28. Selective Specialization
Upscale Mid Scale Economy
Vivanta by Taj
Gateway
Ginger
Market Specialization
Upscale Mid Scale Economy
Taj Exotica
Vivanta by Taj
Taj Mahal Palace
29. Single Segment Concentration
Leisure Eco-tourists Affluent Business
Taj Luxury Residences
Taj Safaris
Ginger
Product Specialization
Leisure Business Events
Taj Mahal Palace
Taj Safaris
Ginger
30. Brand Mantra
Points of Parity
Points of Difference
Substantiators
RTB
Values/Personality/Character
Executional Properties/Visual Identity
Charming, progressive,
contemporary &
traditional
Consistent
service &
message
Variety of
Rooms
Highly acclaimed
loyalty program
Restaurants &
Bars
Business
Centre
Focus on
tradition
Tracking of
guest
satisfaction
scores
Nimble
& agile
Differentiated
guest
experiences
Top HR
reputation
Modern day
traveler
Upper Class
Affluent
business
traveler
Executive
Reinventing
tradition
Stylishly
spirited
Welcomes
perfection
Consumer
Target
SEC A1, A2
Consumer
Insight
Convenient
access to
top notch
luxury while
traveling
Consumer Need
State
Need the perfect
stay
Competitive Product
Set
International
players, upcoming
local luxury hotels
Consumer
Takeaway
Taj is the
one-stop
brand for
all the
consumer’s
needs
Radiant
Market Penetration ( Taj Hyderabad Faluknama ) : All hotels under Taj
Product Development : Taj spa, safari & vivanta (goa)
Market Development ( Taj maldives ) : Overseas hotels
Diversification : gateway, ginger
14 palaces all over India at prime locations
First Hotel opened up in 1903 (Taj Mahal Palace & Towers)
Taj Luxury Residences:
Taj Vivanta: Vivanta by Taj is an offering in the premium segment and that’s why the name is an extension of the Taj brand. The coming months will see 9 vivantas being launched and also vivanta has the largest number of hotels
Taj palace: These hotels cover business destinations, landmarks, palaces, resorts and forest destinations. Most of Taj's oldest and most prestigious hotels have been retained under this brand. These hotels bring in the largest share in terms of revenues.
Ginger: Ginger is associated with Taj and hence people expect the level of hospitality that Taj provides which isn’t provided by ginger because it is a budget hotel and room prices start from Rs2499 which isn’t really “budget”. Therefore ginger is declining
The service blueprint is a technique used for service innovation, but has also found applications in diagnosing problems with operational efficiency and can be used to conceptualise structural change
It contains the following: Customer Actions, Frontstage actions(visible contact employees), Backstage(Invisible), Support Processes and Physical Evidence
Product- Taj palace and resorts, gateway, vivanta, ginger
Place- Hotels are strategically located i.e. luxury hotels at premier locations eg: Taj Boston and Taj Mahal Palace and tower and business or leisure hotels near business areas eg Ginger hotel @ Andheri East
People-customers, employees, management
Promotion: Advertisement, publicity, sales promotion, personal selling, word-of-mouth promotion and telemarketing are the components of a hotel’s marketing strategy. (Taj InnerCircle, Advantage Plus, TAPP Me)
Process-The actual procedures, mechanisms, and flow of activities by which the service is delivered (check-in/out, room service)
Physical evidence-The environment in which the service is delivered and where the firm and customer interact
Promotion refers to raising customer awareness of a product or brand, generating sales and creating brand loyalty
Purpose for promotion
To present information to consumers and others.
To increase demand.
To differentiate a product.
Advertisements
Promotion through advertisements is anything that draws attention towards product or brand and it is performed through a variety of media. Ads appear on television, as well as radio, newspapers, magazines and as billboards in streets and cities.
today Discounts is very necessary to impact the way consumers think and behave when shopping. The type of savings and its location can affect the way consumers view a product and affect their purchase decision. offers is basically delight the customer.
promotion through media includes newspaper and magazines, electronic media which includes radio and television, digital media which includes internet, social networking and social media sites.
Digital media is a modern way of brands interacting with consumers as it releases news, information
Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it across their social networks
Social networking sites act as word of mouth. Social networking sites and blogs allow followers to “retweet” or “repost” comments made by others about a product being promoted
And Taj also promotes through this by responding humbly to their guests
All human actors who play a part in service delivery and thus influence the buyer’s perception are comes under people.
Taj has various professional people to handle its customers and to give a high service to its customers like:• Skilled person• Professional person• Personal Agents• Technological person• Travel agents
all of u know Taj is famous for its finest standard of hospitality and services.
It has various professional people to handle its customers like
* Skilled person
* Technological person
* Travel agents
* Personal agents
Extreme customer centric organization culture has been followed where employees are willing to do almost anything for guests
Staff is highly trained to go for the extra mile to delight customers
Even some of the employees are working since decades
Only ‘Price’ generates income
Price must support costs of all other Ps
Price also must reflect the relationship of supply and demand within the marketplace
Price = Cost the customer is prepared to pay
Hotel pricing suffers from a large degree of lack of flexibility.
PRICING METHOD:
Customer’s perceived value is determined by the buyer’s image of the product performance, the channel deliverables, the warranty quality, customer support, and softer attributes such as the supplier’s reputation, trustworthiness, and esteem. Companies must deliver the value promised by their value proposition, and the customer must perceive this value. Firms use the other marketing program elements, such as advertising, sales force, and the Internet, to communicate and enhance perceived value in buyers’ minds.
Customer’s perceived-value
Performance
Warranty
Customer support
Reputation
Can be ommitted
Physical Evidence is the element of service mix that allows the customer to make judgements about the organisation.
It holds the power to tangiblise the intangibles
In a hotel, physical evidence may refer to its location, signs and logos, styles, furniture, colours, lighting, clean air, reception etc.
A moment of truth is usually defined as an instance wherein the customer and the organization come into contact with one another in a manner that gives the customer an opportunity to either form or change an impression about the firm. Such an interaction could occur through the product of the firm, its service offering or both. Various instances could constitute a moment of truth - such as greeting the customer, handling customer queries or complaints, promoting special offers or giving discounts and the closing of the interaction.
Moment of Truth – Magic or Misery
Process wise service Encounter
Eg : Checking in Hotel, Bell person takes customer to room, Eating at a restaurant, Express Laundry Service, Wake up Call, In-room breakfast, check out(preparation of bills), bell person comes to pick up the luggage, automated feedback forms.
SEC: Socio-economic classes
RTB: Reasons to believe
1.Employee:
At the time of 26/11 the staff evacuated the guests first, and no casualties resulted, staff kept calm and constantly went around offering water and asking people if they needed anything else.
They have a very exhaustive recruitment process.
They look for the employees In semi urban areas who respect the elders, humble, consideration of others, discipline, and honesty.
The characteristics are looked for: respect for elders, cheerfulness and neediness.
the Taj Group created a Special Thanks and Recognition System (STARS) that links customer delight to employee rewards. Employees accumulate points throughout the year in three domains: compliments from guests, compliments from colleagues, and their own suggestions.
various magazines and online portal for booing hotels and also via social media.
Magazines like The outlook, Go now and traveler.
Promotion: extended stay, getaway weekend, honeymoon special offer, Early bird.
Taj inner circle, Taj advantage plus
the ‘Taj warmth of hospitality’ — what we refer to as ‘Taj-ness’ — is always the focus
Design architecture of the hotels.
Clean and well developed infrastructure
Indian company with a luxury tag.
14 heritage palaces.
it is an Indian brand with a culture of service that is as good as or better than many other hospitality companies.
CSR activities: EARTH( Environmental Awareness and Renewal of Taj Hotels)
Full Butler services.
Luxury Boutiques: Sale of Merchandise like of Louis Vuitton .etc
Vivanta by Taj’s Bekal resort: 27 acres of resort for relaxation, detox or de-stress packages
Jaguar Suite, Cinema Suite.
Strengths-
112 year old established brand
Group comprises 108 hotels across India with an additional 17 international destinations
Employee strength over 13000 people as of 2010
The perfect experience of Indian luxury living.
Employee retention due to good brand image.
Weaknesses-
Complex ownership structure
Limited market share due to tough competition from international and domestic players means
Terrorist attacks left a question over the security
Doesn’t have hotels in 3 star segment
Opportunities-
Untapped potential around 41% middle affluent class
India represents a huge growth opportunity for hospitality industry
Gateway to fill middle segment vacuum
Introduce better membership plans
Upgrade to international methods of work
Threats-
Terrorist attack rebuilding customer confidence in the brand
New brands are launching at the same time
47 brands coming to India
Competitors upgrading to international standards of work ethic
Expectation of clients in terms of technological development.
Service Triangle:
Service triangle is a dynamic model which shows the interaction of the 3 groups involved in service industry that is Company, Employee, and Customer.
External Marketing:
The Social media, promotions like extended stay, Vacations offers and Early Bird Special are available.
Also via Magazine: They have their own publication of magazine and via The outlook traveler, Go Now, Travel.
Also here CRM is included i.e Customer Relationship Management where all the various needs of the customer are taken care of.
Internal Marketing
They must have skills, abilities, tools, and motivation to deliver. In other words, they must be enabled
Internal marketing also hinges on the assumption that employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction are inextricably linked.
Taj Management training Program, Hotel Operations Management trainee program: This intensive Management Training Program prepares young people as thorough professionals with the Taj.
Affiliation with Indian Institute of Hotel Management-Aurangabad
Special Thanks and Recognition System (STARS) : compliments from guests, compliments from colleagues, and their own suggestions.
Interactive Marketing:
Interactive marketing occurs in the moment of truth when the customer interacts with the organization and the service is produced and consumed.
There 41 interaction points in a day with the employees.
The company intensively tracks guest satisfaction scores and conducts external audits through mystery guest to ensure that these standards are not diluted.
A feedback is also taken from the customers.
Guest Preference Sheet
At the time of the reservation a preference sheet is sent across to the guest along with the reservation conformation mail.
CRM Software
This is another important tool in improving the service of the hotel and to capture guest complaints .If a complaint is registered by a customer it is updated on the software.
FIDELIO
It is used for saving the profile, preferences and special information (Anniversary, Birthday, allergiesetc.) related to the guest on a central server.
WOW Card
This is a small booklet which is carried by the staff at all times and whenever they get any information which can be useful in the future to please the customer, they simple record it here.
GRE Courtesy Call
Room Feedback Form
GSTS: guest satisfaction tracking system: Post departure an automated mail from the central server is sent to the guest requesting to fill up a feedback form. There are various heads covering the various stations of experiences
Taj Inner Circle Programme:
The Taj Inner Circle is the frequent guest programme of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. Besides a bouquet of benefits, as a member one can earn points when they stay or stop by for a meal at one of their restaurants at participating Taj Hotels in India and abroad. Member can earn points on their eligible spends on room, food and beverage, laundry, telephone and business centre. They can also earn points on their spends at the Taj Khazana boutiques located in select Taj Hotels in India. Redeem their points for room nights, memorable meals, and gift certificates redeemable at Taj Khazana, TajSalon, JivaSpa, and gifts from a hand-picked selection.
Taj Advantage Plus
: Taj Advantage Plus is the perfect programme for their valued corporate bookers in India and comes power-packed with great earning and redemption opportunities, special benefits and exciting offers. Enrolment to the programme is by invitation only.
Taj Alliance Preferred Partner Programme:
The Taj Alliance Preferred Partner Membership (TAPP Me) Programme has been designed exclusively for their partners in the travel trade in India. Enrolment to the programme is by invitation only.
