Exploring Customer�s Decision Assignment Sample

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Introduction - Exploring Customer’s Decision Assignment

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Background

With the increasing competition it has become important for the businesses to focus on offering better products to the customer. The companies needs to pay attention on satisfying the customers with the products and services offered by the firm (Blankson et. al. 2018). In the present research study the researchers would be conducting an study for exploring that how the customer's decision is being affected by the for P's of marketing. For this the research would focus on considering the case of The Park Hotel in Bradford.

The Park Hotel in Bradford is one of the high quality service offering hotel of UK. The hotel is offering a high quality, comfortable and budget friendly environment to their customers. The company is having an effective market image in Bradford and due to this reason majority of the visitors in Bradford prefer to book a stay at The Park Hotel in Bradford. The hotel offers better services and focuses on satisfying the customers (Ahmad et. al. 2021).

The Park Hotel is an excellent choice for travellers visiting Bradford, alongside many helpful amenities designed to enhance your stay.

The Park Hotel Bradford offers complimentary wireless internet. It is ideally positioned for those wanting to visit local attractions.

The Hotel features up to 50 rooms, all of which are filled with variety of facilities to ensure a comfortable stay.

Each room at The Park Hotel features a TV, an en-suite bathroom with bath and shower and free toiletries.

You can take advantage of some of the ameneties offered by The Park Hotel, including a 24 hour front desk, newspaper and baggage storage. As an added convenience there is free parking available to guests.

A hearty breakfast is served daily at the Hotel. Kirkgate Shopping Centre bars and restaurants are located 1 and half mile from the Hotel.

Bradford Forster Square Railway Station and Frizinghall Railway Station are within walking distance of The Park Hotel Bradford. It is also within walking distance of Valley Parade.

Nearby landmarks such as the Centenary Square (1.2miles) and the Bradford Cathedral (1.3miles) make the Park Hotel a great place to stay when visiting Bradford.

If you’re looking for a diner, consider a visit to La Crepe House, Romeos Diner, or Heavenly Desserts Bradford, which are all conveniently located a short distance from The Park Hotel.

The medieval Skipton Castle is 30 minutes drive away and Cartwright Hall Museum is a 10 minutes walk from The Park Hotel Bradford. Leeds city centre is on 10 miles away and The Leeds Bradford Airport is only 7 miles away.

Operating in a customer drive industry is not an easy task. The company needs to focus on offering best high quality service to their customers for satisfying them with the services and hospitality (Lee, 2020).

In this research the researchers would be conducting a research for explaining that what factors are affecting the customer's decision towards the stay in the hotel. This report will help the researcher in analysing the effectiveness of the 4 P's of marketing of the chosen company.

Problem Statement

This research study is based on the concept of customer decision making and customer behaviour towards the hotel brand. This research would focus on identifying and analysing that what are the different factors which are been considered by the customers of The Park Hotel. The research study will help the company in understanding that what are the different factors which are creating an demand for their products and services for their service and leading the firm towards success (Rangaswamy et. al. 2020). The research will focus on exploring the sustainable factors which are helping the company in maintaining their position in the industry and gaining competitive advantage over others. The different attributes which are helping the company to be more productive and offer better customer experience are important to identify as this would help them in retaining and attracting the customers in an effective manner (Hummel, 2020).

Research Justification

Understanding the customers is very important for the businesses along with this the different factors affecting customer decision making are crucial for the firm so the company needs to identify them (Stankevich, 2017). For the hospitality firms it is significant to understand the level of satisfaction of their customers with the services offered by the firm. Also they need to understand the impact of their marketing strategy of the organisation. It can be said that it is important for the researcher to conduct this study for identifying the effective strategies and practices of The Park hotel which is helping them in continuous development and continuous success of the firm. In this study the researcher would be collecting both primary and secondary data which would help the researcher in conducting an high quality research study. The primary data would make the research more authentic and will help in getting more relevant information related to the company (Dewi and Darma, 2019). For this survey would be conducted with the customers of The Park Hotel. So it can be said that this research study is important for exploring one of the important research topic for hospitality industry.

Structure of the report

In this research study the researchers would be using an systematic structure for creating an high quality research study. The research would have different sections and sub-section. The major sections of the research report would be introduction, literature review, methodology, results, data analysis and discussion and the last chapter would be of conclusion and recommendation.

Research aim and objectives

Aim

The main aim of the research is to analyse and recognise what influences the Park Hotel customers to choose the Park Hotel with a focus on the 4 Ps of marketing.

Objectives

To analyse the effectiveness of 4P’s of marketing of Park Hotel
To evaluate the factors affecting customer decisions regarding the stay
To understand that how the different factors of marketing affects the sales of the company and customer decision making
To analyse the marketing strategies of The Park Hotel in terms of providing high quality service to their customers.
To evaluate the quality of food and services offered by The Park Hotel to their customers for maintaining their reputation and business performance.

Research Questions

What are the influences of customer pReferences and customer expectations on their buying behaviour?
What are the different theories used by The Park hotel for attaining sustainable performance?
What are the challenges that can be face by the hotel industry in terms of customer satisfaction?
What factors are having an impact on the customer behaviour and brand commitment towards The Park hotel?

LITERATURE REVIEW

This section of the report explains the detailed knowledge related to the research study with the help of different literature sources. The researcher had explained the different important topics and sub sections related to the research topic.

Importance of customer satisfaction and customer preferences

Satisfaction level of the customers regarding the different products and services offered to them is having a major impact on the performance of the firm. Patel (2018) had conducted a research study for explaining the importance and benefits of customer satisfaction. In this study the researcher had explained that if the customers are satisfied then they make a repeat purchase and this is having a positive influence on the sales or revenue of the firm. Along with this effective customer satisfaction is having a potential to add value to the positive publicity of the company. Also the research had explained that better customer satisfaction is helps the firms in creating brand loyalty, brand trust and helps the firm in creating great customer base (De Luca et. al. 2020). The study had suggested that the companies should focus on measuring the satisfaction level of their customers for meeting the customer needs and offering better products and services to them.

Rather and Sharma (2017) had conducted a research study for explaining that why customer satisfaction and commitment is important for the hotel industry. In this study the researchers had conducted the primary data for collecting high quality data. The study had discussed that hotel industry is a customer driven industry. Due to this reason, the firms operating in hotel industry need to focus on attracting and retaining the customers by offering them satisfying hospitality services. The results of the study had showed that customer satisfaction is having a direct impact on their commitment towards the hotel brand. The research study suggested that the hospitality firms should focus on creating effective relations with their customers by offering those high quality and satisfying services (Oztemel and Gursev, 2020). Also the research had mentioned that the hoteliers should focus on employing effective strategies that can help them in managing the firm properly and offering high quality services to their customers. So, it can be said that if the customers would be satisfied then only they will visit again and hence customer satisfaction is significant for the firms.

The customers are having different preferences while making a purchase decision. But the preferences depend on the needs and demands of the customers. Masiero et. al. (2019) had discussed in their study regarding the preferences of the customers regarding the selection of hotels. The study had identified that there are different factors such as nearest point of interest, online rating, reviews, pricing, location and quality of the service offered by the firm are having a customer preference towards the hotel brand (Sao et. al. 2017). Among all these factors pricing and quality of the services offered by the firm are crucial factors. So from this it can be said that the company needs to focus on all the factors which are affecting the customer preferences and customer decision regarding the hotel selection (Golovkova et. al. 2019). Moreover it can be said that the hotel firms should focus on having effective strategies for attracting the customers and allowing them to choose their company over other hotel brands.

4 P’s of marketing & Impact of marketing on consumer behaviour

Marketing is considered as one of the most important factor of the firm which is having an major impact on sales and profitability of the firm. Ungerman et. al. (2018) had mentioned in their study regarding the impact of marketing on the enterprise. The researcher had explained that in the modern and technological advanced business world marketing is been considered as a success factor for the businesses. The company operating in diverse industries needs to pay attention on developing effective marketing strategies. That can help them in attracting and retaining customers in an efficient way. For gaining the competitive advantage over others the businesses needs to focus on marketing innovation that can help them in doing business effectively (Cao et. al. 2018). Also the companies should focus on understanding the customer needs and should offer the products accordingly for targeting the different sections of society in an appropriate manner. Thus, it can be said that marketing strategies are having an major role to play in the performance of the company and their sales as well.

When the companies are focusing on marketing then there are different marketing models which are been used by them. Marketing mix or the 4 P's of marketing is an effective model that is used by the firms for doing effective marketing. This model focuses on four different factors which are important to be considered while doing marketing. The four factors are price, place, promotion and place. The company needs to focus on all these factors in an efficient manner for attracting the customers.

Toma and Gr?dinaru (2018) had conducted a research study for explaining marketing mix in the hotel chain. The researchers had mentioned that hospitality industry being one of the most dynamic industries needs to have effective marketing strategies that can help the firms in influencing the customers. The study suggested that the firms operating in this industry needs to focus on having an effective marketing strategy and should focus on all the four factors of the marketing mix in an appropriate manner. It can be said that the companies needs to use different marketing strategies according to the different factors of the particular place and then should make changes in their marketing mix accordingly.

Chou et. al. (2020) had done a research study in which the researchers had mentioned that marketing is having an impact on customer behaviour. The different marketing strategies and the way the customer reaches to the company is having an influence on the buying behaviour of the customer. In this study the researcher had explained that green marketing strategies of the company is creating a positive image among the customers. Also the study suggested that the marketing mix strategies are also affecting the buying behaviour of the customer.

Zoubi and Al-Harazneh (2021) had stated in their research study that the marketing strategies of the firm are having an impact on customer loyalty and behaviour towards the hotels. The study had found that the satisfaction level of the customer and the effectiveness of the social media marketing are the significant factors that are having an impact on customer loyalty in case of the five star hotels in Jordan. Both the customers and the managers of hotel had said that the social media marketing is having greater potential to attract the customers and maintain brand loyalty among them (Hill et. al. 2017).

Influence of customer expectations and demand on customer decision making

Customers are highly influenced by the way they receive the services from the companies. The companies needs to pay attention on offering better products and services which can satisfy the needs and expectations of the customers (Zolkiewski et. al. 2017). If the customer expectations are being fulfilled then it increases the changes of repeat shopping and affects the purchase decisions of the customers. Rahimian et. al. (2020) had stated in their study that the customer experience is having an major role to play in the sales of the company. If the organization is offering best experience to their customers then it helps them in satisfying the customers and increasing the brand loyalty as well. The study had concluded that customer experience is an important factor on which the company needs to pa y attention (Bilgin, 2018).

In support to this Wijayanti et. al. (2019) had also conducted an research study for explaining that how the customer experience affects the sales and brand loyalty. The study had mentioned that the customer experience while getting the services at the stay need to be effective. If the customers get best experiences then it increases the chances of affecting the customer decision making in an positive manner. Rahimi and Kozak, (2017) had stated in their study that the customer expectations are changing rapidly in the changing business world for the hospitality industry. According to the changing customer expectation the hotels need to pay attention on using different services that can satisfy or meet the expectations of the customers. If the companies focus on satisfying the customer expectations then it helps them in meeting the satisfaction level of the customer (Jang et. al. 2018). This affects the customer decision making and encourages repeat visits.

The hotel industry is an customer driven industry due to which for this industry the customer satisfaction is significant. Kandampully et. al. (2018) had mentioned in their study that for operating effectively in the hotel industry the companies needs to pay attention on customer services and experience. When the customers are having great experience then they share it with their family and friends. This helps the hotel firms in doing effective marketing and attracting the new customers. So it can be said that for the hotel industry firms it is significant to have great customer experience for their customers which can led them towards success and development (Bueno et. al. 2019).

In a research study Gursoy (2019) had evaluated that what are the different factors which are having an impact on the customer decision making. The study found that the satisfaction level of the customer is affected due to some of their personal factors. Along with this different factors of the hotel and the services offered by the firm affect the customer expectation and then affect the decision making of the customer. From this it can be concluded that it is essential for the firms to pay attention on meeting the customer expectations (Gupta, 2019). It is the tendency of the customers that if their needs and expectations are being fulfilled then it leads to repeat purchase and affect the decision making of the customer related to the purchase.

Impact of quality and customer service on hotel industry customers

When the customer makes the decision related to the choice of stay or selection of the hotel then there are different factors which are been taken by the customers while selection of the hotel. The service quality offered by the hotels is an crucial factor that affects the customers of the hotel industry. Mohd-Ramly and Omar, (2017) had stated that for managing the hotel business successfully it is crucial for the hotels to pay attention on the quality of the service offered by them. The services received by the customers from booking a hotel to enjoying the services in the hotel are highly affected by the quality of the services.

Priyo et. al. (2019) had mentioned that quality is one of the most important factor of the hotel customers. the researcher had mentioned that the businesses operating at the hospitality industry need to pay attention on offering high quality services to their customers which can help them in managing the managing the company performance and brand image in the market. In support to this Nobar and Rostamzadeh, (2018) had mentioned that the businesses need to pay attention on the quality of the services offered by them to the customers. This would help them in gaining competitive advantage over others and leading the firm towards success and development (Sin et. al. 2021). Along with this it is essential for the hospitality service providers to focus on service quality management that can help them in increasing the customer satisfaction which would have positive impact on the brand image and sales of the company Gursoy, (2018). The researcher had concluded that the company needs to have effective quality management and need to plan regular audits to their different departments for ensuring proper quality control. This can help them in managing the performance of the company and offering high quality services to their customers (Paul and Ponnam, 2018).

Issues in managing customer brand loyalty in hotel industry

In the present competitive business environment it is essential for the firms to pay attention on managing the competitive advantages and resources in an effective manner. Aldaihani and Ali, (2018) had mentioned in their study that the satisfaction level of the customers after using a service is having an influence on the brand loyalty. If the customers are having great customer experience then it helps the companies in repeat shopping and this also increases the brand loyalty. The service quality is an significant factor that is having an impact on the brand loyalty of the customer. From this it can be said that the hotel firms need to pay attention on managing the quality, customer satisfaction and customer experience in an effective manner for managing the brand loyalty in an efficient way (Moro et. al. 2018).

Ebrahim (2020) had stated that the marketing strategies of the company are also having an major role to play in the brand loyalty. The study had mentioned that the marketing strategies help the companies in understanding the customers and their needs. This would help them in developing effective strategies for promotion and motivating the customers to make a visit. This also helps the companies in satisfying the customer with their products and services. This finally affects the brand loyalty of the customer (Rather et. al. 2018). From this it can be said that the marketing efforts made by the company are also help the company in gaining competitive advantage over others and increasing customer loyalty. In support to this Kovaltchuk et. al. (2017) had mentioned that the increasing competitive in the hospitality industry is creating great issues and challenges for the companies in managing brand loyalty in an effective manner. From this it can be suggested that it is essential for the businesses to focus on ensuring that they offer best experience to their customers. This would help them in gaining competitive advantage over others and offering great services to their customers which is essential for leading the firm towards success and increasing brand loyalty.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Selecting the appropriate methodology for the research study is an important task for the researcher. Methodology is referred as the different method and technique which are being used by the researchers for conducting the research study in an effective and systematic manner. In the current study the researcher is focusing on identifying the effectiveness of the marketing efforts made by the case company. When the organization is operating in the tourism industry then it is essential for them to identify the market trends and the factors which are affecting the customers’ preferences and decisions while selecting a hotel. The methodology section includes different sub sections that provides detailed information related to the methodological choices made by the researcher for the research study.

Research Method

While conducting the study the researcher needs to pay attention on the methods in an effective manner. The research method is the overall plan used in the research from developing the objective to obtaining the results. Different methods are required to be used by the researchers while conducting the research (Snyder, 2019). There are two different methods of conducting the research which are qualitative and quantitative. In qualitative research the qualitative or the textual data is being collected for the research study. On the other hand in the quantitative research the researcher collects the facts and figures based on the numeric data. Both the research methods are having different pros and cons. In the present study the researcher is focusing on using qualitative data (Mohajan, 2018).

This method is being selected as this method aligns well with the research objectives. Along with this while conducting qualitative data it become easier to get more company specific details which can help in conducting high quality research study. This method is easy to use which would help the researcher in easier data analysis and getting better results for the research. The qualitative research methods are being further more classified into different types. For this study the researcher would be using experimental research method. In this method impact of different variables is being studies. For this study the researcher is focusing on identifying that what are the different variables affecting the customer satisfaction and the marketing efforts of the case company and its effectiveness for the hotel brand.

Research Philosophy

All the individuals are having a different mind-set and views regarding the things. Similarly the researchers are also having different perspectives towards the research topic. Research philosophy is the way in which the researcher opts to conduct the study on the basis of their mind-set. The research philosophies are classified as positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism and realism (Cazeaux, 2017). In the current study the researcher would be using positivism research which would help them in collecting better data based on the facts and figures. This would help them in making the research study for authentic and company specific.

Research Approach

The research approach is referred as the plan and procedures which are used in the research study for collecting, analysing and interpreting the data for the research study. It is important that the research approach should align well with the other research methodological choices then only it would help the researcher in conducting an high quality research. The choice of research approach depends on the mind-set of the research. The research approaches are of three different types which are inductive, deductive and abductive. In deductive research approach the premises are unknown and for this hypothesis are being developed. On the other hand the research study is proceeded on the basis of the objectives when inductive research approach is being used (Woiceshyn and Daellenbach, (2018). In the current study the researcher is using inductive research approach as the different variables are known but the impact of it on the company is unknown. Along with this following the objectives helps the researchers in conducting the research study in an systematic manner.

Research Design

The research design is the framework which is being selected by the researcher for combining all the different research parts. There are different types of the research designs which can be used by the researcher for this research. Different types of research designs are experimental, survey, correlation, semi-experimental, descriptive, case study research design. The choice of the research design depends on the research topic and other methodological choices made by the researchers. In the current study the researcher would be using an experimental research design (Amirkiaee and Evangelopoulos, 2018). In this research design the researcher focuses on establishing the relationship among the causes and effect of a particular situation. In this study the researcher is paying attention on identifying the factors affecting the marketing efforts of the firm and its impact on the performance of the company. From this it can be said that it is a better option to opt by the researcher to conduct the research study in an systematic manner.

Data Collection Method

Data collection method is referred as the processes or the methods that are being used in the research study for collecting the data related to the research study. The data collection methods are broadly classified as the primary or the secondary data collection methods. In primary data collection method the data is being collected by the research itself by doing the field research (SYLVIA, 2018). In contrast to this in the secondary research the researcher uses the second hand data from different academic and the literature sources which are already being published. In this study both primary and secondary data collection methods are being used for collecting the data. The major reason behind using the mixed data collection methods for the research is that it would help the researcher in conducting an high quality research study. For collecting the primary research the researcher would be collecting information by conducting questionnaire survey with the customers of the case company (Johhson and Sylvia, 2018). This would help them in getting company specific data for the research study in an effective manner.

Sampling Method

Sampling is the method of selecting the research participants for the research study from the entire population. There are different types of sampling methods which are being used for selecting the research participants. In the current study the researcher would be using probability sampling method. In this method all the individuals are having equal opportunity to get selected for the research (Gao et. al. 2020). There are different types of probability sampling method which can be used by the researcher. In the present study the researcher had used random sampling method. This is an easy method to use. Among all the customers visited the hotel the researcher had randomly selected 50 customers and had sent them the questionnaire which is required to be filed by them for the research.

Design of a Questionnaire

For the questionnaire survey it is important to design the questionnaire in an appropriate manner that should contain all the important topic and questions related to the research study. Related to the objectives and aim of the research study the researcher had developed 18 questions which are required to be answered by the participants (Taherdoost, 2017). The questions starts with getting the general information related to the age of customers and the frequency at which they are visiting Bradford. Also the researcher had paid attention towards the ethical issues and had framed the questions according to that only.

Data Analysis Method

Analysing the collected data is the most important part of the research study. There are different types of methods for analysing the data that can be used by the researcher on the basis of the types of data collected. In the current study the researcher had conducted qualitative data and for this thematic analysis would be used. Common themes would be identified on the basis of the frequency of the responses received from the research participants. Along with this for better analysis of the data MS Excel and graphs would be used so that the graphical interpretation can help in better presentation of the results. The researcher can also use the probability based model as the participants are having the opportunity to select any one option from all the available options.

Ethical considerations

While conducting the research study it is essential to pay attention on the different ethical issues. The researcher need to pay attention on the following the different rules related to the ethics which are required for conducting an high quality research. In the current study the researcher would be using both the primary and secondary data so different ethics are required to be taken in concern (Rachmawaty, 2017). The researcher would ensure that the respect and dignity of all the research participants would be taken in concern properly. Along with this the researcher would be taking written consent from all the research participants before involving them in the research study. Also they are being provided with all the basic and required details related to the research study.

The researcher would be focusing on the data protection act for keeping all the sensitive data safe and secure. Also the personal details and information related to the different research stakeholders would be kept safe and secure. While collecting the secondary data the researcher would ensure that the information should be taken from the authentic sources. The researcher would make sure that proper attention should be given to avoid the plagiarism (Foltýnek et. al. 2019). The researcher will not copy the work of any other although if any of the information is being taken then proper acknowledgement would be given to the author with the help of referencing. Also proper referencing and citations would be done in the study for giving acknowledgment to other researchers. Moreover the safety of the research participants would be the responsibility of the researcher. So it can be said that the researcher would be following all the different ethics so that the chances of ethical issues can be reduced and a high quality research can be conducted.

RESULTS

1.What is your age group?

Answer: (a) 18-28 years

(b) 29-40 years

(d) >60 years

Description: The company needs to have better knowledge related to the age of the customer. This would help them in understanding their target segment in an effective manner. For the hotel industry firms it is essential to segment the customers based on the age of the customer. In the survey it has been found that majority of the customers visiting The Park Hotel belong to the age of 40-60 years. Along with this all of them belong to the working class of the society and they are having an better budget to stay in elite hotels due to which reason they are making an stay in The Park Hotel.

2.How often do you stay in hotels in Bradford?

Answer: (a) >5 times in a year

(b) 3-4 times in a year

(d) not often

Description: Based on the results of the questionnaire survey it is clear that majority of the customer are visiting Bradford 3-4times in a year. This is because of the majority of the people in UK are belonging to working population. So this represents that according to this The Park Hotel can have better flow of the customer across the entire year.

3.What is the primary purpose of your trip?

Answer: (a) Business work

(b) Social Work

(d) Celebrating occasions

(e) Other, please specify

Description: There can be different reasons for which the individuals is making a trip to Bradford. As per the results it is clear that majority of the customer are visiting Bradford due to their business purpose. Apart from this the customers are also visiting due to the social work and celebrating the different occasions. This shows that Bradford is having a good number of tourists every year.

4.How would you rate the hotel in terms of value for price paid for services?

Answer (a) Excellent

(b) Good

(d) Poor

Description: Price is an effective factor which affects the customers decision making. In the survey the customers had mentioned that in terms of the price paid for the services offered by the hotel the service is excellent. This shows that majority of the customers have giving full rating to the services offered by the company which means that the customer are satisfied with the different services offered to them by the Park hotel.

5.How would you rate the hotels in terms of promptness of services?

Answer (a) Excellent

(b) Good

(d) Poor

Description: In terms of the promptness of the services offered by the company also the customers have given better reviews. In the survey major section of the customer had said excellent and good which means that the promptness of the services at the Park Hotel is good enough.

6.How would you rate the menu/food restaurants selection of the Park Hotel?

Answer (a) Excellent

(b) Good

(d) Poor

Description: Food is an significant factor on which the hotel firm needs to pay attention. The rating related to the menu/ food is also good for The Park hotel. Majority of the customer had mentioned that the menu is excellent and some of the customer said that it is good and average. from this it can be interpreted that the Park Hotel is having an attractive menu/food restaurant selection.

7.How do you get to know about the services and offers of The Park Hotel?

Answer: (a) Through Friends/ Relatives

(b) Social media handle of the hotel

(d) Other websites and online travel agencies

(e) Other, Please Specify

Description: The way in which the customers had reached to the hotel is also important. In this context majority of the customer had get to know regarding the hotel from the social media handle of the hotel. Apart from this the customers had also heard about the hotel from their family/ friends, online websites and TV advertisement. This shows that the company is making good marketing efforts but further improvement is required.

8.Would you recommend The Park Hotel to your friend?

Answer (a) Yes

(b) No

Description: When the customers are being asked regarding their recommendations to other they they said yes. Majority of the customer had said that they would be recommending Th Park Hotel to their friend and family members. This reflects their satisfaction level from the visit made to the Park Hotel.

9.Was the Location of the Park Hotel a factor when you booked the room?

Answer (a) Yes

(b) No

Description: Location is an major factors which affects the decisions of the customer while booking a stay. When the customers are being asked regarding this then majority of the customer had said that yes location of the Park Hotel was an important factor which has being considered by them while booking a hotel.

10.Was the Price of the Park Hotel a factor when you booked the room?

Answer (a) Yes

(b) No

Description: From the results it can be said that the price charged by Park Hotel is an important factor which is being considered by the customers while booking the stay at Park Hotel. This shows that Price is always a great factor which affect the customers decision making.

11.Why you chose the Park Hotel?

Answer: (a) Cleanliness

(b) Well-equipped room

(d) Availability of public areas and amenities

(e) Other, please specify

Description: While choosing a hotel different factors are being taken in concern by the individuals. In the case of Park hotel the customers had mentioned that cleanliness, well equipped rooms and the customer service offered by the company are the major factors for choosing the Park hotel over others.

12.What attracted you to stay at the Park Hotel in terms of their room?

Answer: (a) Size of rooms 28

(b) Comfortable beds 4

(d) Shower/ Toilet facilities 13

(e) Internet connectivity 25

(f) TV facilities 16

(g) Other, Please specify

Description: There are different factors which can attract the customers to stay at the Park hotel. Regarding this majority of the customers had said that size of the rooms and several other services have attracted them to stay at the Park Hotel.

13.What attracted you to stay at the Park Hotel in terms of their other services?

Answer (a) Stay package 27

(b) Gym 2

(d) Event facilities 1

(e) Gift vouchers

(f) Other, Please Specify 1

Description: In terms of the other services the customers said that stay package is also an very important factor which is attracting the customers to stay at the Park Hotel. Apart from this several other additional services offered by the company is also attracting the customers to stay.

14.What kind of social media marketing tool do you use when booking to stay at the Park Hotel Bradford?

Answer: (a) Hotel Website 29

(b) Facebook

(d) Facebook/ Twitter 5

(e) By Phone 15

Description: There can be different social media marketing tool which are used by the customers for booking the hotel. The results showed that hotel website, facebook /twitter and phone are used for booking a stay at the Park Hotel Bradford.

15.How do you see the Park Hotel Marketing Strategy?

Answer: (a) Customer driven 27

(b) Sales and profit driven

(d) In Line with competition

Description: The customers had given different views related to the marketing strategy. The customers had represented that the marketing strategies of Park hotel is customer driven and is low cost marketing promotions. This shows that company need to invest more in the marketing strategies.

16.What attracted you to choose the Park Hotel?

Answer (a) Location

(b) Price

(d) Product

(e) Other, Please specify

Responses/Description: The customers had ranked these factors on the basis of important, most important and not important. As per the results it is interpreted that location and price are the major factors which had helped the case company in attracting the customers.

17.How would you rank the following in order of priority when choosing a hotel?

Answer (a) Location

(b) Price

(d) Promotion

(e) Other, Please specify

Responses/Description: In the order of ranking the priority of the customers while selecting the hotel there are different factors which are required to be taken in concern. The customers said that price is the most important factor which is taken in concern while booking a stay. Other than this location and place are also the important factors

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

Based on the results it can be said that there are different factors which are having an impact on the customer decision related to the stay in the Park hotel in Bradford. The questionnaire survey had provided detailed information related to the different factors which can create issues for the firms in managing the customers and their decision making. Some of the common factors which are affecting customer decision making are being explained below. Along with this as per the analysis it can be said that the firms need to focus on 4P's of marketing are also discussed below such as:

Factors affecting customer decision making and 4P’s of marketing for The Park Hotel based on the analysis

Marketing is having an major role to play in the success of the company. All the companies operating in the hospitality industry invests high amount of capital in the marketing which can help them in attracting the customers in an effective manner. The Park Hotel is having an effective market image in Bradford which helps them in getting the attraction of all the customers and increasing the sales (Kim et. al. 2021). As per the results collected from the research it is clear that the company needs to pay more attention on the different factors which are having an influence on the company performance and decision making of the customers.

While doing marketing it is essential that the company should focus on all the four important factors which are having an major role to play in marketing of the firm. The customers are having better perception towards the quality of the food and services offered by the case company (Shah et. al. 2018). The products offered by the hotel are having an major role to play in the success of the company. The organisation needs to pay more attention towards the quality of their food and other services offered by the firm. The company had received better views related to the quality of the food and other services. Along with this the customers are happy regarding the services and offers which are being offered by the company. The Park Hotel need to pay attention on the product range and the different services which are being offered by the hotel brand to the customers as this would help them in improving the performance of the firm.

For the hotel industry the location is also an major factor which is having an impact on the sales and profitability of the firm. From this it can be said that it is essential for the case company to focus on place. There are different primary reasons for which the customers ate visiting Bradford as per the questionnaire survey. From this it can be said that the case company need to focus on offering the offers and services based on the purpose of the visit (Pappas, 2018). This would help the hotel in attracting the customers and influencing their decision making towards the booking of the stay in Bradford.

Now if we look forward then pricing is always an crucial factor which affects the purchase decisions of the customer. The customers visiting The Park Hotel had explained that pricing is also an important factor which is being kept by them in mind while booking the hotel. From this it is clear that the company is having effective pricing strategy which is helping them in attracting the customers (Hyun and Perdue, 2017). Along with this the hotel should offer different types of discounts and offers to the customers during the season in which the number of visitors in Bradford are more. This would help them in attracting the customers and increasing sales of company which would help them in leading the firm towards success and doing effective marketing as well.

Attracting the customers in an effective manner is very essential for the businesses which are having an impact on the success of the company. In the hotel industry it is important for the company to use multiple strategies for promoting their products in an effective manner. Along with this the hotel brands need to make all the information to their customers related to the pay and the offers which are being offered by them to the customers. In the recent decades the use of social media and digital platforms had increased to a greater extent (Jacobson et. al. 2020). For this the company need to pay attention on doing effective social media market for reaching out to the customers. Along with this the company can also use influencer marketing and other types of digital marketing platforms for attracting the customers. For influencing the decision making of the customers it is essential for the company to pay attention on their marketing efforts which can make it easier for the firm to react out to the customer (Alnawas and Hemsley-Brown, 2019).

As per the analysis it can be said that the company is doing well in their social media marketing but is not effective in attracting the customers through offline marketing practices. Both online and offline promotions are equally important for attracting the customers belonging to the different sections and age group of the population. Different offline promotional activities should also be used by the firms which can help them in attracting all the potential customers in an efficient manner (Jin et. al. 2019). From this it can be said that the case company need to pay attention on all the four P's of marketing in an effective manner for leading the firm towards success and development.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the above mentioned dissertation it can be said that for the hotel industry there are different significant factors which are having an influence on the decision making of the customers. The Park Hotel would have to focus on all those factors which are affecting the decision making process of their customers while booking a hotel for stay in Bradford. The service quality is the crucial factor which is found to be having an major role to play for the hospitality service providing firms. Apart from this the pricing strategy and the price of the accommodation which is being charged by the firms are having an important role to play in the success of the firm. The price and the service are the primary factors which are being considered by the customers while making a decision of booking a hotel. From the analysis of the questionnaire it had been found that the case company is paying attention on both the factors for managing the customers and meeting their expectations in an effective manner.

Both customer satisfaction and the level at which the company is meeting the demand and expectations of their customers is also an crucial factor which is having an major role to play in decision making. As per the results of the questionnaire survey it can be said that the businesses are managing the customers in an effective manner. But The Park Need to pay attention on their quality of food and services and continuous improvement in it can help them in becoming more competitive in the industry. Along with this the case company should also pay attention on satisfying the customers whenever they connect with the organisation. For this it can be recommended that the case company should focus on offering better training to their employees. Along with this company should invest better capital in the training and development of their employees this can help them in keeping the employees motivated to deliver high quality work to the firm. Also the company should pay attention on the analysis of the company performance (Romero and Tejada, 2020). Regular feedbacks are required to be collected through the customers while visiting the hotel. This can help The Park hotel in managing the businesses in an effective manner. Along with this the company should focus on bringing continuous improvement in their business operations and working processes which can help them in offering better service to their customers.

Marketing is very crucial of the success of the company in the hotel industry. The case company is doing well but then also they are having less effective marketing strategies. Based on the survey it can be concluded that The Park Hotel need to focus on doing effective marketing (Parvez et. al. 2018). The marketing mix need to help the company in attracting the potential customers in an effective manner. From this it can be recommended that the case company should focus on both online and offline marketing strategies. The major section of the customer belonging to the hotel is the young customers and for attracting them digital marketing and social media marketing would be effective.

For this the company should focus on attracting the customers with better presence on the online platforms. This would help them in reaching out to the customers easily. There are different modern approaches which can be used by the firm for attracting the customers (Bazazo et. al. 2017). Influencer marketing is also an effective strategy which is recommended to the case company. The Park Hotel should focus on tying up with the local influencers which can help them in communicating all the information detail related to the offers offered by the case company. Along with this it would also help them in attracting all the potential customers belonging through different places across the nation.

The Park Hotel should pay attention on all the four P's of marketing mix. This would help them in influencing the decision making of their customers in the context of hotel booking. Along with this it would also help them in managing the customer satisfaction and meeting the customer expectations by offering better services to them. So it can be recommended that the case company should focus on the results of the research study for development better strategies related to the improvement of the 4P's of marketing. Changed strategies related to product, place, price and promotion would be effective in attracting the customers (Samatovich, 2021). Also this would help them in changing the customers’ perspective towards the case company. This will help them in having higher number of customers and leading the firm towards success in an effective manner. Moreover the major changes in the marketing strategies would be the game changer for the company. This would help them in gaining competitive advantage over others and leading the industry in an efficient manner.

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