The Comfort Inn Downtown Vancouver is one of Canada’s best hotel values. It is affordable yet luxurious. It offers all the amenities of home, while offering cost savings for each and every customer.
The Comfort Inn Downtown Vancouver works with a few different main customer demographics. The Comfort Inn Downtown Vancouver caters to a variety of individuals, with both personal and commercial demands. The ages of these customers ranges from 18-65+ for leisure travelers. Being that this hotel is located downtown, it also does a considerable amount of business for commercial travelers. Mostly in the 35-54 age range, business travelers often spend more and book more days. According to a variety of different sources and personal accounts obtained from interviewing several downtown Vancouver hotel front desk associates over the phone, business travelers make up around 65% of all hotel stays on average, and this is similar for the Comfort Inn Downtown Vancouver.
There are a wide variety of different types of travelers, in a wide range of ages. Business travelers have their own set of preferences that are characteristic of their group. In general, business travelers are staying for work and therefore they have a special set of needs that separate them from leisure travelers. They are usually single travelers or if traveling in a group – still sometimes book their own room. This means they almost always do not have the same desires or needs as a family or individual leisure traveler. According to Hoang (2014) business travelers have special concerns that distinguish them from other travelers and these concerns include location needs, technology requirements, and a need for more inclusive amenities. Hoang (2014) notes that location is important because business travelers need to ensure that their hotel is close to where meetings may be, and close to convention centers ( para. 2). Comfort Inn downtown location ensures both of these things, as many convention centers and businesses are close to downtown. Comfort Inn offers Wi-Fi, and this type of connectivity is important to business travelers who must be connected for work (Hoang, 2014, para. 3). Hoang (2014) also explains that hot coffee, a hot breakfast, and things like an ironing board for business attire, are all very important to these types of customers (para. 5).
Those who travel for leisure have their own set of important features that they will likely look for in a hotel. Hoang (2014) includes good pricing, specials, package, and extra features all as services and features important to leisure travelers. For example, according to Google’s 2014 Travelers (as cited in Hoang, 2014), those who travel for leisure often look for cheaper prices than business travelers and that “a majority of 63% of leisure Travellers are price-sensitive when deciding which hotel the book with” (para. 6). Hoang (2014) also notes that Leisure Travelers typically turn to the internet or friends and family to search for reviews about potential places to stay. Also, leisure travellers often couple their hotel with other features of a package such as a rental car or tickets to an attraction.
There are many different advantageous places for Comfort Inn to advertise in order to attract business and pleasure travelers. One of the biggest draws is always going to be billboards and highway-side signs. Often times, the choice of where to stay is not made ahead of time, and these types of advertisements can be these best way to attract travelers who have not already made arrangements. Typically, if travelers have not already made a decision or been swayed by other types of advertising, billboards and signs can be the best (and sometimes only) way to still influence the decisions of these travelers. According to FlipHound (2017), a company specializing in billboard advertising, the average driver spends about 15 hours a week in a car, not to mention that those who travel by car are often spending even more time (para. 2). This creates plenty of incentive to rely on this medium for advertising. According to Aland (2017), a standard billboard goes for around $14,000 a month in a big city, and is passed by up to 18,945,000 adults in that time. Another key mode of advertising for the Comfort Inn Downtown Vancouver will be through television. According to Choice Hotels (2016), the parent company of Comfort Inn hotels, “advertising efforts include national television, internet and radio advertising, online advertising, social media/digital advertising, print advertising in consumer and trade media and promotional events” (p. 20). These same efforts will be used to focus on the local markets as well, with television advertising being posted on local television stations. This allows the hotel to get local exposure, as well as create awareness with locals in Vancouver who are often the source of recommendations for vistors and family. Being that around 65% of travelers to Comfort Inn are usually business travelers, adverstisiments will be taken out in trade magazines and publications for industries that have a home in downtown Vancouver. There will also be a focus on upcoming conventions for these industries.
A variety of different packages will be promoted. For leisure travelers, who often look to package other travel needs with their hotel stays, Comfort Inn can promote a package that includes discounts on rental car reservations. Also, a seasonal billboard can advertise a package which includes tickets for the Grouse Mountain Skyride, the Museum of Vancouver, and the Space Centre, all of which are popular family vacation destinations in Downtown Vancouver. Advertisements can also highlight the Comfort Inn’s spa, which features a variety of services such as massages. For business travelers, advertisements can highlight access to nearby pubs and restaurants, which can be attractive locations for business lunches and meet-ups, and can also highlight access to computers, high-speed internet, and printers and fax capabilities. Both leisure and business travelers will also appreciate the Comfort Inn’s fitness center, which can be showcased in a billboard ad appealing to both types of travelers, from all age groups.
- Aland, M. (2017). How Much Does Billboard Advertising Cost?. FitSmallBusiness. Retrieved from http://fitsmallbusiness.com/how-much-does-billboard-advertising-cost/
- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (2016). Form 10-K.
- Fliphound. (n.d.). Hospitality Billboard Advertising & Marketing. Retrieved from http://fliphound.com/hotel-hospitality-resort-billboard-advertising-marketing
- Hoang, A. (2014). Understanding the Differences Between Business and Leisure Travelers. E-Marketing Associates. Retrieved from http://www.e-marketingassociates.com/understanding-differences-business-vs-leisure-travelers/
