Introduction
The demand for hotel rooms in any hotel varies throughout the year. The Accra Hotel is no exception to this as the exhibits provided show a variation in the occupancy rate as the year progresses. There are peak periods and off-peak periods (Robert, 2006). These variations are brought about by a number of factors which are explained below.
The climatic of the area where the Accra Beach Hotel is located plays an important role. The Accra hotel is located in a region that has tropical climate and this acts as its advantage. During winter, the people opt to go for vacations in areas that are warmer. This gives the Accra Hotel and advantage due to its warm environs during this period. The summer periods in these regions of the Caribbean experiences fewer vacationers and therefore act as an off-peak period.
The variations of events such as those in the sports calendar also play an important factor affecting the demand for rooms. Some sports events move around the world throughout the year. For the Accra Beach Hotel, the sporting activity that may affect its demand for rooms is the West Indies Cricket Home Series which also features India and New Zealand. These series is divided into three parts and takes place between the months of April and June in the environs of the Accra Beach Hotel. Therefore the teams together with its supporters will require accommodation and meals and the hotel will therefore act as one of the viable options.
Market segmentation
The hotel’s market is divided in different segments. The first of these segments include the vacationers who conduct their travels independently. They pay their bills at the time they conduct their activities and they are moving around the place for the purpose of relaxation. The second segment comprises of corporate clients. These are clients who have come to the place purposely for business activities. These are mainly from the Barbados Cable and Wireless and also the Caribbean International Banking Corporation. The third segment includes the vacationers who travel with tour operators and travel managers. These operators guide them throughout their travels and also organize these vacations in advance for their clients.
The segmentation of the clients has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that the clients can be maintained throughout the year. This is because the different segments may be visiting the hotel at different times of the year. This may result in maintaining a consistent and predictable schedule for the visits (Malcolm & Ian, 2004). The vacationers may occupy the rooms during the vocational periods while the corporate people will visit the hotel at any time of the year. The main disadvantage of having these varied segments is the fact that they may not accommodate one another. Some of them may find the company of the others uncomfortable and this may result in a decrease in the occupancy rate.
Considerations facing the hotel
The trend of the occupancy in the hotels is one of the factors. The number of people visiting the hotel prior to this event is important. This is because the West Indies Cricket Board assures them that they will book 50 rooms and if the occupancy rate is decreasing this may be a viable option. The Hotel should also consider the prospect of the cricket team attracting more vacationers during their stay at the hotel. The Hotel should also consider that the number of cricket fans is not that big and therefore thorough analysis on the financial implications should be carried out (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2010). Another factor to consider is also the effect in which the presence of the cricket player will have on other vacationers.
Cherita Howard action
The analysis of the implications of hosting the cricket team included checking the revenue it will generate considering all the aspects of the deal. The analysis considered the revenue when the team is hosted and when it is not. The analysis shows that Cherita should host the cricket team. This is because the deal will result in more profit for the hotel and also the advertisement the board promises to do during their games will help increase the hotel’s image.
References
Lovelock, C., & Wirtz, J. (2010). Services Marketing. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall.
Malcolm, M., & Ian, D. (2004). Market Segmentation. London: MacMillan.
Robert, W. (2006). The White Paper Marketing Handbook. Ohio: Thomson.