"Hotel Marketing is not about selling beds. It is the art and science of communicating a stay experience for your guests to dream about. And having fun while doing it."
I have worked in hotel marketing for more than a decade. After hearing thousands of stories from my sister who worked in the industry during my college days – I knew that one day, I would end up in it. It sounded so colorful and so eventful. A mix of work and play. If you have the aptitude for communications, colors, a splash of imagination, and a great dose of people skills – then working in hotel marketing might be worth exploring.
Here are the reasons why I love Hotel Marketing:
1. The Creativity
If you are the type who likes their creative visions turned into reality, then definitely look into hotel marketing. The more creative and astounding your ideas are – the better. Competition is fierce so you need to always find ways to create stories about your hotel. Be creative with your promotions. Be creative in your communications. Be creative with your events. Creativity is key in hotel marketing while understanding the boundaries of your brand guidelines.
As a marketer - Creativity extends as well in creating marketing strategies. Instead of just blindly punching numbers - you get handed a budget and have to imagine ways on how you can spend those on getting visibility and revenue for the hotel.
I love being creative. It’s my reason for being. When I was working in hotel marketing – I was able to find an outlet for my creative spirit. From as simple as designing a promotion or as exciting as branding an entire restaurant’s concept.
2. The Excitement
There’s a never-ending buzz when working in hotels, especially in marketing. Remember that your department is the face, mouth, and ears of the hotel. All departments need you to provide them with visibility, and communication, as well as to update them with the latest trends.
You are always on the high. Every day is a different day. Expect the unexpected.
Hotel marketing is not a cookie-cutter job. Do not expect to be just sitting behind your computer or looking at random brochures. Yes, those are part of it, but it is much more than that.
As an example – my Digital Marketing Manager rushed to buy a new Christmas tree a few hours before the event as the tree we ordered for the lighting ceremony was never delivered. Was it something she thought would happen the day before? Definitely no. Was it a story that is worth repeating years after? Definitely yes.
3. The People
On a professional front – you are surrounded by people who have dedicated their lives to guest service. Ensuring guests’ comfort, well-being, and happiness.
On a personal front - The best people I’ve known in my life – I’ve met in hotels. Brimming with passion and stories. An ex-director sings like a dream and heads a rock band. An old GM’s summer is defined by how large his garden tomatoes have grown in Tahiti. A marketing colleague embraced yoga and spent months in India practicing it. The stories of passion are endless. If you are passionate about what you love and what you do. Hoteliers are your kind of people.
These passionate people will be your clients or partners, depending on the situation. They make the guests happy when dealing with the day-to-day operations. You make them happy by supporting them with the marketing needs that allow them to serve guests. Whether it’s a menu, a press release, or something extraordinary.
Furthermore, in marketing – you get to work and partner with different types of people from outside your working environment. I’ve been in the same room as royalty, celebrities, artists, sportsmen, and the like. You get to liaise with media such as TV personalities and such. At the same time – depending on the campaign you’ve designed – you also get to work with charity organizations and mingle with those who need it. Giving you a balanced look at life and plenty of opportunities for personal growth – making you more grounded as a person and more contacts as a marketer.
4. The Perks
Being a hotelier has great benefits especially if you work with a hotel chain. Stay discounts for yourself and even family members in this hotel and if you work in a hotel chain – in other destinations as well. Complimentary uniform. Complimentary laundry. Complimentary food in the cafeteria.
As a marketing person – you get to sample all of what the hotel offers. You can dine in your restaurants when entertaining media and other marketing guests. Furthermore, the best way to communicate about something is to experience it. Hotel stay, spa treatment, food tasting, and more.
5. The Opportunity
There are so many opportunities when working in hotels. And yes, especially when you work in marketing.
Opportunity to grow. Since you work with all the various operating departments – you get a glimpse of what they do. And if one day – you want to venture out of marketing, you already have an idea of which department would best work for you.
Opportunity to learn. Hotel training is there from leadership to understanding your emotional intelligence to more – there are already standard pieces of training designed. On top of this – as a marketing person, sometimes there are pieces of training that are beyond the hotel’s in-house trainers. Hence, you get the opportunity to learn this somewhere else. And because the hotel would ultimately benefit from it – this is always paid for by the property. As always in marketing – if you are pitching for something make sure to present it right along with the expected ROI.
6. The Exposure
From someone who was brought up sheltered on a small island – working in a hotel has provided me with so much exposure. Especially in marketing. It has exposed me to understanding different cultures, communicating with different types of people, and handling different types of situations.
As an introvert who used to cower in ordering alone at a fast food joint – working in hotel marketing has boosted my confidence due to the exposure I have received. I can attend events and build a conversation with another attendee who is a stranger. I can walk into the grandest hotels and appreciate them for what it is instead of getting overwhelmed. Furthermore, it teaches you to understand nuances in terms of cultural sensitivity and political correctness. Learnings received from exposure develop not only your marketing acumen but you as a person as well. Hotel marketing pushes you to be the best that you can be. You only need the discipline and willingness to rise to the challenge.
7. The Stories
I am a junky for stories. I love to listen to them, talk about them, watch them and read about them. Working in hotels – you will hear thousands of stories and you will also create millions of memories.
Especially in marketing. You get to create stories from the events you conceptualized. The partners you have developed. Storytelling is part of your work – and to create stories you have to look for those and experience them. From interviewing your team to creating bios you get to see your colleague’s journeys and learn from those. From going around the hotel – you can find inspiration on what to tell or what more to create.
Working in hotel marketing has changed my life in so many ways. It has fed my need to create and at the same time – it made me work in an industry that has always been one of my passions – travel. It has been instrumental in making me grow as a professional and as a person. It helped me meet great people that some turned into lifelong friends. It has given me amazing experiences. Stories that will always stay with me.
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