You have recently been appointed as CEO for a hotel chain. It is a mid-sized hotel chain that is entering a competitive market. The chain needs to differentiate its service from that of competitors, positioning itself as a hotel with excellent service at an affordable price. However, the intangible nature of services makes this difficult to demonstrate.

a) Firstly, explain what the 4 distinctive characteristics of services are using the hotel as an example

b) How can the hotel convey its message effectively to prospective guests using marketing tool of place?

c) Given the focus on excellent service, what are the steps that the hotel can take to increase quality control over services and reduce variability?

d) Prior to launch, you want to give your team a motivational talk about the importance of service quality. Describe the five determinants of service quality using examples of a hotel experience to explain each concept.