Gourmet Getaway Inn - Marketing Plan

A class assignment where we were asked to develop a business proposal and funding video for a large scale project

Gourmet Getaway Inn is a Bed and Breakfast Amenity that serves anything but Breakfast.

On this project, I was in charge of the Marketing Plan. This meant looking into the:

Industry Size

Market Trends

Target Market

Marketing Strategy

Branding and;

Advertising

Below is a snippet of the Marketing Plan for this project

According to Gitnux (2023), the Bed and Breakfast industry is currently worth an estimated 3.4 billion dollars, as it is one of the main alternatives people on business trips and vacations seek for, besides hotels. It is reported that 43% of bookings for these amenities are done online, and that only 50% of these amenities offer free parking, Wi-Fi and a complimentary breakfast. As Gourmet Getaway Inn, we are dedicated to standing out from competitors by offering guests a remarkable and unique experience. As a result, we offer free parking and Wi-Fi to guests, with the one condition that they must leave us a customer review on our website. With an additional Google Review post, we will offer a coupon or promotion code for their next visit. This allows us to expand our online marketing and online presence as Lin (2022), has indicated that 49% of consumers say they trust online reviews and say that businesses with customer reviews are 3.5 times more likely to generate sales. As a result, this allows both parties to benefit in some way.

According to Throne (2023), there are many characteristics that can assist in the growth of a bed and breakfast amenity. This includes the increase in online presence, embracing the use of technology, personalisation, and incorporating a natural design. As a result, Gourmet Getaway Inn, uses a combination of these characteristics to ensure visitors have an unforgettable and remarkable stay.

According to current marketing trends, a very large population of Bed & Breakfast Inn visitors use social media as a pastime or entertainment (Auxier & Anderson, 2021). Because of this, having a strong online and social media presence is extremely important. At Gourmet Getaway Inn, our Marketing team focuses on producing paid ads for various social media platforms and creates email subscriptions containing information about our identity and sends off a limited number of VIP coupons and promotion codes. Furthermore, we have incorporated a “refer a friend” program that will help pass on the presence of our facility. 

With the growing use of technology, it only makes sense for our facility to be up to date with technological advances. As a result, at Gourmet Getaway Inn, we offer guests the option of making an online booking! Not only is this convenient for guests, but it allows us a Gourmet Getaway Inn to track the number of available suites we have left in the amenity. Incorporating this online booking system also for easier and efficient transactions as guests can include a special request or can cancel or reschedule their booking within seconds.

At Gourmet Getaway Inn, we are dedicated to leaving a positive impression on our guests, giving them a long lasting and unforgettable experience. As a result, we allow guests to select from a plethora of international menu options. Guests have the choice to select an international cuisine and have the surprise of a cultured themed dinner or lunch, served at breakfast. Guests also have the freedom to add special orders to their meals, such as requesting a special breakfast, leaving it at the door or having it delivered at a specific time. At Gourmet Getaway Inn, we highly value our guests' wishes and will do all that we can to make your experience personalized and memorable.

As Social media marketing is our main source of marketing, we have made the design choice of including the exposure of many natural elements in our amenity - for our guests to utilize in videos and photos. Our amenity includes exposed wood, stone and brick designs which allows guests to add texture(s) to their images, making it a vocal point to their photos. In addition, with the exposed materials, we are able to provide a more cozy feel to the space, giving guests a more at home spatial experience, away from home (Pathak, 2023).

Bed and Breakfast facilities are well loved by many individuals, ranging from solo travelers to romantic couples. At Gourmet Getaway Inn, we cater to all. According to research the highest age demographic that enjoys bed and breakfast accommodations are those between the age of 16 and 45 (Chen, 2013). On the other hand, the demographic of individuals over the age of 70 often frown upon bed and breakfast accommodations. As a result, Gourmet Getaway Inn has selected culinary excellences to focus on curating internationally inspired dinner and lunch specials that will be well loved by individuals ranging between the ages of 16 and 45.

As bed and breakfast accommodations are well enjoyed by both solo travelers and romantic couples, at Gourmet Getaway Inn, we are committed to providing a hospitality and dining experience and that fits all. Gourmet Getaway Inn is proud to present well appointed rooms and suites that will accommodate everyone's needs and desires to ensure an unforgettable getaway. In addition, our culinary staff is trained in curating dishes that are perfect for those who enjoy dining alone and for those who prefer to have a shared meal. 

As the name itself Bed and Breakfast suggests, it is assumed that our amenities serve a wide range of breakfast foods. However, unlike other bed and breakfast amenities in the market, Gourmet Getaway Inn offers any dining option other than breakfast themed food! This allows our culinary experts to curate international dishes for our guests that are typically enjoyed during a lunch time or dinner time hour, during a breakfast hour. This sets us apart from other Bed and Breakfast amenities in the area, as the typical eggs, waffles, parfaits and/or muffins are completely eliminated from our menu. This gives a chance for people who enjoy having dinner for breakfast to feel at home, far from home. 

When sampling breakfast menus at hotels and inns in the area, many breakfast menus included typical staple breakfast food items such as tea, coffee, fruit, waffles, pancakes, bacon and eggs, and light pastries. However, lunch and dinner menu items were not offered at the breakfast hours. This societal norm can be concerning for Gourmet Getaway Inn, as many guests may face the confusion as to why a breakfast amenity serves no breakfast food. 

However, in a study conducted by Bian & Markman (2020), researchers found that people tended to have mixed thoughts on what should be consumed for breakfast, and believed that anything is suitable to have for breakfast as long as it is healthy and nutritious. The study also found that for those who believed that the only foods that should be consumed during breakfast time are typically breakfast foods, such as cereal, granola bars, and/or oatmeal were more willing to expand their breakfast menu after reading an intervention essay that spoke about how countries like Japan and Egypt value the quality in breakfast food choices and routinely consume healthy lunch and dinner items for breakfast instead. This shows the power of the marketing that breakfast should be the most nutritious part of the day. As cereal brands emphasize their nutritional benefits, people become conditioned to believe that cereal is a well suited food to have for breakfast. However, other foods containing high nutritional value that are typically served at dinner or lunch are capable of being breakfast items as well. As a result, Gourmet Getaway Inn works towards breaking this norm and encourages breakfast lovers to expand their menu of choices.

As a large population associates the most important meal of the day with breakfast, it is only logical to follow a similar marketing and advertising strategy. According to research, when presenting participants with an essay that explained the history of how common breakfast foods such as orange juice and cereal became breakfast traditions, participants understood the power and influence of marketing campaigns. This is no different at Gourmet Getaway Inn. At Gourmet Getaway Inn, our Marketing consists of putting nutrition and innovation at its top priority.

At Gourmet Getaway Inn, emphasize that although traditional breakfast foods offer many benefits, foods served during lunch and dinner are no different. Opening doors to lunch and dinner foods served at breakfast can broaden one’s palette and may broaden the definition of breakfast. As Gourmet Getaway Inn has a large focus on opening doors to new foods, we hope that through the marketing of nutritional foods outside of traditional breakfast food items will attract curious explorers to our amenity. 

Our slogan “anything but breakfast” performs an excellent job at poking at the curiosity of guests that wonder what that would mean for a bed and breakfast amenity. Furthermore, the use of orange and green pigments in our branding pokes at findings with colour psychology and its association to food. According to researchers, green and earthy tones are associated with natural and healthy food choices, whereas orange pigments are associated with the feelings of enjoyment of a meal (Lisa, 2016). When combining these two colors together, we find that we are presenting a branding that not only shouts that we put nutrition first, but it also helps us associate the orange pigments of the sunrise in the morning. With our earthy toned colors, guests can be sure to have an unforgettable experience, in a relaxing and serene environment. 

Our advertising consists of predominantly digital advertisements. Specifically, paid advertisements across multiple social media platforms. As research finds that Bed and breakfast amenities are well enjoyed by the age groups within 16 and 45 years of age, Gourmet Getaway Inn puts this as the center of focus when it comes to advertising (Chen, 2013). According to research, the most used social media platforms across these age groups consist of Youtube, Facebook/Meta, and Instagram (Auxier & Anderson, 2021). As a result, Gourmet Getaway Inn will focus on creating marketing content specifically for these social media platforms. Paid ads are found to be effective in fostering long time growth as it is helpful in attracting traffic (Peterson, 2023). Paid ads will also allow for the tracking of algorithms, which provides our marketing team with data on how to improve advertisements, to reach a larger audience and provide us with the information we need in order to effectively reach company marketing goals.

According to Auxier & Anderson (2021), with their sampled population, they reported that 95% of the surveyed individuals falling in between the age range of 18-29 year old reported that they used YouTube, Additionally, 91% of individuals falling within the age range of 30-49 suggested they used YoutTube as well. As a result, this shows that YouTube is a well used platform and could prove to be effective when it comes to marketing a business. Although YouTube sponsored videos are often seen to be helpful as they help increase brand awareness, according to Ellis (2022), YouTube Sponsored videos are effective only if they reach the correct audience, and if the buying journey is easy. As a result Gourmet Getaway Inn has implemented an online booking system in which visitors are able to view rates per night, cost of meals and can book their stay with only a few clicks. For our spontaneous visitors, walk-ins are also welcome!

Auxier, B., & Anderson, M. (2021). Social media use in 2021. Pew Research Center, 1, 1-4.

Bian, L., & Markman, E. M. (2020). Why do we eat cereal but not lamb chops at breakfast? Investigating Americans’ beliefs about breakfast foods. Appetite, 144, 104458. 

Chen, L. C., Lin, S. P., & Kuo, C. M. (2013). Rural tourism: Marketing strategies for the bed and breakfast industry in Taiwan. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 32, 278-286.

Ellis, M. (2022 August 03). What no one tell you about youtube sponsors. Mark Ellis Reviews. Retrieved from: https://markellisreviews.com/what-no-one-tells-you-about-youtube-sponsors/. 

Gitnux. (2023 April 05). The most surprising bed and breakfast statistics and trends in 2023. Gitnux. Retrieved from: https://blog.gitnux.com/bed-and-breakfast-statistics/. 

Lin, Y. (2022, December 03). 10 Inline review statistics you need to know in 2023 [Infographic]. Oberlo. Retrieved from: https://www.oberlo.com/blog/online-review-statistics. 

Lisa. (2016, April 21). Colour Psychology in Food Marketing. Awgsalesservices. Retrieved from: https://awgsalesservices.com/2016/04/21/color-psychology-in-food-marketing/. 

Pathak, G. (2023 February 12). Brutal beauty: How exposed materials enrich the spatial experience? The Times of India. Retrieved from: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/brutal-beauty-how-exposed-materials-enrich-the-spatial-experience/. 

Peterson, S. (2022 June 06). Paid Advertising in 2023: What it is (& how it works). Smart Blogger. Retrieved from: https://smartblogger.com/paid-advertising/#:~:text=Paid%20Ads%20Are%20Faster&text=With%20paid%20ads%2C%20you%20can%20get%20eyes%20on%20your%20site,ads%20help%20attract%20traffic%20faster.

Throne, K. (2023 january 27). Bed and Breakfast Trends for 2023. Bandbacademy. Retrieved from: https://www.bandbacademy.co.uk/blog/bed-and-breakfast-trends-for-2023.