African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure (May 2019)
Analysing the use of integrated marketing communication at the View Boutique Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa
Abstract
Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is an instrument whereby organisations can create and nurture stakeholder relationships. The aim of this study was to analyse the use of IMC by the View Boutique Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa. To analyse the IMC at the hotel, in-depth interviews were conducted with both marketing employees and guests. In the aspect of planned messages, the outcome of the study revealed that the hotel uses marketing communication tools on a limited scale and that to ensure message consistency the manager handles all external communication activities. The study concluded that ensuring message consistency should be the responsibility of everyone employed in the hotel. With regard to the product messages, the study showed that guests were negatively disposed towards the food, beverages, entertainment and recreation offered by the hotel. However, the service messages of the study indicated that the hotel’s service quality was good and that the employees were responsive to the needs of the guests. In respect of unplanned messages, the study showed that the hotel was receiving limited coverage from the media and that word-of-mouth communication was an effective tool in the hotel’s communication toolbox. On the whole, it may therefore be said that the study underscores the centrality of IMC as an instrument for creating and nurturing the relations between the hotel and its quests. It is anticipated that the outcome of this study could provide hotels such as the View Boutique Hotel with guidance in regard to utilising IMC to its full potential to make sure that there is message consistency and also to optimise communication impact.
