What allows one hotel complex to thrive while another lapses into the background, even when both are in the same neighborhood? A lot has to do with your target marketing efforts and the accuracy of your ad campaign. While targeted advertising may attract some potential business, the most effective method that produces greater market appeal is group-targeted campaigns.

counseling groups

The hospitality market is divided into many consumer groups with diverse needs, wants, backgrounds, incomes, and purchasing habits. That being said, targeting groups that are looking for ideal locations to meet those particular needs is key. While there are a number of groups that can sustain a hotel/resort each season, there are some that are year-round dependents. The following is a quick list of the seasonal groups that a hotel/resort marketing team typically targets.

• Family Reunion Groups

• Corporate Vacation Groups

• Wedding party

• Club members

• Sport teams

Promote local attractions

Local attractions in the immediate vicinity of the resort have a lot to do with the decision to book one hotel/resort over another. That means the potential guest will see both the lodging facility and the surrounding area as their “destination.” Nearby attractions are a high priority for these groups and this should be a primary consideration when designing marketing materials. Therefore, the key to successfully marketing your hospitality venue has a lot to do with promoting these hot spots in your materials.

Promotion of group events

While some hotels and resorts focus on quality cosmetics and services, others go a step further, choosing to specialize in key market niches to establish a competitive advantage. Doing so can only improve market penetration and attract more seasonal customers. Still, how does a marketing team accomplish this? Let’s focus on the growing interest in planning family reunion events and see how presenting more personalized marketing materials can appeal to more and larger groups. So we can see how other niche segments of the market can be penetrated.

Family Reunion Event Planning

Oftentimes, family reunion event planners/facilitators or committees must consider narrowing down a list of possible locations to host the event. This has a lot to do with the theme and activities selected. Meeting planners will often take the time to research potential venues and visit them. How can your marketing materials attract more of these visitors? Design materials that help decision-making for family reunion planners and committees. The material should focus on listing a variety of meeting topics and associated activities. The material should allow the reader to determine the facilities most compatible with the selected themes and activities.

Make use of event planning guides

A hotel marketing department saw the potential for targeted marketing in a particular family reunion planning guide. While there are several popular guides out there, this one contained several custom recall features.

A book ownership signature page, event details page, journal, recipe log, and genealogy research form. The Book helps the planner/committee walk through each step of family reunion planning, narrowing down potential locations based on selected themes and activities. All that was needed was a slight modification to introduce nearby facilities, services and attractions ideal for the needs of that particular group. This was accomplished by simply sliding a booklet between the pages of the book. The hotel/resort manager chose to add a personally signed letter attached to the first page of the guide. Additional content can highlight services that fit your attendee profile and demographics, such as:

• Park locations

• Museum visits

• Festivals and other outdoor events

• Boat rides

• Fishing

• Theater shows with dinner

• Shows by the Symphony Orchestra

• Jazz concerts

“Souvenir Event Planning” Marketing Materials Promotion

The guide may be given as a gift by the resort’s hospitality team to guests who visit and choose to rate or review the facility. The event planning guide can be compiled in eBook or PDF format, ordered from online bookstores, or available at local retail bookstores. The guide can be designed for the individual planner/facilitator or the event planning committee. A personalized souvenir gift of this type given to a tour group can go a long way to earn customer business, as well as build gratitude, trust, and the resulting customer loyalty.