Marketing Plan 2016

Table of Contents Executive SummaryMarketing Plan RationaleSituation AnalysisEnvironmental AnalysisLocational & Community AnalysisPrimary Competitor AnalysisMarket Potential AnalysisService AnalysisMarketing Position & Plan AnalysisMajor Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and ThreatsSelected Marketing StrategyMarketing segmentation and target marketsMarketing strategyMarketing mixesPositioning approachesMarketing objectivesImplementation PlanActivities PlanActivities, responsibilities & timeframes by target marketMarketing budgetBudget by target marketControl proceduresResults expected from activitiesProgress reportEvaluation proceduresMeasurementsPerformance standardsEvaluation timetableAppendix

Marketing Plan Contributors

Kiera KeeseckerDaniel HarbusSara PennyErial RiceTania Hernandez

Supervising Faculty

Jade Wagner Lori Pennington-Gray

Institution Sponsor University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance

Executive Summary: Ultimately, the marketing of the Residence Inn to new and established market segments as not just a room, but a residence will increase the number of long term stay guests by appealing to their specific needs.

Situation AnalysisPreviously, the Residence Inn did have a marketing plan geared toward long term stay guests but knew there was a way they could improve upon it. Examining the current and future market for long term stay guests in Gainesville shows that there is potential to grow this portion of the Residence Inns market segment. The Residence Inn has the potential to attract many of the long term stay guests who will be entering the market in the next few months to years and monopolize it.

Competitor AnalysisIn order to establish a distinct and memorable image to extended-stay travelers, Hotel Managers and Sales Directors must also take into account their competitors as a part of their situational analysis. Because Gainesville has many hotels of similar size and location, it is important that Residence Inn is frequently observing what their competitors do and work to be in front of the competition in all aspects.

Market PotentialA market potential analysis focuses on the trends related to potential markets and their consequent influences. The Residence Inn will dive into the market to explore what areas offer significant potential for growth.

Marketing StrategyThis plan proposes a new positioning approach and segmentation strategy that ultimately markets Residence Inn towards nearby geographic markets with travel motivations related to business and construction travellers, medical tourists of the many local hospitals and students, faculty and long-term guests of the University of Florida. Marketing strategies to achieve these ambitious goals consist of utilizing product, packaging, programming, place, promotions and partnerships for each target segment.

Market Segmentation1) Business/Construction 2) Medical Tourists3) University of Florida students, visiting scholars, staff & faculty. Marketing ObjectivesTo position the Residence Inn in the forefront of guests minds as the perfect long term stay option. To maintain brand consistency under the Marriott company umbrella.To grow the Residence Inns extended stay market by at least 8%.To raise awareness of the Residence Inns product by 10% in target markets.To gain a total of 10 new clients through e-mail blast and online marketing.To increase social media traffic and popularity by 15% (Facebook likes, Gshare, and twitter).To create a relationship with the University of Florida for housing visiting staff and students, aim to sell at least 10 rooms continuously per semester to this particular segment.

Activities PlanListed by the major components of travel marketing, a detailed activates plan outlines proposed activities for each target market as well as tasks and a timeline to ensure the success of each new idea. The activities plan for the Medical Tourists segment involves establishing further partnerships with surrounding hospitals to further advertise Residence Inn. The activities plan for the Business/Construction segment involves heavy transparency through numerous social media channels as well as strategic partnerships with surrounding businesses. The activities plan for the University of Florida students, visiting scholars, staff $ faculty involves exploring the international segment at forming partnerships with key research groups at UF.

Budget, Control & EvaluationDivided amongst three target markets, a proposed budget aims to gain more exposure and brand recognition through increased advertisements, an improved social media presence, and increased awareness of international markets in Gainesville. Metrics and performance standards to measure each objective have also been identified.

Marketing Plan Rationale

Situation AnalysisEnvironmental AnalysisLocation & Community AnalysisPrimary Competitor AnalysisServices AnalysisMarketing Position & Plan AnalysisSWOT

Environmental AnalysisA key initial stage of developing a marketing plan is to consider external factors, which may impact the marketing environment. In particularly, hotels must analyze six major trends and their impacts, including industry, technology, economy, politics, culture and society.

Industry: Many hotels are listed in the Residence Inns comp set and more hotels are in the works around the city of Gainesville. For example, the new Towneplace Suites by Marriott focuses specifically on extended stay guests, the market segment we are trying to grow for the Residence Inn. Technology: With technology constantly evolving it is imperative to stay with the times and up to date with new trends. This emerges as a problem because implementing new technology is costly and hotels are already working with small budgets. Economy: The Gainesville hotel industry is in a comfortable position right now but will struggle once all of the new hotels that are planned open in the next few years actually open their doors. Politics: Gainesville is a small town so everyone in the industry knows everyone else and politics end up playing a role in where guests get sent when rooms are overbooked. Culture: Growth of Millennials has caused a shift in what consumers expect from hotels. Society: More in depth description involving society analysis can be found in the following sections

Location & Community AnalysisMore specific than an environmental analysis, an analysis of the community itself outlines major marketing influences such as demographic composition, primary industry and employers, and city infrastructure.

Gainesville is largest city in Alachua County and North-central Florida Gainesville is a regional hub in the area Houses one of the largest public universities Houses one of the top hospitals. Shands is ranked nationally in 7 adult and 7 pediatric specialties. Located directly east of major Florida interstate (I-75) Annual daily traffic report from FDOT shares 80,000 vehicles pass by daily Regional airport offers direct flights to major international airports such as Miami, Atlanta, Orlando, and Tampa

Competitor AnalysisIn order to establish a district and memorable experience for tourists, hotels must understand their competitors.

Residence Inn Competitor Set is used as a benchmark to measure the success of our hotel. The hotels are based off of location, brand and size. STR Report gives data about competitor set as a whole. Residence Inn Competitor Set consists of Homewood Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, SpringHill Suites, Hampton Inn, Country Inn & Suites & Holiday Inn Express

Market Potential AnalysisA market potential analysis focuses on the trends related to potential markets and their consequent influences.

Construction/Business will bring in potential clients from various construction companies The Cade Museum Celebration Point Butler Plaza/Archer Corporate events with local businesses Medical Tourism Work with Shands and North Florida University students, visiting scholars, staff & faculty The university of Florida has a large influence on local tourism in Gainesville, FL An area for potential growth in this particular segment could include incoming exchange students as well Short term research programs from other countries could house guests at Residence Inn

Services AnalysisThis is analysis of the available services and identification of the gaps in services needed to meet the new segment.

Evening Reception Monday-Wednesday: beer, wine and light meals 24 Hour Business Center Wired & wireless internet Grocery shopping service Coffee and Tea in Room Coffee in Lobby USA Today Outdoor Swimming Pool Putting Green Patio with Fire Pit and Grill Neighborhood-style living featuring comfortable, spacious hotel suites at a great value. Spread out in our all-suite hotel featuring personalized voicemail and free high-speed Internet. Plush Marriott bedding. Fully equipped kitchens. Bar-B-Q and/or picnic area Grab-n-Go breakfast

Its not a room, its a residence Conference room Grocery store service All suite Hotel Full kitchen with stainless steel appliances 32 flat-panel HD LCD TV Luxury bedding with down and feather pillows Granite counters Individual climate control Pull-out sofa sleeper Iron and ironing board Individual coffee maker Alarm clock Hair dryer Pets Welcomed - Non-refundable Sanitation fee Hot full buffet breakfast Individual coffee maker Alarm clock Hair dryer Pets Welcomed - Non-refundable Sanitation fee Hot full buffet breakfast

The marketing position Residence Inn is currently focused on is through the vast construction projects occurring throughout the city of Gainesville. This includes but is not limited to the growth in UF Health Hospitals and Services, University of Florida, Cade Museum and much more. Gainesville: where nature and culture meet - nature tourism is a huge potential activity that should be utilized to promote extended stay. Residence Inn can capitalize on foreigners coming to UF to do research by providing housing.

Marketing Position & Plan AnalysisThis analysis is looking at how Residence Inn by Marriott can carve a niche for itself within the potential market and the key points in marketing this hotel.

StrengthsUniversity of Florida Reputation & Campus Resources

Diversity of Locally Owned, Independent Businesses

Proximity to UF Health and the many local hospitals

Natural Landscape & Resources as Attractions

Emphasis on Cultural Experiences

WeaknessesDependency on UF & Student Population Fluctuation

Seasonality

Lack of State & Regional Exposure

Lack of hotel exposure within community

OpportunitiesExploit Current Unique Attractions

Technology/Social Media/Digital Marketing

UF Foreign Exchange Students/ research assistants

Marketing Opportunities Towards Specific Niche Travel Motivations

ThreatsOther local hotels with similar facilities and services

Economic Cycles, reduced spending periods

Customers Travel Expectations and Planning

Severe Weather Threats

SWOT AnalysisA market potential analysis focuses on the trends related to potential markets and their consequent influences.

Marketing Plan Rationale

Selected Marketing StrategyMarket Segmentation & Target MarketsMarketing StrategyMarketing MixesPositioning ApproachesMarketing Objectives

Marketing Segmentation and Target Markets Concentrated Strategy A concentrated strategy is an approach to marketing where a few market segments are chosen from among several and attention is concentrated on these selected market segments. We want to focus marketing efforts on select target segments to increase long term stay guests for the Residence Inn.

The Residence Inns current marketing strategy toward extended stay guests is effective yet it could be improved upon to capture more of the market in Gainesville. Using a concentrated marketing strategy we will target a few integral segments in the extended stay market and focusing our efforts on gaining their business. Rather than trying to bring people to the market, we will be focusing on capturing the market that is going to be present. Because the Residence Inn is under the Marriott brand we will have to follow specific guidelines in our marketing efforts in order to fit the brand. Creating our marketing strategy will ensure effective brand positioning in the minds of our target markets. Advertisements and promotions will be geared toward our target markets to ensure we reach our intended audiences without misallocating our resources.

Marketing Strategy for Business/Construction Target Markets

Position Residence Inn as the primary extended stay hotel in Gainesville Continue to monitor needs of the average business traveler Engage with all major businesses currently in Gainesville to learn about their current and future events/conventions Increase social media traffic with businesses Specifically target the New Recruits traveler (less experienced traveler who wants to share experiences and explore surrounding community) Capitalize on social media postings from New Recruits traveler Recognize that amenities, location, convenience, connection, and value are most important factors with the business traveler market segment Speak directly to construction companies involved in major Gainesville projects to inform them of our ability to meet their needs Implement shuttle service to construction site Partnerships with local restaurants and store to get discounts for construction workers Advertise easily accessibility to major grocery stores and restaurants due to location

Marketing Strategy for Medical Tourists Target Markets Position Residence Inn as the primary extended stay hotel in Gainesville Create close relationships with Shands employees and executives to create better partnerships Become more aware of the existing and future projects that Shands will have Plan for a shuttle service for the employees of Shands Create partnerships with local businesses to make the stay at Residence Inn more appealing

Marketing Strategy for the University of Florida Students, Visiting Scholars, Staff & Faculty Target Market Position Residence Inn as a primary option of living for international students, graduate students and faculty Form a relationship with the University of Floridas international student center in order to offer our product to them. Capitalize on the fact that this is a unique opportunity for the Residence Inn in a relatively unexplored market. Create a shuttle service for weekends when bus schedules are reduced while the students and visiting scholars will still require transportation. Develop relationships with head research departments on campus to discover new opportunities to housing international researchers.

Marketing Mixes Detailed review of the uses of each element of a marketing mix by targeting segments, including product, people, packaging, pricing, programming, partnership, and promotion

Medical Tourist Marketing Mix Product: Marriott offers numerous of amenities that are suitable for guests that are traveling for medical purposes. Being able to relax in a newly renovated room with luxury amenities is an added value for these guests. Marriott also offers handicap accessible rooms, which is something that medical tourist may look for. Patients and their family members many have additional needs when compared to other guests. According to medicaltourismmag.com there are tangible and intangible that have to be met. The intangible needs include "efficient transportation, shopping, foodservice, tourist activities." Marriott already offers shopping services, implementing a transportation service may serve as a useful addition. Partnering with a local medical transportation company could be a great way to provide transportation for the guest that are in need. Some of the intangible needs include "the cornerstone of the hotel industry culture, encompass the experience during pre-departure, encounter, and post-departure." Essentially, making sure the medical tourist have a pleasant experience at your hotel during their stay is key to adding value to your product. Some other innovative designs, amenities, and services to consider in the future are adjustable beds, nurse call system, quick check in, prescription delivery, 24-hour room service. People-Its important that the guests know the efforts made by the employees at Residence Inn Gainesville to provide great services. Emphasizing how the staff goes above and beyond to make their guests feel at home is necessary to address when trying standout from your competitive set. Traveling for medical purposes can be stressful, making sure that guests travelling for these reasons have everything that they need to make them feel comfortable is important. Grocery shopping services are particularly unique to the Residence Inn, and more services such as these would increase your value to customers. Below are some possible services that you could offer: Providing in-house spa services- In-house spa services would be a nice added feature for these particular types of guests. Allowing a local spa to provide these services for your guests would be an easy solution to providing this feature. Room Service- This is offered by your main competitor (Hilton Garden Inn), something as simple room service could be a deciding factor between you and your competition. Providing this would allow guests receive their food quicker versus using an outside delivery service.The services offered by Residence Inn should be easy for guests to access on your website, such as the service information listed on the competitors website (specifically, Hilton Garden Inn).Packaging- Residence Inn should create a package specifically for medical tourist. Consider offering tickets to a local attraction for guests who have booked a room for more than five nights. This will encourage guests who are staying for a short period of time (1-3 days) to stay for a minimum of 5 days. Pricing-Residence Inn could potentially provide some type of discount for first time Medical tourist guests. Doing so will allow them to experience all that you have to offer, and hopefully make them a repeat customer because they were more than satisfied with your services. Programming- since no programming is offered at Residence inn, you should consider offering Gainesville Country Club non-resident membership vouchers to all guests. This would allow guest the opportunity to utilize Gainesville Country Clubs golf course, tennis courts and all of the other perks that are included with their membership at a discounted price. Because rest and relaxation are especially important for the medical tourist and their families this would be a option to offer.Place- Marriott is only 3.5 miles away from Shands, and 4.9 miles away from North Florida Regional Medical Center via I-75. The convenient location off of I-75 makes Residence Inn a central area for medical travelers. Partnership Partnering with hospitals and medical associations would help attract this particular market segment to your hotel. One association to consider is Alachua County Medical Society. Also, partnering with a local medical transportation service, and a local spa (such as Leopard transportation, and Spa Royale) would allow your hotel to conveniently provide their service for your guests to use when needed. Promotion-Promotion within the medical community is something to consider. Contacting medical organizations, associations, local hospitals and informing them of all the service and amenities you offer would be an effective way to promote you hotel. Displaying print ads in the local hospitals, as well as utilizing social media to promote your services and amenities online would also be good way to advertise. Providing small gifts (such as a Florida Gators t-shirt or stuffed alligator for children), and special offers (discounts for first time guests) could potentially increase attractiveness to guests.

University of Florida students, Visiting Scholars, staff & UF Faculty Marketing Mix Product: Residence Inn offers a wide range of amenities and services that would be appealing for University of Florida students, visiting scholars and faculty. This includes but is not limited to, a full kitchen with provided cookware, a grocery and food delivery service, daily hot breakfast and much more but these are some amenities that are extremely useful for students, faculty and visiting scholars. In addition, Residence Inn is off of Archer Road, which has many plazas of restaurants, shopping centers and more. Lastly, Residence Inn is only 4 miles from UF and is close to many bus routes as well which makes it a convenient yet luxurious stay. People: As a hotel, we can guarantee that our employees will be able to form relationships with our University of Florida long-term guests by providing the utmost care and amazing service so that they feel like it is their own home.Packaging: Through packaging, Residence Inn could distinguish themselves from their competitors by truly making the stay not just an ordinary hotel stay, but more long-term friendly like a residence. Residence Inn creates an entire package by providing many extra services such as the grocery/delivery services as well as a partnership with a local gym. In addition, Residence Inn could turn Gainesville into more of a destination by telling guests all there is to do and explore.Pricing: We plan on utilizing our existing pricing structure but are willing to work cohesively with the University of Florida staff to ensure fair long-term prices.Programming: Programming is another key element in the marketing mix that is necessary to make Residence Inn a competitive hotel for the extended-stay market, especially for the University of Florida market. It is important to provide this market with activities in addition to the traditional Residence Inn evening socials. It is also important to provide transportation to and from the University each and every day. Place: The Residence Inn is only a few miles from the edge of campus down Archer Road, making it a prime location for quick and easy access to the University.Partnership: Partnership is one of the most important aspects of the marketing mix as this could be the area where Residence Inn has a competitive advantage. Residence Inn always has a partnership with a nearby local gym but that could be expanded. They could have partnerships with many of the nearby restaurants as well as local attractions such as the springs, Paynes prairie, museum and much more. In addition, formulating a partnership with the University of Florida Housing and Residence team to ensure cohesiveness if students decide the hotel is their accommodation of choice. As far as faculty or visiting scholars, it is important to create partnerships with the specific departments so that the hotel can be as accommodating as possible to those individuals. Promotion: For promotional tactics, it is important that Residence Inn is broadcasting their services to many different sources. It is important that they promote themselves as the primary extended-stay hotel in the area and that they service long-term business/construction workers, medicals tourists and students, faculty and visiting scholars from the local University. They can do this by having more commercials, utilizing social media, marketing through the RTS bus systems and working closely with the University to make it known that the hotel is an option. Business/Construction Marketing Mix Product: We will position the Residence Inn as more than just a place to stay in the mind of the consumer, we will do this by implementing highly rated additional services and amenities tailored specifically to the Business Construction market segment. Our goal is to understand what added services and amenities these individuals value, and in what order. Below are some examples of the main product features and amenities we will seek to perfect, and how we will do it. Guest Check In/Out: We will have efficient and easy check in/check out services. Short or no wait time, express check on/out services, friendly customer service oriented staff, front desk personnel that is polite, efficient and helpful. Guest room quality: We will have the highest quality standard in terms of cleanliness, quality and comfort of bedding, furnishing, size of room location of rooms, internet access and additional amenities. People: We will implement and train our staff on best practices policies and procedures in order to increase our overall customer service and guest satisfaction quality ratings.Packaging: Through Packaging, The Residence Inn will continue to stay competitive as we distinguish ourselves as friendly -resident oriented hotel. The residence in offers the entire package with extra services made available for guest such as, Speedy and efficient guest check in/ guest check out, Guest room cleanliness,- superior Customer service quality, grocery/delivery services and more made readily available to the guest. Pricing: We plan on utilizing our existing competitive price structure, third party booking sites, and bidding for corporate contracts to fill rooms during low seasonality. Programming is a key element in the marketing mix and it is necessary to make the Residence Inn a competitive hotel in the Gainesville Market. Some potentially important additional programing events could include: transportation services to and from the Gainesville airport, small business training seminars, and evening socials. Place: The Residence Inn- Gainesville is located within a few miles of multiple large-scale construction projects as well as in the heart of Gainesville close by to numerous small and large businesses. Partnership: We will continue to partner with the local gym but our community partnerships need to expand. Potential partners include: Partnerships with local business in the surrounding areas. Partners can choose to be included in a promotional coupon book a feature that will come complimentary with every guest check in. Our promotional coupon book will be an excellent method of creating added guest satisfaction, while also using it as a method of generating revenue as a promotional service for local business. It is important to create relationships with local businesses so that the Residence Inn can be knowledgeable of the Gainesville area and recommend places for best dinning, entertainment and shopping experiences. Promotion: The Residence Inn must broadcast and promote their services to many different sources and target markets in order to generate high occupancy rates. We will promote the Residence Inn by increasing our commercials, utilizing social media, promotional advertising in the Gainesville business magazine, RTS promotional advertising, and networking through the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce in order to generate additional leads.

Positioning ApproachesPlans of brand extension for extended stay guests. A concentrated strategy is an approach to marketing where a few market segments are chosen from among several and attention is concentrated on these selected market segments. We want to focus marketing efforts on select target segments to increase long term stay guests for the Residence Inn.

By providing accommodations and unique services tailored to our guests, Marriott Residence Inn will position itself as the top extended stay property in Gainesville. Residence in should focus their marketing efforts on driving growth from the corporate, construction and education market segments, this will allow Residence Inn to expand their market share locally. Modify the Residences Inn national ad catch phrase (its not a room its a residence) to better fit the necessary markets. For example the Residence Inn slogan for Gainesvilles property could be Its not just a room when youre at Residence Inn, its that and more Individual phrases can be directed towards the target markets, such as the ones listed below: Its a home away from home (geared toward international students/ educational travelers) Its a place for relaxation (geared towards all the market segments) Its a place where you can work hard, and sleep harder (geared towards the business traveler/Construction Traveler) Its not a room, its a residence (general marketing phrase geared toward all guests) Each of the catch phrases claims can be supported through the abundant amount of accommodations offered at the Residences Inn. These marketing techniques should be used via: e-mail blast Print ads Online marketing (propertys website, Google ad words, social media accounts) Cold calling WOM And most importantly face-to-face sales The marketing content needs to represent the services and accommodations that will allow Residence Inn to stand out from the competition.

Marketing Objectives Results oriented objectives for each target market segment.

Position Residence Inn as the primary extended stay hotel in Gainesville. Maintain brand consistency under the Marriott company umbrella. Grow the Residence Inns extended stay market by at least 8%. Raise awareness of the Residence Inns product by 10% in target markets. Gain a total of 10 new clients through e-mail blast and online marketing. Increase social media and traffic and popularity by 15% (Facebook likes, Gshare, and twitter). Create a relationship with the University of Florida for housing visiting staff and students, aim to sell at least 10 rooms continuously per semester to this particular segment.

Implementation Plan

Activities PlanMarketing BudgetControl ProceduresEvaluation Procedures

Activities Plan Specific explanation of tasks required for each target segments marketing mixes, including activates, responsibilities required by Marriot staff, and a general timeframe for implementation.

Medical Tourist Activities Plan

Product: Providing guest with efficient transportation, shopping, food services, and tourist activities. Being the cornerstone of the medical communities hospitality needs by providing accommodations for medical tourist.Place: Advertising in local hospitals, and partnering hospitals (Orlando Health, Shands Jacksonville)Promotion: Create brochures, use social media marketing Use Residence Inn Gainesville personal website to promote special services and accommodations.Packaging & Programming: Provide tickets for tourist activities, such as Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Santa Fe Teaching Zoo for medical tourist that stays for five days or more. Provide in house spa services to help guest that are going through medical treatments relax. Also consider offering a Gainesville Country Club non-resident membership for guest that want to take advantage of their golf course and tennis court.Partnerships: Partner with local medical shuttle companies to provide easy transportation to Shands and North Florida Regional. Partner with local spa, such as Spa Royale to provide in house spa service. Partner with local hospitals and Alachua County Medical Society.

Tasks Plan

Product: Promote your hotel as being the cornerstone of the medical community in all of marketing geared toward medical tourist. Contact the business that you wish to partner with to work out arrangements that will allow you to provide their services at your hotel. Create and send out a proposal letter stating the request for services from local businesses and partnership agreements. Work out a deal where you can make commission from sales of services, tickets, and vouchers.Place: Social media Magazine print ads There are advertising opportunities in House Call, which is the Alachua County Medical Society magazine. Hand out flyers to Hospitals Shands, NFR, and Orlando Health, Shands JacksonvillePromotion: Create promotional material to send in email blitz and to use for online marketing Create magazine flyerPackaging & Programming: Set-up programming arrangements with local businesses to ensure that these services (Medical shuttle, Spa, and tourist activities) can be offered upon customers request.Partnerships Establish partnerships with local businesses Once partnerships are established, negotiate the terms of joint marketing and promotional efforts

Product: Business/Construction Activities Plan

An extended stay hotel that focuses on providing augmented amenities and services that best fits the needs of business travelers and construction workers. We seek to make their stay memorable and smooth. Providing Business Travelers with transportation services from Gainesville Regional Airport. Mobile check in with our Marriott App for fast & efficient check in . Streaming in room entertainment, mini bar located in all rooms Complimentary Breakfast bar served daily Complimentary laundry services Free printing and high speed internet access for all guesPlace: Promotion through our social media outlets which include: Facebook, instagram, twitter and more. using linkedin for possible leads on corporate contracts Using a salesforce team to pitch our services to incoming business /construction workers who plan on traveling to Gainesville, FL. as well as local businesses for meeting space rentals. Promotion Strategic placement of promotional brochures with listing of all complementary services: Gainesville Regional Airport, FLorida Highway rest stops and more Advertisement banner in Gainesville Regional Airport Advertising on RTS-That travels to GRA one page spread in Gainesville Business magazine Packaging & Programing Contact Local Car rental services for discounted packages and incentive rates Contact local business such as the Gainesville VCB, Gainesville Business Magazine, and the sales team for the regional transit system for possible marketing . shuttle that will provide guest with direct transportation of the hotel. Provide guest with complimentary laundry service and perm press delivered daily to guest room.*if requested Provide Business Travelers with a complimentary ticket to the latest play at the Hippodrome Theater.

Partnerships STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH VISIT GAINESVILLE (Gainesville VCB) Partnerships with Hertz for possible discounted car rental rates Partnership with local gym for special limited time membership rates Partnerships with local entertainment locations including the hippodrome theater and local nature tour companies. Partnership with Gainesville Regional Airport Partnership with business magazines that have high reach for the business / construction target markets. Starbucks brewing rights Tasks Plan Product

Set up social media account and follow major business or Intend pages and media outlets for generated awareness. Create a social media-marketing plan. The plan will include some of the following: recommended times to post, Facebook paid advertising options, performance measures, post frequency, when/how to interact with consumers and more. Contact all possible potential partners to negotiate incentive pricing and packages for hotel guest. Contact Starbucks Corporate office for Starbucks license to brew on site. Investigate potential leads and formulate a lead sheet for LinkedIn.

Place

Place promotional brochure along Major FL highways Visit all potential partners for face-to-face interactions and possible sales pitch opportunities. Regularly attend the Gainesville county commission meetings for updates on upcoming business or changes in the Gainesville Market.

Promotion

Create a physical and online promotional brochure Create an email listing and send out monthly newsletters with updates on Gainesville upcoming: promotions, activities, incentive rate, news and more pertaining to the business target market Create Formula for Promotional advertisement on social media outlets for greatest possible audience reachability. Packaging and Programing

Arrange meeting dates and formulate sales pitch to all potential partners.Timeline

Product: University of Florida students, Visiting Scholars, staff & UF Faculty Activities Plan

A comfortable hotel and residence with the focus on extended-stay guests. A valuable and financial option of housing for International Exchange students, International Visiting Scholars and other staff and visitors. A full breakfast and dinner will be served and included in the price as well as vouchers to local restaurants and other facilities A shuttle service will be provided to and from the University of Florida campus

Place: Social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other online and print outlets (from both the Residence Inn Gainesville pages as well as the UF International Centers pages) Promotional photographs and information in the UF International Center office in the Hub as well as on their website Advertising Residence Inn as the premier extended-stay hotel in public spaces around Alachua County

Promotion: Residence Inn will create promotional items such as pamphlets to be placed around Alachua County as well as in the UF International Center Residence Inn will promote not only to UF International Center but to specific International programs such as IIE (Brazil: International Institute of Education) and specific departments that bring in guests and scholars

Packaging & Programming Residence Inn will include breakfast and dinner included into the price, as well as occasional special events Vouchers for local restaurants and facilities will be provided to extended-stay guests A shuttle service will run to and from the University of Florida campus

Partnerships Make partnerships with the UF International Center, specific International Programs such as IIE and specific departments that bring in International guests Make partnerships with local businesses around the Archer Road area

Tasks Plan

Product: To establish Residence Inn as a primary living option for University of Florida students, International students, Scholars and guests. To create partnerships with the University of Florida departments and International Center.

Place: To design and create promotional materials both online and physical advertisements To manage Residence Inn social media outlets To work with UF International Center so they would use our promotional material

Promote: To design and create promotional materials both online and physical advertisements To find valuable and useful areas to promote throughout Alachua County To advertise Residence Inn online in addition to social media outlets

Packaging & Programming: To contact local businesses and put together a voucher booklet for guests To purchase a shuttle and create a consistent schedule to and from the University of Florida campus To create an extended-stay experience for UF guests better than one they would receive by staying in dormitories

Partnerships: To create and foster partnerships with local vendors, the University of Florida campus and International Center and International exchange programs.

Timeline

Marketing Budget The budget is divided between our target markets with a concentration on the UF connection. The main focus is to improve relationships and presence with the University through increased brand recognition amongst our contacts and to increase awareness of the Residence Inn as a lodging option for business and medical travelers as well.

Total BudgetAllocated Budget $12,000Projected Budget $6,000

Long Term Business Travelers

Print

IMG$417.50

Visit Gainesville$400

Visit Florida$140

Online

Facebook$100

Miscellaneous

Networking$200

TOTAL$1,257.50

Medical Travelers

Print

IMG$417.50

Visit Gainesville$400

Survival Guide $339

Visit Florida$140

Online

Facebook$100

Miscellaneous

Networking$200

TOTAL$1,596.50

University of Florida Students/Visiting Scholars, Faculty/Guests

Print

Whats Happening (Gator Map)$400

Visit Gainesville$400

Visit Florida$140

Online

Facebook$200

Miscellaneous

NetworkingOverall marketing Brohure$800

Overall Marketing

Brochures (500)$893.11

Contingency Budget$312.89

Total $1,206

Controls In order to effectively ensure meeting objectives and goals, desired results and gauges of performance through measuring metrics are required. Below highlights the results expected and performance measurements of each activity

Medical Tourist ControlsResults Expected:1) 15% Increase in market share within the medical tourism market.2) 8% Increase in medical tourist guests lodging at Residence Inn Marriott.3) 7% Increase in revenue generated from medical tourist.4) 10% Increase in guests satisfaction5) Improvement in services and amenities for medical tourist guests. Performance Measures on Marketing Expenditures: 1) This information can be obtained through a research company such as Green Book.2) Benchmark revenue from previous year.3) Compare total number of medical tourist guests from previous year to amount after implementing marketing plan.4) Can be measured through customer surveys.5) Once the marketing plan has been implemented, services and amenities for medical tourist will improve.

Business/Construction Controls Results Expected:1. Increased occupancy rate 5%2. Increase in brand loyalty 3. Increase in returning guest 10%4. Strong social media presence5. Increased brand and hotel awareness

Performance Measures on Marketing Expenditures: 1. Using current occupancy rate report to conduct an evaluation / comparison VS. Last year for guest indicating business/ construction as there reason for travel. 2. Evaluating comments and ratings made by guest on major sites such as trip advisor and Google reviews. 3. Measure and record new guest and record if those new guest came back after an 8-month period. 4. Measure Audience interaction on social media platforms, measure the % increase or decrease on audience following. 5. Conduct a monthly analysis on each social media platform tomeasure audience engagement through comments, likes, clicks ext.6. Ask Guest to participate in a short survey prior to gaining access to WIFI. The survey will contain 3 short questions that will be updated on monthly bases for market research on guest satisfaction, guest preferences, guest profile and more.

University of Florida students, Visiting Scholars, staff, and UF Faculty ControlsResults Expected: 1) Higher level of extended-stay reservations months in advance2) Greater relationships with these extended-stay guests due to the packaging and programming of the deal3) 3 new partnerships with local vendors as well as the University of Florida4) Greater presence online and on social media - we will be extremely active and responsive.5) Higher awareness and advertisements throughout the area6) Contract with International Affairs Office Performance Measures on Marketing Expenditures: 1) Check central reservation system and measure pre-bookings by month2) Survey extended stay customers about their stay 3) Maintain monthly meetings with partners and set meetings far in advance 4) Measure social media traffic through normal measures pertaining to each site 5) Increase advertisements in area (budget has slight increase in advertisement spending)6) We will measure our success through occupancy rate, guest satisfaction and return rate via International Students per semester.

Evaluation ProceduresComparing our objectives with metrics to evaluate to ensure that we properly measure each objective.

ObjectivesMetrics

Grow the Residence Inns extended stay market by at least 8%.Measure sales revenue, percent gross profit, percent change on ROI

Raise awareness of the Residence Inns product by 10% in target markets.Measure percent increase in marketing budget that was used to effectively reach the different target markets

Increase social media and traffic and popularity by 15% (Facebook likes, Gshare, and twitter).Measure percent change in Facebook friends, page likes, Twitter activity, and G share.

Gain a total of 10 new clientsthrough e-mail blast and online marketing.Make sure 10 new clients are documented

Create a relationship with the University of Florida for housing visiting staff and students, aim to sell at least 10 rooms continuously per semester to this particular segment.Measure amount of rooms sold per semester to this particular market segment.

Appendix

Works Cited