Target Markets of Hotels, Hilton, Marriott, Shangri-la

The target market for hotels can match any kind of personality. It depends on the status and category of hotels. It is obvious that luxury hotels host people who have high income and like elegant life, instead, we see that low-cost hotels have customers who can not afford a lot and are satisfied with the accommodation as it is. So we see a vast group of people who can be a perfect customer for different hotel brands.

So in order to find out the basic customer segment of hotels we need to look upon the examples in real life and here is the first example.

Hotel Hilton target market example.

Not only the luxury customers are targets for Hilton hotel, we see that Hilton has diversified their brand and have multiple hotel brands in order to satisfy all kinds of customers. But we are going to examine one case for Hilton.

Here we see that Hilton promotes their new app and the easiness of using it. The active girl is everywhere, she is in a hotel room discussing the new app with friends another time at the reception. So they say that we should expect more from Hilton. What kind of personality do we see in the pic? What are her psychological keys? is she a perfectionist? And I am going to answer this question right now.

The following segment is called Actualizers by Garrison Group. Who are Actualizers?

They are perfectionist people who like taking only the best from the community and the work. They like to have the best for their families and children looking after their feeding so that they always had healthy food.

Hilton hotels give them the finest quality for the best price as Actualizers like to have the best and also brands are very important to them. They also like to permit themselves some pleasures that they do not need in reality but they like to buy the product or service just for sake of it, The following tip makes Actualaizers great purchasers for any proper and interesting brand.

While talking about their purchasing behavior we can say that they prefer buying everything from one shop and like planning everything in advance.

While we think about the targeting tactics of Hilton hotels we also should consider their messaging and positioning strategies. How do they target these people, what type of messaging have they adopted? So here are some really interesting answers.

Here is just one post on the Hilton Instagram page and we see 2 girls just hanging out as if it is not winter and they are not in high mountains. They are drinking a set of beer, something that likes the most. SO here we see ordinary actions by the girls, they love and appreciate their friendship above all. So what kind of message are we witnessing here?

The following kind of message is based on the archetypal branding especially Everyman brand archetype. What does Everyman brand archetype represent?

• The desire of the brand archetype is to connect with others.
• The goal of the brand archetype is to fit, to belong.
• The strategy is to develop ordinary and solid virtues.

Many famous brands like Chevrolet and Budweiser are using the tactics of Everyman brand archetype.

Everyman brand archetype could be a perfect fit for your product if

• it helps people to belong or feel belonged.
• if it has a function commonly used every day.
• it is produced or sold by a company that has a down to home organizational culture.

Here are several interesting facts about Hilton hotels.

1. Hilton is present in 113 countries worldwide.
2. in 2018 Hilton had 5800 properties worldwide.
3. in 1948 Hilton becomes the first hotel company to introduce a multi-hotel reservations system, which is the beginning of the modern-day reservation system.
4. in 1959 Hilton opens its first airport hotel (San Francisco Airport Hilton) and pioneers the airport hotel concept worldwide.
5.  in 1947 The Roosevelt Hilton in New York City becomes the first hotel in the world to have televisions in their guest rooms.

Marriott hotels segmentation strategy example.

Here is an interesting and appealing commercial by Mariott and we see here that a man is in the sky. He is so calm and out of stress, in complete harmony. We are also witnessing that the following gentleman is in a wild place, where there is nobody but him. The commercial tells us to let our minds travel. What kind of person do we see in the commercial? Garrison Group calls them Balancers. So now we must analyze Balancers.

Balancers are successful people who try to balance everything in their lives as they have a lot of resources, family and friends. They have constant guilt that they do not manage to satisfy everybody around them. A prosperous family is very important to them and looking after the studies of the children very carefully.
Balancers are quick adopters of new products and if Marriott likes presenting something new they would absorb it very quickly. They like paying extra for the extra quality and are happy to find a brand that they are comfortable with. This is a key feature for them, total comfort and if they feel it they would be loyal to the brand for a long time.

16 Personalities (what is for your business?)

After analyzing Marriott’s marketing strategy we can confidently say that they gave a big importance to the searches of their ideal buyer persona.  As a result they found it and surely it was successful. Their marketing strategy was targeting the Balancers.

What was the key to the success in this case? You can make your own conclusion but our team thinks this result was available due to the right decision in buyer persona choosing.

What are the hidden insights of Balancers?

• He is a leader in every sphere of his life, and tries to be the best in everything. Giving everyone what they deserve, this is also beneficial for them, but at the same time he wants everyone to be thankful to him.
• Balancers like to pursue a life of challenge when they are open to new things and value diversity. They like to gather information that can always be useful և available to a few people.
• They give the priority to popular brands, because they always associate the quality with them. If they enter your shop be sure they will buy something because they don’t want to waste time.

After understanding the basics of Balancers behavior you may ask, what kind of brand will be interesting for them? Which hidden and at the same time important things have to be considered? You can find all the answers to these questions in our ebook called “16 Personalities”.  You will also find all the solutions for your marketing problems, which will obviously change your insights about buyer persona.

Of course this is one of the 16 personalities and with this book you will discover all of them. With knowledge of each 16 personalities you will confidently find your ideal buyer persona and change your marketing strategy to achieve new levels. The book also gives you some other hints for selling your product and negotiating with your clients.

This is just one example of targeting tactics of Marriott hotels. In order to target their customers in a perfect way, Marriott must have clear messaging tactics and let’s look at their tactics now.

As it is already written already, Marriott is on a journey to make our travel unforgettable, uncomplicated and brilliant. All the 3 words have a distinct meaning. These are the words on which the communication of the hotels is based.

1. Let’s turn to the first word Unforgettable. The place is something worth to see and visit. And once you were there, you won’t forget it anymore as it is unforgettable. What do we not forget? The magical moments and feelings that fill our lives.

2. Uncomplicated. When you enter Marriott, you do not need to think a lot as all the stuff is thinking about you. The same story we see with their website and app. All are made to make our lives easy. The same kind of messaging of magic we see here again. No need to worry, everything will be fine with a magic stick.

3. Brilliant. This is an additional word that wants to tell us that our experience here will be brilliant and without any concerns. The same kind of messaging we also see here.

So the branding and messaging tactics of the company are based on the Magician brand archetype. What does the Magician brand archetype represent?

• The desire of the archetype is the knowledge of how the world works.
• The goal of the brand archetype is t make dreams come true.
• The strategy of the archetype is developing the vision and living it.

Famous brands like Mary key and Dyson have the Magician brand archetype.

The magician brand archetype could be a perfect fit for your product if

• Your product or service is transformative.
• It helps to expand and extend the consciousness.
• It appeals to new-age consumers or cultural creatives.

Here are several facts about Marriott.

1. Marriott was the first hotel chain in the world to implement an online reservation.
2. While almost all hotels stop you at the reception to make a copy of a passport and to collect payment/security deposit etc. Marriott lets its visitors go directly to the room and have a little relaxed.
3. Marriott Group is the world’s largest hotel chain, with 6500+ hotels that offer 1.2 million rooms across 127+ countries worldwide.
4. Marriott has more than 30 brands including Starwood and many other famous brands.
5. The world’s 2nd tallest hotel is JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai. It has 72 stores, 355 meters tall and has 1608 rooms.

Here are Targeting tactics of the luxury hotel Shangri-la.

But at first let’s look at their commercial examples.

Here is just one commercial example of the luxury hotel Shangri-la Sydney. Whenever we are watching their commercials and hotels we see chic and beauty, the luxury oriental style rules here. And the same thing we are witnessing here, the couple is enjoying the late evening dinner and a beautiful view is accompanying them all the time.

What kind of people do we see in the commercial? Garrison Group calls them Fulfillers. Who are these people?
Fulfillers are the lions of our society, they like to rule and be dominant people wherever they are. They like to be at the top of their career and enjoy their high status all the time, So they do not afraid of spending their money on luxurious brands and companies. The following companies only accentuate their status and high position.

While they make purchases, the thing they remember the most is the company name and quality. They like buying the best products with the highest prices. This gives them authority and self-confidence. Fulfillers are just one segment of customers that are targeted by Shangri-la.
Now it is time to look at their messaging and branding tactics. And as always we turn to Instagram to see what they are promoting.

The following post is about exotic feelings and loves all around. The pic is taken on Instagram way. Everything is present here, love, exotic feeling, people around, and the ocean. So beautiful! Shangri-la spreads love and beauty, And we understand immediately that the brand is based on the Lover brand archetype. What does the Lover brand archetype represent?

• The desire of the archetype is to attain intimacy.
• The goal of the brand archetype is being in relationship with things they love,
• Tthe strategy is becoming more and more attractive to others.

Many famous brands like victoria’s secret and Chanel are using the tactics of the Lover brand archetype.

The lover brand archetype could be a perfect fit for your brand if

1. If your product helps people to find love and friendship
2. Which has a function to foster beauty and closeness.
3. Which has pricing moderate to high.

Here are several interesting facts about Shangri-la.

• Shangri-La’s tradition of service excellence began in 1971 with the opening of the first Shangri-La hotel, in Singapore. 
• Today, the group possesses over 100 hotels and resorts in main locations in the Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Thank you for your attention and you can also check out other target market examples in the blog thesocialgrabber.com.

Your Targeting e-Book.