ASSESSMENTS ON MARKETING STRATEGIES OF SELECTED HOTELS IN ADDIS ABABA

Abstract

later growing into hospitality industry. The incredible significant change in hotel and tourism industry around the globe brought many changes within the field of hotel business management. The vast market for hotel industry, especially classified hotels for a developing country like Ethiopia, is closely related with the tourism industry majorly due to the origination of consumers of the sector services, international tourists. This research was conducted to study the marketing strategies effectively and efficiently used by marketing managers and employees for promoting hotels products and services in order to attract loyal customer and new ones. Data collection was conducted through questionnaires for four and five star hotels in Addis Ababa and semi structured interviews with officials of ministry of tourism. Thus Data collected h through interviews was analyzed qualitatively; and for questionnaire it was analyzed quantitatively. A total of 165 questionnaires were administered to 12 four and 4 five star hotels ,customers, marketing managers, employees were interviewed and 150 questionnaires were returned and usable for a comprehensive empirical analysis, Both descriptive and inferential statistics have been used Moreover, the findings revealed that the four and five star have an experience of more than 10 years and also an average of 6-9 years this implies that majority of the respondents have an experience of more than six years. For the profitability of the hotels experience matters. Hotels uses the types of marketing strategy that increases the profitability of the hotels, in product marketing strategy the hotels uses media and internet as best mechanism to advertise their product and service, when we see the price marketing strategy, they have an affordable pricing strategy. Place marketing strategy implies in the study were the location of the hotels not that much affect the profitability of the hotels, at last but not the least the distribution marketing strategy, the hotels have to fulfill the best distribution or selling their services, when the hotels integrate all the marketing strategy with the education of the hotels manager they can be well known and the best competitor in the international market. Hotels must strive to attract new customers, sustain & even delight the current one’s and be a better competitor in the industry by using different types of marketing strategies other than mere advertising by nationality programs they should also use social media for instance like telegram,viber which most people are turning to get for simpler information because they are easier to access,in addition some of these big hotels lack educated Ethiopian marketing managers at the higher management position who collaborate with the foreign higher marketing managers so as to employ marketing strategies that are effective , efficient and realistic that attracts/draws customers from inside and outside the country Finally the researcher recommend that hotels should utilize all major forms of marketing strategies thoroughly in order to reach a broad market of consumers, hotels should also stay up-to-date with technology and social media trends to manage web-based marketing to reach more customers.