Skip to main content

The benefits of free stuff (by Shanti Huang)

There are several reasons to opt for a hotel stay when visiting your family for the holidays.

As the front desk receptionist conversed with my parents in the lobby of the Luxor Hotel, I distinctly remember her exclaiming at the 5 Guys soda cup they placed at the counter. This led them down a rabbit hole of enthusiastic conversation about how delightful the hamburger restaurant was. 


Later, my mother pulled my arm and told me in Chinese, “Say thank you to the kind lady.” I did so dutifully. Moments later, I delightfully discovered that the woman had upgraded our simple one-bedroom room all the way to a suite for free! That trip turned out to be one of the most memorable vacations I’ve ever had. 


Looking back, I always wondered why she did it. Did she notice the exhausted expressions on my parents’ faces after a long drive? Or the 4 children behind them, running around and playing with one another despite the repeated instructions to stay still by their parents? Or did she take sympathy to the fact that despite our large family, we squeezed ourselves into a humble room because that was all that we could afford, causing my brothers to play multiple rounds of rock paper scissors to decide who would be sleeping on the floor? Whatever her motive was, I’ve always been grateful to her for creating one of the first magical moments in my experiences with the hotel industry. 

Creating those special experiences

 

Examples like mine are nothing revolutionary. The service industry has long understood the power of changing experience through an unexpected gift. 


Disney, for instance, allows its cast members at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or other parks to create what they call magical moments. According to an explanation by a previous cast member Stephen Porter, “ [m]agical moments are a spur of the moment act of kindness between cast members and the guests.” These can include instances, “as small as giving a child a Mickey sticker, or as large as upgrading your resort hotel room to a much nicer room.” Through this technique, guests in the park feel appreciative that they were recognized and feel valued as a visitor when they see cast members take the effort to turn their negative situation into a positive and memorable experience. This can lead to a domino effect, causing the guests to repeatedly return because they understand that they are appreciated and help add to the good reputation that the park has resulting in new guests who are excited to be a part of the magic. 

Utilizing "free" stuff in sales and marketing

 

Freebie marketing is an effective strategy that benefits a company, either for a long-established firm or a budding startup. Freebie marketing can help a company gain more visibility among consumers, increase client databases through the collection of consumers' contact information, such as an email address to send them newsletters with information regarding the company, and increase sales due to the exposure and garnered the interest of new customers. 


To prevent freebie marketing debt, however, it is important to make sure that the strategy is part of a larger marketing plan. Or, it will become a surefire way to bankruptcy. Businesses should utilize freebies as an addition to an existing product/service. A restaurant can offer a free appetizer with the purchase of an entrĂ©e. 


Additionally, it can be beneficial to target certain people to expose a product. Influencers with a large number of followers can help a business narrow down their target audience and increase the desirability aspect of a product.

 

What are some other ways to strategize freebie marketing to benefit a company? How can the hospitality industry implement freebie marketing to create more positive experiences?

 

About the Author

 

Shanti Huang is currently a first-year student at the Collins College of Hospitality Management, Cal Poly Pomona with an emphasis on lodging. She is currently involved with the Hotel, Resort, and Destination Professionals Organization and will soon become the Director of Communications for the Hotel Management Council. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she is hoping to receive a management position in a hotel where she can continue to lead and help create joy within the industry. 

 

Works Cited

 

·      Porter, Stephen. “What Is a Disney Magical Moment?” Disney World - The Largest Unofficial Online Guide to Disney World, Walt Disney World, Werner Technologies, 16 Aug. 2016, www.wdwinfo.com/disneylandcalifornia/what-is-a-magical-moment/.

·      Picture Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sponsor-story/staybridge-suites-an-ihg-hotel/2019/11/01/its-ok-stay-hotel-when-youre-visiting-family-holidays/4111383002/

 

 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Luxury vs. Millennials and Their Technology: The Ritz-Carlton (By Julia Shorr)

Embodying the finest luxury experience, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC has been established since 1983. In 1998, Marriott International purchased the brand offering it more opportunity for growth while being independently owned and operated. They are known for their enhanced service level as the motto states, “Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen”. The luxury brand now carries 97 hotels and resorts internationally and is attempting to keep the aspects of luxury while keeping up with the trends of the technologically improving generations. The Varying Demographics of the Target Market The Ritz-Carlton’s typical target market includes: business executives, corporate, leisure travelers, typically middle-aged persons and elders, and families from the upper and upper-middle class section of society .   This infers a large range of types of travelers in which all are similar in that they are not opposed to spending extra for the luxurious ambiance. However, w...

In what ways will AI affect restaurant operations?

A new wave of industrial revolution is here --- AI (artificial intelligence) will change everything we do. Undoubtedly, AI can improve restaurant operations.     Menu Engineering and Quality Control    AI can provide insights into a restaurant’s menu offerings and pricing strategies based on consumer data and market trends. Restaurant owners can adjust the recipes/menu and price accordingly.     AI can help restaurants monitor food temperature, cleanliness, and safety procedures, ensuring they comply with health and safety regulations. For example, AI can remind a sushi chef to replace a sushi plate that has been “sitting” on the conveyor belt for too long with a more popular item.     Consumer Experience   AI can help restaurants create location-based, personalized marketing campaigns to reach specific and targeted customers at the right time. Then, AI-empowered chatbots, reservation, and table management systems can help restaurants an...

Is It OK for Hotel Staff to Wear Piercings and Tattoos?

Time has changed. I see more and more college students wearing piercings and tattoos nowadays, but is it OK for hotel staff to wear piercings and tattoos? The answer is “no, no, no.” According a report at USAToday.com, customers across the board do not want to see any hotel workers with pierced eyebrow, pierced tongue, tattooed arm, or nose ring. Some may argue that tattooed and pierced workers may seem more acceptable in edgy boutique hotels as compared to the big franchised hotels, but the survey results did not find any differences among a variety of lodging products. Many respondents believe people who wear visible tattoos and piercings are taking a high risk of their professional lives. If you stay in a hotel, do you mind being served by tattooed and/or pierced staff? What if you are the one who makes the hiring decision? References: USAToday.com: http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010 Picture was downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010P