable# https#FFwww.google.co.ukFsearchP
;Zwhitbread[annual[report9o;Zwhitbred[ann9a;sZchrome.".5)i3&L-l3./)5-L-L&9sourceidZchrome9e
spvZ'"-9esXsmZ)*9ieZ208-6. .ast accessed '5F"-F'-"*.
>reden! N. A'--&B. Profit 4rand# 1ow to Increase the Profitability! ccountability and (ustainability of
:our 4rand. 4uy now from Kogan Page.
:ada! K.! Ip! <.! 9 Katoh! N. A'--&B. Is this brand ephemeralP multivariate tree-based decision
analysis of new product sustainability. %ecision (upport (ystems! //A"B! ''*-'*/.
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'5F""F'-"*.
Nouganeli! (.! 0rihas! N.! ntonaki! M.! 9 Kladou! (. A'-"'B. spects of sustainability in the destination
branding process# bottom-up approach.Mournal of 1ospitality Marketing 9 Management! '"A&B! &*)-
&3&.
Page 67 of 74
A**END!,
A22en705 11 *o.te.?s '0Be 'o.4e Anal3s0s1 "n0te7 K0n87o/ %otels ( Motels
:So9.4e1 Ma.;etl0ne< 212=
Page 6- of 74
A22en705 21 T6e >9est0onna0.e
%ear +espondent!
My name is niket and I am an M4 student at the 2niversity 7f >est .ondon. I am
working on my M4 %issertation based on H!/2a4t Of B.an7 ED90t3 On Ma.;et S9sta0nab0l0t3 An7
G.o@t6 F C.0t04al EBal9at0on Of t6e *.e/0e. !nn B.an7?. I would appreciate if you could spare few
minutes and provide me your e?periences with Premier Inn. I thank you in advance for your time and
invaluable feedback.
SECT!ON A1 GENERAL >"EST!ONS
1. ! a/ a
8emale
Male
2. M3 a8e 0s
'--*3
*3 - /3
/3 - 33
bove 33
$. E/2lo3/ent Stat9s
(tudent
Page 6+ of 74
Mob Professional
4usiness 7wner
7ther A=olunteers! Politics etc.B
Non Professional
SECT!ON B1 >"EST!ONS ABO"T T%E *REM!ER !NN BRAND
4. ! 6aBe 9se7 fa40l0t0es of *.e/0e. !nn.
:es
No
). ! @o9l7 l0;e to boo; *.e/0e. !nn 0n nea. f9t9.e.
=ery .ow
.ow
1igh
=ery 1igh
6. ! @o9l7 2.efe. *.e/0e. !nn as /3 f0.st 46o04e oBe. ot6e. 6otels 0n t6e "K
(trongly %isagree
%isagree
gree
Page 7 of 74
(trongly gree
7. M3 2e.4e2t0ons of t6e *.e/0e. !nn b.an7 0s
budgeted hotel chain
hotel chain offering value for money
hotel chain with e?cellent $ustomer (ervices
<?pensive
-. T6e .elat0ons602 bet@een Bal9e 2.oB07e7 an7 2.04e 0s
=ery Negative
Negative
Positive
=ery Positive
+. *.e/0e. !nn 4o/es f0.st to /3 /0n7 @6en ! 6ea. abo9t /077le 4ate8o.3 6otels 0n t6e ".K.
:es
No
Page 71 of 74
1. *.e/0e. !nn 0s a/on8 t6e t6.ee f0.st /077le 4ate8o.3 6otels @6046 4o/e to /3 /0n7 0n t6e
".K.
:es
No
11. Tal;0n8 abo9t t6e b978et 6otels< @6046 7o 3o9 /ost 2.efe.
Premier Inn
1oliday Inn
0ravelodge
.ocal 4ed 9 4reakfast
7ther
12. T6e /a0n .eason @63 ! 46ose *.e/0e. !nn a.e
.ocation
.ow price
Dood value for money
I had a good opinion about the 1otel
+ecommendation
I was sentFhad no choice
Page 72 of 74
1$. W6at a.e t6e 9n0D9e 46a.a4te.0st04s of t6e 6otel
8riendly tmosphere
Dood value for money
2ni;ue location
Dood service
Nice environment
14. Most 2eo2le 0n /3 net@o.; 6ol7 2os0t0Be o20n0on abo9t *.e/0e. !nn
(trongly %isagree
%isagree
gree
(trongly gree
1). *.e/0e. !nn a77s Bal9e to t6e 49sto/e.s 0.e. @o.t6 t6e /one3 s2ent
(trongly %isagree
%isagree
gree
(trongly gree
SECT!ON C1 >"EST!ONS ABO"T T%E *REM!ER !NN?S SOC!AL MED!A *RESENCE
16. T6e So40al /e70a 2a8e of *.e/0e. !nn loo;s att.a4t0Be
Page 7$ of 74
(trongly %isagree
%isagree
gree
(trongly gree
17. ! 6aBe s9bs4.0be7 to t6e so40al /e70a 2a8e :'a4eboo;< T@0tte. et4<= of *.e/0e. !nn
:es
No
1-. ! 6aBe /a7eIo. 0ns20.e7 to /a;e boo;0n8 se.B04es t6.o986 t6e so40al /e70a
:es
No
Page 74 of 74

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