1. Carlton Al-Moaibed Hotel Marketing Research Plan Prepared by Manal Assaad

2. Marketing Research Marketing Research is the process of systematic gathering, recording and analyzing of data relating to the marketing and consumption of a product (goods or services): Whether or not consumers would want a product. What type of promotion will be effective The functions or facilities a product should have What style, shape, color or form a product should take The price people would be prepared to pay for a product Where people would wish to purchase a product Information about consumers themselves What consumers buy at present The main benefit of marketing research is that it allows a business to make more informed decisions.

3. The Decision Making Process The Role of the Marketing Research Collect Analyze Choose Identify Communicate Information Information a course Outcome Objectives and carry out and Ideas and Ideas of action

4. Identify Objectives

5. The Scope of Marketing Research Areas of research Possible elements to be considered Identifying market trends The Market Identifying market segments Building up a profile of potential / actual consumers Analyzing their strengths and weaknesses Competition Finding information on competitors (prices, sales, etc.) Analyzing the effectiveness of promotional materials Promotion Decide upon choice of media for promotions Identifying consumer wants The Product Developing new ideas Assessing consumer reaction to newly launched product Discovering the value consumers place on the product Pricing the product Identifying the sensitivity of the demand for the product to changes in its price

6. Collect Information and Ideas

7. Desk Research It involves the use of Secondary Data. This is information which already exists in some form. It is not always in the desired form because it has been collected for other purposes. Therefore it needs to be adapted before it can be used. Resources: Existing Market research reports. Sales figures (broken down to market segments) Reports from members of the sales force resulting from direct contact with customers Internet data. Information from competitors Government publications Data from customer services on complaints which have been received about a product/service. General publications (Newspapers, magazine articles, etc.)

8. Field Research It involves collecting Primary Data. This is information that doesnt already exist. It has to be collected by the researcher. Primary information can be used to gain marketing advantages over rival firms because they dont have access to it. However, Primary data can be expensive and time consuming to collect. Resources: Sampling Designs: Stratified Random Sampling: Proportional random samples from logical samples. Cluster Sampling: random samples from logical geographically dispersed clusters Multi-Stage Sampling: sampling following different stages until final sample. Research design Specification: Quantitative Techniques: use of statistics. Questionnaires Scales Qualitative Techniques: comprehensive analysis. Personal Interviews Telephone Interviews Internet Surveys Focus Group

9. Analyze Information

10. Descriptive Techniques Much of the information collected will be too detailed to be useful. It is necessary for this raw data to be organized into a form that can be used to make a decision effectively. Descriptive Techniques can be used to present the data in a more perceivable manner. Methods: Graphical Description: use graphs to summarize data examples: histograms, scattergrams, bar charts, pie charts Tabular Description: use tables to summarize data examples: frequency distribution schedule, cross tabs Parametric Description: estimate the values of certain parameters which summarize the data o Central Tendency o Statistical Dispersion

11. Descriptive Techniques - Sample Reviews of 26 Customers 20 18 Nu. Of 16 14 Comments 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Reviews on the Hotels: Faisaliah Hotel (Riyadh), Carlton AlMoaibed (Khobar), Four Seasons Hotel (Riyadh), InterContinental Hotel (Riyadh), Le Gulf Meridien Hotel (Khobar), Salaheldine Hotel (Riyadh), Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers (Riyadh), AlGosaibi Hotel (Khobar), Marriott Hotel (Riyadh), AlKhobar Holiday Inn (Khobar).

12. Choose a Course of Action

13. Making a Decision Based on the Analysis report, a decision can be made and action will be taken. If a decision cannot be made effectively, the previous two stages of the process (Collecting and Analyzing Information) will have to be repeated to reach a decision. The decision then will be communicated and carried out to arrive to the desired outcome (achieve the set objectives)

14. Thank You