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Hospitality marketing, like any other marketing field, is constantly evolving. The hospitality industry is one of the most dynamic and fast-paced sectors, with ever-changing customer demands and emerging trends. Technology, globalization, and shifting consumer behaviours are just a few factors that are driving rapid changes in the hospitality marketing landscape.

One of the most significant changes in hospitality marketing is the growing emphasis on digital marketing. With the rise of social media, mobile devices, and online travel agencies (OTAs), traditional marketing strategies are no longer as effective as they used to be. Today's hospitality businesses must have a strong online presence and be able to leverage digital channels to connect with customers and drive bookings.

The rise of mobile devices and the increasing popularity of mobile apps has also transformed the way hospitality businesses market themselves. Mobile apps are now a vital part of the travel experience, and hospitality brands must optimise their apps for ease of use and provide a seamless booking process. Additionally, mobile marketing has become a critical component of many hospitality marketing campaigns, as businesses seek to reach customers on-the-go and provide relevant offers and promotions.

Personalisation is another key trend in hospitality marketing. Today's consumers expect personalised experiences, and hospitality marketers are responding by leveraging data to create customized offers and recommendations that cater to individual preferences.

Overall, hospitality marketing is evolving rapidly to keep up with changing consumer demands and the rapid pace of technological innovation. Brands that stay ahead of the curve by embracing new trends and strategies will be in the best position to succeed in this dynamic and competitive industry.

A hotel brand doing a good job of just that is Rixos Hotels, led by Regional

Director of Marketing & Communications, Rixos Hotels Gulf, Ali Ozbay.

As a consummate professional and dedicated individual, Ali has over 20+ years of experience in well-reputed international companies in both the UK and the Middle East. He worked in a range of established organisations in the F&B and hospitality industry and brings an abundance of experience to his role with Rixos Hotels.

Through his vast experience in the industry, he has gained a complete and thorough understanding of online/offline marketing channels and practical experience across the hospitality and media sectors. With his knowledge and keen mind, he develops and implements global marketing and communications and business development strategies across the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer markets (B2C) with a clear focus on brand development, revenue generation and increasing profitability.

Starting his career back in 2001 as a Food and Beverage Assistant at the Hilton Brighton Metropole in the UK, he transitioned to the marketing side of hospitality in 2003 as Marketing Manager for Malmaison and hasn’t looked back since. His journey to date has seen him working in various roles in marketing & communications field and he has developed and managed extremely successful marketing strategies in this time. He is also well-versed in delivering multichannel campaigns across different platforms from email, web, and mobile to social media and has built and guided several overachieving teams throughout his career.

Ali has a keen eye for captivating storytelling and believes in the power of quality content throughout all marketing communications. He fits perfectly with the ethos of Rixos Hotels as his forward-thinking nature ideally matches with the values of the brand. Having been in his current position since February 2020, Ali has witnessed the toughest times within the industry and has pivoted Rixos Hotels to maintain a strong foothold in the market through his creativity and agility.

“Hospitality marketing and communications in this region is challenging because the market is over-crowded - you end up having very similar products. Everyone starts copying each other and pushing out what they have to see what happens. It’s tough for bands to differentiate themselves totally. However for us - in terms of brand positioning, we have an advantage. We are not just a hotel brand; we are an all-inclusive luxury hotel brand, and you don’t get to see too many operators in this space.”

Ali goes on to add that hospitality has never been the sector that drives marketing, it has always been traditionally the sector that follows. While this is starting to change, more innovation, creativity, and risk needs to happen before the sector can start leading the way when it comes to marketing hotels. Yes, almost every hotel brand is present on social media, but comprehensive use of the platforms and exceptional content is the key to results.

It is important to key that communication is not just targeted at tourists. Dubai has created a community of hotels that are part of everyday life. Residents are accustomed to using hotel services in their everyday lives, like gym memberships, lunch, dinner, pool and beach access, etc.

“We need to attract more people that are living here, and I believe this is also the intention of the government. Right now, we have more supply than demand.”

When it comes to any business or brand, marketing is a very important component of success, so why should it be any different within the hospitality space? Ali explains that hotels have a lot to offer, and for Rixos the all-inclusive concept has even more to offer.

“There needs to be a mindset shift to towards what guests are looking for, it’s not just about putting heads on beds; it’s about having people coming in and out of our hotels. I think a lot of groups focus on traditional marketing too much. What’s a no-go for me is having agencies control your digital marketing presence. Life is so fast paced in hotels and agencies just can’t capture these changes and narrate that story. For the last three years we’ve been focusing on creating our own content in-house as and when things are happening. We want to be self-efficient. Of course, we still work with third-party agencies, but the core communication strategies come from my internal team.”

It hel ps to identify your USP. Rixos Hotels positions itself as a top tier all-inclusive experience at a premium price. In the coming months, the hotel’s holding group, ACCOR will be shifting to a new platform called the ALLInclusive Collection led by Rixos Hotels. This platform will be rolled out to other brands within the wider ACCOR group. “You can be family orientated, couples’ focused, experiential, or adventure oriented and build our ALL-Inclusive package around this concept. We are already leading in this regard, so we have a lot to offer the other hotels within the group.”

For Ali, marketing serves two purposes, one is to drive sales and two to put a property on the map. According to him, influencer marketing can achieve both these results by being specific about what you want to achieve from the beginning. “An influencer post can become a buying question, where are you staying? Where are you eating? It’s up to us to follow up on these questions. This is where many brands fail because these questions just stay on the post unanswered, leaving exposure and money on the table.”

“We have excelled in content and influencer marketing; we took a different approach to influencer marketing and have seen great results since the pandemic. You have to do your due-diligence and make sure that the influencers you are choosing makes sense and have the metrics that you are looking for, whether it is content creators or celebrities.”

This kind of thinking allowed Rixos to partner with social media accounts Beautiful Destinations and Beautiful Hotels, a very well-known content creator that has garnered significant credibility and traction in the market globally.

“We have huge plans to partner with some big content creators to make even more impactful pieces of content for Rixos. One of the best lessons I learned when it comes to influencer marketing is to trust the creative process, and trust that the content creator knows what they are doing. I have said yes to things when I wasn’t completely convinced and the exposure we got from the content was unlike anything we could ever buy.”

When it comes to the Metaverse, Ali is waiting for the right time to strike. “It requires a lot of convincing. Selling the idea of a universe that doesn’t exist is going to be challenging but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to be present in that world. I believe this is the future.”

“Agility is our superpower; we see value and we act on it quickly while it’s trending. This is what hospitality needs, especially when it comes to digital marketing where things happen so fast that if you don’t jump on it, you miss the boat.”