Introduction
Established in 1996, APEX hotel is one of the leading hoteliers in Edinburgh’s Grass market. The chain operates through 10 four-star hotels across UK and each exhibits their own personalities, style. The group flaunts a portfolio of 1,100 employees and generates annual revenue of £75 million (JEDOX, 2021). Apex have strategically placed their hotels in London, Dundee, Glasgow and Bath to gain maximum penetration into contemporary UK market. They have a loyal customer base which has been increasing steadily every year due to their investments in refurbishing the facility.
Target market
The target market for Apex Hotel is consumers who want comfort, personalisation and luxury at logical expenses. They focus on corporate employees aged 25-40 and retired individuals aged 60-70+ who want to take a break from their hectic routines (APEXHOTELS, 2021). Apex has committed to deliver a socially responsible and sustainable service to their loyal customers. The firm particularly focuses on caring and preserving local communities, environment of UK in which they operate.
Besides, Apex Hotel has also committed to meet fluctuating demands of customers through ethical and environmental initiatives outlined in their CSR policy. The vision of the brand is to develop a high but affordable quality service for their loyal customers so that their brand has a sustainable future. These underlying factors have helped Apex Hotel minimise their losses during global pandemic and revenue was down by just 9% (INSIDER, 2021). The entire hospitality industry was disrupted due to restrictions posed by lockdown yet Apex managed to score a £7 million pre-tax profit.
Aim
The study has been conducted to highlight a proposal of market expansion for APEX Hotel in Spain. A PESTLE analysis was developed and effectiveness of the market expansion policy in the host country of Spain has been evaluated. Brand positioning strategy of APEX has been developed to formulate a sustainable approach towards the international market. Thereafter a suitable marketing mix for the brand has been conceptualised to efficiently promote their service in Spain.
Market Attractiveness
A proposal for business expansion of Apex Hotel in Spain has been conceptualized. It is necessary to conduct a PESTLE analysis of the host country to identify various risks and advantages involved in the process of expansion. The framework helps to evaluate different factors of a nation on the basis of five dimensions which dictate productivity of any business-Political, Economic, Social, Technological and Environmental.
Political
The system of governance in Spain is “Parliamentary monarchy” and till 2015 the nation was going through a political crisis because of their weak governing body. Spanish parliament had failed to elect a suitable prime minister and hence the nation was dissolved. The situation worsened as Catalonia wanted to operate as an independent country in 2017 (HOWANDWHAT, 2019). The political turmoil has created difficulties for investors as they fail to trust Spanish governance. However the government has taken measures to reassure investors and make them understand that separation is not their intention. This helps to improve the political uncertainty that exists for APEX while executing business expansion.
The lack of community development is evident and Spain needs to work on improving their conflicts against Catalonia. The chances of a social rebellion posed a threat for Apex’s plan of business expansion. Furthermore the serene city of Catalonia is a prime tourist attraction and it cannot be accessed due to the conflict. The boiling situation that prevails in the Spanish politics could dictate Apex’s business and improvements in the political scenario have also been rigid. The Corporate Income Tax (CIT) rate for Spain is 25% and a company from UK would face difficulty to expand under such terms (TAXSUMMARIES, 2021). The CIT rates are much lower for UK and it would be challenging for a new entrant to suffice under such terms.
Economic
Spain has one of the highest economies in the world with an average of £ 24,690 per capita in 2020 (COUNTRYECONOMY, 2020). Healthy economic policies have helped to repair the draining economy of Spain. However, there was a drop of 0.5% during the first quarter of 2021 and it indicates that economic conditions are destabilizing again due to recent pandemic, political uncertainty. Sudden fall in GDP would make it difficult for APEX to score a hefty profit as economic uncertainty would be riddled in Spain.
Spain has been considered as the second most visited country in 2019 and approximately 83.7 million tourists contribute to their competitive advantage. The revenue earned by tourism industry of Spain was estimated at 351 million USD and that highlights an opportunity for APEX to expand their business in Spain (CEICDATA, 2017). The high tourist inflow validates a suitable market for tourism and APEX could attain competitive advantage by efficiently penetrating Spanish market.
The inflation rates have gone up to 1.02% and cost of living has subsequently increased for Spanish customers (STATISTA, 2021). The scenario makes it clear that customers would be concerned about pricing of APEX’s service. High priced accommodations would be difficult to promote as customers would not be willing to pay high rates.
Social
Hofstede’s Cultural dimension model has been utilized to determine influence of contemporary Spanish work culture on APEX’s Business expansion plan. Power Distance dimension of Spain scores 57 which means that Spain has a hierarchical society and their position in society is not challenged (HOFSTEDE-INSIGHTS, 2021). Individualism score of Spain is 51 which indicate a highly individualistic work culture. This would serve beneficial to APEX as UK work culture has been identified as highly individualistic. Employees would not feel alienated while working in an international workforce. Long term orientation score of Spain is 44 which mean that Spanish people are fairly indulgent towards long term goals. Spanish employees would not face difficulty while adjusting in their work culture as UK has been identified as highly long term oriented (HOFSTEDE-INSIGHTS, 2021). Both the cultures have an interest in attaining organizational goals through a well defined path and eradicating any scope of internal conflict.
Approximately 65.78% of the Spanish population fell under the age group of 15-64 and 19.65 % were over 65 in 2019 (STATISTA, 2021). Apex could attain competitive advantage in Spanish market as majority of the population falls under their targeted age group of 20-35 and 45-70.
Technological
Spain holds a formidable position among other nations in terms of investment for Research and Development. Approximately $19.2 billion has been utilised over the years and recent recession has affected the net investment. However the government has committed to increase the budget to at least 2% of Spain’s GDP in future. Better technological infrastructure would make it easier for APEX to attain market penetration by taking assistance from modern techniques of digital marketing.
Approximately 64.71% of the total population of Spain has access to Internet and they are pretty much active on public forums like Tuneti, Face book (STATISTA, 2020). This serves helpful for APEX as they can reach a large section of their target population through social media marketing and other digital marketing approaches.
Environmental
Spain has a picturesque position on the Iberian Peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. The strategic positioning of Spain and heritage cities like Barcelona, Catalonia, Madrid serve as sustainable tourist attractions. The tourism industry contributed £ 178 million to Spain’s GDP and such factors would help APEX to attain profit. Numerous attempts have been made by the government to cut down on Carbon emissions of the Tourism industry. Toxic agents have been prevented which could eventually harm quality of their top soil. In order to conclude this analysis indicates that a moderate amount of threat exists for the business expansion policy of APEX in Spain.
Key demand driver
The Spanish Health Care System has been described as the seventh best according to the rankings of World Health Organization (WHO). The efficient health care system manages to develop a sense of safety among tourists and they feel safe while visiting the country.
The cost of living in Spain is lower than other European averages which places the tourism industry in a strategic position. Customers have to pay less for majority of the services or commodities they purchase in Spain. Majority of the expenses like transportation, food and beverages in Spain are 10% cheaper than European standards. The cost effectiveness adds to APEX’s advantage as a greater number of tourists would visit these destinations. The inflation rates have been higher which makes it imperative for the chain of hotels to fix on a price that satisfies both international and local tourists.
Domestic market
The domestic tourism of Spain is equally significant as it contributes approximately 425.4 million trips among all the trips made (OCED-LIBRARY, 2020). 139.9 million Of them were overnight trips which suggest that a large number of domestic tourists visiting Spain stay over at least a night before leaving for another place. The State Secretariat for Tourism has been defining, modifying and implementing tourism policies under the guidance of Central government. Paradores de Turismo is a public company that runs a chain of state-owned hotels with majority of the facilities in historic sites, national parks. This serves as a tough competition for APEX in terms of domestic tourism of Spain as strategic positioning of these hotels would attract more customers.
International market
Turespaña is an autonomous body responsible for international tourism marketing and promotion of Spanish tourism industry. It operates through an international network of 33 tourism offices that implement marketing plans. The industry recorded 126 million international tourists in 2019 and ranked 4th in world in absolute terms (WORLDDATA, 2020). The income made from each tourist has increased steadily and indicates that customers are willing to pay higher for improved quality of service. Approximately 81.25 billion US dollars is generated from international tourists and Mallorca, Barcelona, Madrid are some of the most popular destinations.
Competitor analysis
| Criteria | Meliá hotels international | Iberostar Hotels
|
Riu Hotels |
| Price | £316.70 | £163.58 | £174.35 |
| Chain | 374 (Globally) | 120 (Globally) | 98 (Globally) |
| Location | Palma de Mallorca, Spain. | Palma, Majorca, Spain | Mallorca, Spain |
| Target Market | Luxury enthusiasts and personalized accommodations | Smaller Groups | Getaway Couples |
| Promotion | OTA, Advertisement campaigns and Social media. | Website, blog posts and public forums. | Social media, Public Forum |
| Focus | Luxurious accommodations and sustainability | Adventure, Standard accommodation. | Indulgence / Events |
| Tripadvisor Rating | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
Table 1: Competitor Analysis for APEX Hotels in Spain
(Source: Created by Author)
Market entry strategy
Figure 1: Market Entry strategy
(Source: Inspired by Lubeniqi, 2020)
The competition analysis of APEX hotels have revealed a fierce competition posed by Meliá International and Iberostar Hotels. Both firms dominate the entire tourism sector of Spain with an average contribution of £ 2 billion each (STATISTA, 2020). A Foreign Direct Investment would be a suitable strategy of entry for APEX in Spain. Their enterprise would independently invest in the foreign market to establish distribution channels in the country (Lubeniqi, 2020). However it would be difficult to develop proper awareness of the brand in Spain despite its existing brand value across UK. APEX could take assistance from Social media websites like Face book, Tuneti to develop promotional campaigns. Social media campaigns are capable of engaging customers and their chances of attaining competitive advantage are also promoted. Labor costs in Spain have increased to 99.40 points in 2020 (TRADINGECONOMICS, 2021). The higher labour costs make it imperative for the brand to take necessary steps to make operational costs a bit lower.
Key Target Markets for APEX Hotels
The qualitative methodology of analyzing consumers on the basis of psychological characteristics and traits is termed as Psychographics. In marketing, psychographics help to classify a target market accurately so that APEX hotels could penetrate the contemporary Spanish market effectively.
Psychographic and Geo demographic characteristics of target market
The target market for APEX hotels has been segmented into two age groups- 20 to 40 and 60 to 70+ . Both the age groups could be identified to have personal preferences in terms of values, desires and goals.
20 to 40 Years
This age group would comprise a part of the population that is involved in corporate activities. They would lead hectic lives and the corporate routine results in a lot of stress. In Spain, full time workers contribute 66% of their day to work which validates the fact that they are hard working individuals (TRADINGECONOMICS, 2020). A great amount of importance is paid to leisure time for that reason. The customers demand a great deal of comfort and quality for expenses they pay. The tourism would serve as an escape for the customers from their hectic routines.
Recent pandemic has shifted consumer behavior to a great extent. Customers would be greatly concerned about the safety that is served along with their service. Appropriate sanitation and timely checkup of the services would make sure customers regain their trust over the industry. In a customer centric Industry, primary objective of APEX would be understanding demands of their target population and implementing changes accordingly.
APEX is also known for their boutique infrastructure which helps to satisfy the value of customers. Their customized accommodations highlight the amount of effort, capital they invest to satisfy variable needs of customers. A sense of luxury and personalization becomes necessary for the targeted population.
60 to 70 Years
This age group comprises citizens who have completed their tenure in the corporate world. These are retired individuals who have sufficient funds and leisure time to visit quiet and serene destinations of Spain. The greater age makes it imperative for APEX to focus more on the aspect of care and nurturing. Customers belong to rural or sub rural neighborhoods and seek for cultural or historical experience (Chatzigeorgiou, 2017). A relaxing retreat, away from the commotion is what these customers demand. Their personal background is analyzed and appropriate accommodations are designed so that tourists do not feel alienated from the contrasting features. Various physical activities are conducted to maintain the health and fitness of aged tourists during their stay in APEX hotels.
Brand Positioning Strategy
Brand positioning strategy for APEX Hotel would be the place where consumers perceive them with respect to competing firms. In order to be successful in Spain, it is mandatory to identify competitive advantage of APEX over other brands like Meliá International, Iberostar Group and Riu Hotels. The features could be communicated efficiently to the target population to attain maximum market penetration.
Meliá International
From the positioning map, it can be deduced that Meliá International exhibits high quality through their services. However the cost of availing such services is comparatively higher which has helped them to achieve competitive advantage over other firms. Meliá flaunts a portfolio of 374 branches globally and gains greater brand awareness through their deep distribution channels (MELIA, 2021). They have strategically placed their hotels in places that attract maximum tourists like Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona. However their high prices often fail to attract customers on a tighter budget. This indicates that their customer base is mostly restricted towards high earning consumers who are willing to spend more for luxurious accommodations. Furthermore, the firm promotes through OTA, social media campaigns to maintain customer engagement and a positive brand image.
Iberostar Group
The Positioning Map highlights that hotels under the Iberostar Groups serve moderate quality service at affordable prices. They exhibit a portfolio of 120 branches and have lower penetration capabilities compared to Meliá International. However their cost leadership policy has made it necessary for them to cut down on operational costs. The cost effective approach helps Iberostar hotels to gain greater profit. They have hotels in Seville, Madrid which attract a lot of tourists. They have a target population which comprises customers who are willing to pay affordable prices for a standard quality service. But the brand manages to maintain a constant standard in the quality of service they cater to tourists (IBEROSTAR, 2021). All these underlying factors have helped Iberostar Group earn second highest revenue among other Spanish hoteliers in 2019 (IBEROSTAR, 2021). This company has a smaller target and their services are designed to satisfy the demands of the targeted customers.
The hotels are designed to highlight the theme of adventure and provide standard accommodations in exchange for affordable prices. Their values and advantages are appropriately promoted through their website, blogs and on public forums. However the quality of service is hampered due to their cost effective approach.
Riu Hotel
The Positioning Map indicates that services at Riu Hotel are moderate and the price of availing such services is not low either. They have 98 branches across the globe and fail to effectively promote its awareness despite its presence in Social media sites and Public forums (RIU, 2021). The hotels are targeted towards getaway couples who are willing to pay hefty amounts for a vacation. Their target population is restricted and fails to attract a large number of customers. The quality of service is moderate and yet they charge more than other hoteliers like Iberostar Group
Recommended Positioning Strategy for APEX Hotels
The Positioning Map has helped to classify the type of services exhibited by competing brands of APEX International. Accordingly APEX’s service has been identified to be high quality and the cost of availing such a service is comparatively lower than competing brands like Meliá International and Riu Hotels. APEX could develop a market strategy by carefully analysing the fluctuating demands of customers as it is a customer centric industry. Their targeted customers expect to receive high quality at affordable prices which can help them to achieve competitive advantage in Spanish market. APEX is known for the boutique accommodations they provide for tourists which could help them to separate their service from other brands. Customized hotel rooms and high standards of cooking are some of the features that would help them to achieve advantage in Spain’s highly competitive tourism sector.
Marketing Mix/Standardisation and Adaptation Decisions
4P’s Marketing Mix of
Figure 1: 4Ps Marketing Mix
(Source: Inspired by Lahtinen et al. 2020)
Product Strategy
“Product Strategy” under the 4Ps Marketing Mix refers to the products or services that a company offers its clients and customers. As per the views of Lahtinen et al. (2020), business organisations involved in providing quality products and services to their customers that would create a new demand in the market. For creating a successful marketing mix, organisations would be required to understand the lifecycle of any product or services that they are rendering in a market. Ikechi et al. (2017) noted that nature and type of product or services depends upon the deliverance of a company towards its customers and how it has been promoted to capture the marketplace. For instance, UK based Hospitality company APEX Hotels can consult the Product Strategy in offering free health check-ups and medication facilities to all tourists during COVID 19 pandemic. This would help the company to gain advantages in attracting clients in Spain by gaining their trust in providing a safe and hygienic service.
Price Strategy
“Price Strategy” helps in determining the prices or costs of products and services rendered to customers by linking to its perceived value. According to Kienzler and Kowalkowski (2017) for determining fair prices of products marketers would be required to value supply costs, consider seasonal discounts and compare competitors prices. Pricing Strategy helps organisations to fix prices of their goods and services according to the quality of the item and demand in the consumer market. For example, APEX Hotels can apply pricing strategy in discounting their hotel and tourism services during the festive seasons of Spain. As observed by Neuninger (2017), unlike New Year’s Eve celebrations in UK, Spanish tourists would like to organise “grape cuisine celebrations” as a part of their traditions. Apex Hotels can provide discounted prices and complimentary services on traditional cuisines of Spain during New Year which would likely to attract more clients.
Place Strategy
“Place Strategy” refers to the selection of a particular region or area where a company would require expanding its business activities. As asserted by Siakalli et al. (2017) place strategy helps marketers to segregate their products and services according to the regional preferences of consumers. Income divisions prevalent within a society act as a major factor influencing the place strategy where companies offer their services as per affordability of consumers. In this context, implementation of place strategy would help APEX Hotels to develop an idea on the regional areas and income division of tourists. They would be able to gain advantages by providing high end tourism facilities in areas with high income levels and comparatively medium tourism facilities to areas where people come from medium and low-income levels.
Promotion Strategy
“Promotion Strategy” includes marketing and advertising activities required for expanding business operations. As per the views of Tongkaw (2020), promotion strategy applied by organizations help in ensuring consumers need for any particular service and how a company can effectively deliver it. This strategy helps companies to derive a marketing plan and evaluate the opportunities for business expansion. Application of digital marketing and email marketing promotion strategy would help APEX Hotels to market their activities in Spain by evaluating the current tourism market during COVID 19. They can develop a separate company website for Spanish Tourism and Hospitality sector to attract clients reading in and around Spain.
Standardisation and Adaptation Decisions
Cost Saving Strategy under Standardisation
Figure 2: Standardisation Principles
(Source: Inspired by Satu et al. 2020)
“Standardisation” decisions comprise planning strategies for location, pricing, promotion and services offered by an organisation. According to Satu et al. (2020) standardisation primarily focuses on gaining a competitive advantage and developing brand identity across all markets. This strategy helps in developing a cost saving decision making plan for companies where services and promotions can be operated at minimum costs. For instance, UK based hospitality company APEX Hotels can implement a cost saving strategy for coping up with the current COVID 19 crisis that had a negative impact on the hospitality sector.
Cost Saving Strategy under Standardisation helps organisations in targeting international markets; understand market opportunities in international regions. It has been further explained by Al-Aomar and Hussain (2018) that cost saving strategy can be applied in developing a standardised service for all consumers irrespective of geographical locations. This strategy would also benefit in marketing policies of a company where the organisation would be able to identify the diverse lifestyles of consumers across countries.
Customer Orientation Strategy under Adaptation
Figure 2: Adaptation Principles
(Source: Inspired by Salim et al. 2021)
Adaptation strategy involves manufacturing products and providing services in the market as per consumer needs. According to Salim et al. (2021) adaptation strategy helps companies to meet targets in markets and gain maximum customer satisfaction. Customer Orientation strategy under adaptation helps companies to build an interaction with consumers in the market to understand their specific needs. For instance, UK based company APEX Hotels can apply this strategy for understanding the needs of tourists in Spain. This would help the organisation to provide Spanish tourists with appropriate emergency and medical facilities during the COVID 19 pandemic situation. As per the views of Whalen (2018), government legislations and market conditions of product consumption can be considered as major factors under adaptation strategy.
“Customer Orientation Strategy” under Adaptation would help international companies to learn about the local culture and integrate their policies to satisfy regional needs. Farrington et al. (2018) noted that a local market within a particular region may get saturated with regional business organisations that may obstruct international companies from entering.
Conclusion
APEX Hotel has become one of the leading hoteliers in UK with 10 hotels and annual revenue of £75 million. A proposal to expand APEX’s business in Spain has been presented through this study. The target market of the hotelier has been identified and their values have been highlighted through the introduction of this business template. A PESTE analysis was conducted to identify prevailing risk factors that can dictate effectiveness of the market expansion process. The driver for key demand of APEX hotels in Spain has been evaluated as the prestige healthcare service of Spain and their low cost of living. An analysis of the domestic market and international market of Spanish tourism industry has been conducted. The market entry strategy for APEX has been decided to be a Foreign Direct Investment as the competition makes it difficult to attain other strategies. A Competitor analysis of APEX has been conducted by comparing the data of Meliá International, Iberostar Group and Riu Hotels. A suitable brand positioning strategy has been developed by carefully analyzing the marketing strategies exhibited by the competing brands.
Finally a business proposition has been presented, showcasing necessary features of the proposed expansion plan for APEX. It can be concluded that the business expansion decision of APEX Hotels can be effective only if a suitable marketing strategy is developed to penetrate the target population, keeping all the challenges in notice.
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