Hotel Department Analysis

INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL TOURISM & HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Marketing & Sales Department

BY @DONIW
A ASSESSMENT SUBMITTED FOR A HOSPITALITY CORE SUBJECT IN THE
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS (MARKETING)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction pg. 2

Department Analysis pg. 3

Knowledge, skills and abilities pg. 6

Conclusion pg. 9

Reference list pg. 10

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 INTRODUCTION

Students studying the unit Hotel Management and Tourism are required to develop a Hotel
Department Analysis which will focus on one department of the student’s choice. The aim
of this assessment is to develop an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the
various departments that consists in an International Hotel. This assessment will be a great
foundation of knowledge to those who are undertaking Hospitality and Tourism degrees as
it will help them learn more about their desired hotel department. The Marketing and Sales
department will be the primary focus of this analysis. The marketing and sales department
will be analysed in various aspects including the overall structure, its key roles and the skills,
knowledge and attributes required to obtain a job position in this department.

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 DEPARTMENT ANALYSIS

Background

Despite of what type of business it is, the role of any sales and marketing department is to
create awareness of a business’ products or services to a specific target market. To achieve
this, a mix of strategies need to be implemented. In an international hotel, the marketing
and sales department undertakes numerous strategic tasks to increase tourist demand to
various tourism destinations internationally.

Characteristics, Functions & Roles

It is important to take note that marketing and sales are not the same but essentially, two
aspects of the department. The following table will outline some characteristics, functions
and roles of each aspect of the department;

Marketing Sales
Tasks are undertaken at the corporate Tasks are undertaken at the local hotel
level level
In charge of developing a marketing Aims to create a strong relationship
plan and the Marketing Mix between consumers
Identifying the needs of the targeted Undertaking market research
consumers of the hotel Presenting information about a
Responsible for maintaining positive business’ products or services with
relationships with consumers customers
Informing and motivating potential or Targeting – allocating time among
current consumers customers
Analysing the current market place Finding new customers and giving
and finding marketing opportunities priorities to those who need it
for the hotel

Figure 1.1 Marketing and Sales Comparison (Kensbock, 2015) and (Kensbock et al., 2014)

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Department Structure
Here is a basic diagram of the structure of a marketing and sales department in a typical
international hotel. If one function fails to accomplish its role, it will significantly impact
other functions hence, the Director of Sales and Marketing ensure these roles are
commenced properly.

Figure 1.2 Marketing and Sales Department (Kensbock, 2015)

Considerations of providing quality service delivery

Customer loyalty is considered the key to business success and is an important marketing
tactic (Shanshan, Wilco, & Eric, 2011). The aim of the marketing and sales department is to
create and maintain a relationship with its targeted customers and ensure a quality service
is delivered to gain customer loyalty and a good hotel reputation. The department needs to
build a positive hotel experience by constantly assessing and managing service quality.
Quality management must be implemented, not only does it provide customer satisfaction
but also improves business performance (Mose & Kibera, 2015). Since intangible elements
are prominent in hospitality businesses, considerations need to be assessed to providing a
quality service.

According to the ‘Parasuraman Dimensional SERVQUAL management framework’, there are

five dimensions of service quality (Abukhalifeh & Mat Som, 2012). The marketing and sales
department should consider these dimensions when developing strategies to deliver a
quality service to consumers. This framework not only is relevant to the Food & Beverage
department but to all functions of an International Hotel.

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Figure 1.3 Parasuraman SERVQUAL management framework: adopted by Parasuraman et
al. (1985)

Dimension Brief Description

Tangibility The ability to make a service practical and useful
(having various mediums (e.g. Facebook, online chat) for the
consumer to access the hospitality business
Reliability The ability to deliver a good quality service
(marketing and sales staff always being available for consumers)
Responsiveness The ability to help a guest/consumer when requested
(sales agent quickly responding to a consumer inquiry online)
Assurance The ability to gain trust and confidence of the product or service
provided (following legal guidelines, corporate social responsibility)
Empathy The ability to contact a guest in a right and personalised manner
(sales agent contacting consumers in a friendly and comfortable way)

Figure 1.4 Dimensions of Parasuraman SERVQUAL management framework (Abukhalifeh &

Mat Som, 2012)

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 KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Background

There are a variety of job positions available in the marketing department in an

international hotel. Many specialisations can be undertaken to work in such roles. A job
candidate can choose to be the Director of Sales and Marketing or even be a Sales Manager
at the international level. The necessary knowledge, skills and abilities will be outlined
separately below with some future employment trends in the hotel industry.

Figure 1.5 Marketing and Sales Department (Kensbock, 2015)

Knowledge
Employers may assess a job candidate’s ‘knowledge’ by the relevant degrees they have
undertaken and the number of years they obtained work experience. For the marketing and
sales department, a bachelor’s degree in marketing, hospitality or business would be the
minimum requirements for a job position (Henderson, n.d.). Additional to education
requirements, an employer may require a job candidate to have at least three years of work
experience. The more experience a job candidate has, the more appealing they will reveal
to a prospective employer.

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Skills
A future employer working at the Marketing and Sales department at a international hotel
may look for the following skills (Henderson, n.d.);

o Analytical skills
o Interpersonal skills
o Good communication
o Social media savvy
o Word processing e.g. Microsoft Office
o Specific language requirements
o Problem solving
o Creativity
o Teamwork
o Cooperation
o Leadership
o Public speaking

Abilities
A job candidate hoping to work in the Marketing and Sales department of the hotel should
be able to; ("Hotel Sales Manager Skills and Knowledge", n.d.)

o Analyse business needs

o Instruct others
o Communicate effectively
o Think critically
o Understand and relate with others
o Negotiate with others
o Take the appropriate decisions
o Manage time effectively
o Be an active listener

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Future Employment
Solnet, Baum, Robinson, & Lockstone-Binney (2015) states that in the future, roles and skills
required from hotel employees will be detached to the extent that the jobs of hotel
managers will become more complex and pressured. Another possible trend in the future is
that there may be an increasing demand for high level roles and skills in employees in the
future. This will make recruiting competitive and competitive. Currently, hotel customers
are becoming more experienced hence their perceptions and impressions of a certain brand
is dominant (So & King, 2010). This will force the hotel marketing and sales department to
change its strategies to suit the new developed customers of the future.

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 CONCLUSION

The Marketing and Sales Department in an international hotel was analysed in various
aspects in this assessment item. As mentioned previously, the major aim of this department
is to create awareness about a product or service to the business’ targeted consumers. The
roles of the department, the structure and the considerations of delivering a quality service
in the department was outlined to provide a thorough understanding to students
undertaking tourism and hotel management degrees. Information about the knowledge,
skills and abilities required to obtain employment in this department was also outlined. The
knowledge gained from this assessment task will help form a foundation about the
Marketing and Sales hotel department.

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 REFERENCE LIST (APA)

Abukhalifeh, A. & Mat Som, A. (2012). Service Quality Management in Hotel Industry: A
Conceptual Framework for Food and Beverage Departments. International Journal Of
Business And Management, 7(14), 136 - 137. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v7n14p135

Cliparts,. Decorative Line Divider. Retrieved from

http://cliparts.co/cliparts/Acb/j8n/Acbj8n6Ki.png

Daisy Flower Sketch. (2014). Retrieved from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-

e_vIdvWGC78/TVYkyuSWZhI/AAAAAAAAAmc/ECcdyzurM48/s1600/daisy-flower-sketch.jpg

Henderson, W. Roles & Responsibilities of a Marketing Manager in the Hotel Industry. Our
Everyday Life. Retrieved 27 October 2016, from http://oureverydaylife.com/roles-
responsibilities-marketing-manager-hotel-industry-29901.html

Hotel Sales Manager Skills and Knowledge. My Majors. Retrieved 27 October 2016, from
https://www.mymajors.com/career/hotel-sales-manager/skills/

Kam Fung So, K., & King, C. (2010). “When experience matters”: Building and measuring
hotel brand equity: The customers' perspective. International Journal of Contemporary
Hospitality Management, 22(5), 589-608. doi:10.1108/09596111011053765

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Kensbock, S. (2015). The function of the Sales and Marketing Department of a Hotel and
Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Lecture, Griffith University.

Kensbock, S., Fraser, B., Walker, J., Walker, J., Cooper, C., & Walker, J. et al. (2014).
Introduction to international tourism and hotel management (pp. 298-361). Sydney: Pearson
Australia.

Mose, J. & Kibera, F. (2015). The Influence of Service Quality Management Practices on the
Performance of Hotel Firms in Kenya. European Scientific Journal, 11(22), 215- 317.
Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/1749689700?accountid=1
4543

Shanshan, N., Wilco, C., & Eric, S. (2011). A study of hotel frequent-guest programs: Benefits
and costs. Journal Of Vacation Marketing, 17(4), 315.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1356766711420836

Solnet, D., Baum, T., Robinson, R. N. S., & Lockstone-Binney, L. (2016). What about the
workers? roles and skills for employees in hotels of the future. Journal of Vacation
Marketing, 22(3), 212-226. doi:10.1177/1356766715617403

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