Marriott Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning: an overview
Marriott segmentation, targeting and positioning involves a series of marketing decision making for the largest hotel chain in the world.
Segmentation involves dividing a market into smaller groups of customers with similar needs, wants, and behaviours. Generally, companies can engage in segmentation using a wide range of variables, such as demography, geography, psychographics, and behaviour.
Marriott International uses the following segmentation bases:
| Segmentation Variable | Description |
| Demographics | Age, income, education level, occupation, family size, and household income. |
| Geography | Region, country, city, and type of location (e.g., urban, suburban, rural). |
| Psychographics | Interests, values, lifestyle, and travel habits. |
| Behavior | Travel frequency, type of accommodations booked, and loyalty program membership. |
Segmentation bases for Marriott International
Targeting is the process of selecting one or more of the identified segments to focus marketing efforts on. Businesses generally target segments that are most likely to be interested in their products or services, and that are most profitable to serve. Marriott targets business, leisure and luxury customer segments.
Positioning is associated with creating a unique identity for a product or service in the minds of target customers. Effective positioning involves defining the product or service’s key features and benefits, and communicating them to customers in a way that differentiates the product or service from competitors.
| Customer Segment | Marriott Amenities and Services |
| Economy travellers | Basic amenities and services |
| Business travellers | High-speed internet, business centres, meeting rooms, concierge services, executive lounges, complimentary breakfast |
| Leisure travellers | Swimming pools, kids’ clubs, family-friendly activities, restaurants, bars, fitness centers, spas |
| Luxury travellers | High-end accommodations, personalized service, gourmet dining, luxury amenities, exclusive experiences |
Customer segments and Positioning of Marriott Amenities and Services
Marriott International Inc. Report contains the above analysis of Marriott segmentation, targeting and positioning and Marriott marketing strategy in general. The report illustrates the application of the major analytical strategic frameworks in business studies such as SWOT, PESTEL, Porter’s Five Forces, Value Chain analysis, Ansoff Matrix and McKinsey 7S Model on Marriott. Moreover, the report contains analyses of Marriott leadership, organizational structure and organizational culture. The report also comprises discussions of Marriott business strategy, ecosystem and addresses issues of corporate social responsibility.
