THE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING SERIES

1. CREATIVITY AND MARKETING THE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING SERIES

2. Patricia Reid • Extensive experience working in a multi-faceted tourism and hotel industry (over 30 years) • International experience gained working on hospitality and tourism projects in Africa, Asia, Europe and USA • Wide experience of training and education in relation to tourism and hospitality industry • Consultant to various government ministries and international institutions (EC/World Bank/UN) • (BA Honours Degree in Hotel & Catering Management and Msc Honours Degree in International Hospitality Management)

3. Course Etiquette • No interruptions - allow your colleagues to finish • Switch off mobile phones • Be on time! • No smoking!

4. Schedule 08.30 – 10.301st Session 10.30 – 10.50 Morning Break(20 mins) 10.50 – 12.252nd Session 12.30 – 1.15Lunch 1.30 – 2.453rd Session 2.45 – 3.00 Afternoon Break(15 mins) 3.00 – 4.154th Session

6. CREATIVITY and MARKETING

7. EXERCISE: Are People Born Creative or Can Creativity be Trained? • Draw a cartoon-style picture of your hotel to appeal to a 5 year old child • Whose is: • the most creative/ imaginative for the target audience • the best executed in artistic terms?

9. Creativity: Learning Outcomes At the end of this module, you will • Have a good understanding of the concept of ‘creativity’ • Know how to apply the ‘creativity’ concept in your job • Be aware of both the strengths and limitations of different approaches to developing creativity in the hotel industry

10. TODAY’S LEARNING • DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES OF CREATIVITY IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY • THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY • IDENTIFYING CREATIVITY • FOSTERING CREATIVITY • CREATIVITY DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES AND METHODS

11. EXERCISE Think of TWO creative things you have done – one in your working life and one in your personal life What made them “creative” in your eyes? Share your creative acts with your neighbour How does your creativity differ from his/ hers? Share your outcomes with the whole group

12. What comes to mind when you are thinking of creativity? • Did you think in terms of people being imaginative, inventive, taking risks and challenging convention? • Did you think about originality and the value of what people produce? • Perhaps you decided that you can only be creative if you are artistic? • Did your thinking about work-related creativity differ from that in your personal life?

13. DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES OF CREATIVITY IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

14. Defining Creativity …..the tendency to generate or recognise ideas, alternatives or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others

15. What is creativity? • It always involves thinking or behaving imaginatively • Overall this imaginative activity is purposeful, that is, it is directed to achieving an objective • These processes must generate something original • The outcome must be of value in relation to what you are trying to achieve

16. So creativity must be … • Imaginative • Purposeful • Original • Valuable

17. Imaginative Purposeful OriginalValuable Can you see any problems with any of these elements? Do we all see each of them in exactly the same way? Probably not….. Would they mean the same thing in our working as in our personal lives? Probably not ….

18. Being creative is seeing the same thing as everyone else, but thinking of something different…..... • Creates new uses (industrial to leisure and retail; liners to cruise ships) • Offers new solutions (iPhone; local restaurants as hotel room service) • Adds value (cruise ships as conference venues) • Allows new use for facilities (in-room wireless = decline of the business centre) • Creates new demand

19. “Hoteliers have woken up to the fact that they need to offer a creative and dedicated service if they want a slice of the Conference & Incentive Travel cake.” “This year, we have become the first international hotel chain to offer free broadband access in our European Radisson properties - we think that this is something delegates will soon expect as standard.” Olivier Jacquin is senior vice president of sales for Rezidor SAS,parent company for Radisson, Park Inn, Regent Hotels and Country Inn

20. EXERCISE Think of examples of products, services and behaviours in the hotel industry that are novel, appropriate and of value to both guests and the business?

21. The Upside-down Room The Propeller Island Hotel

22. The Vampire Room

23. The ‘Break Out’ Room

24. The Symbol Room

25. The Art Hotel, Berlin

26. EXERCISE: Are there limits to the creativity we want in the hotel industry? In small groups (5-6 per group) discuss a) Do we always want to encourage creativity in our hotels? b) In what situations we might wish to limit creativity in hotels? c) How does creativity fit in with product consistency, branding/ hotel standardisation? d) How can we put in place systems and management procedures to ensure “managed creativity”?

27. Possible Responses a) Do we always want to encourage creativity in our hotels? Probably not in most hotels – customers do not want experiences that are constantly unpredictable b) In what situations we might wish to limit creativity in hotels? When it is not appropriate or of value to the guests When it might create future problems/ expectations for the hotel and the hotel brand

28. Possible Responses c) How does creativity fit in with product consistency, branding/ hotel standardisation? Depending on the brand, not very comfortably. The higher the hotel grade, the more open to forms of creativity guests might be. Guests choose branded products because of consistency and familiarity d) How can we put in place systems and management procedures to ensure “managed creativity”? Clear and unambiguous guidelines

29. High-performing Hotels • Engage in competitive behaviour • Continuous search to find and exploit new products and market prospects • Forward thinking in the pursuit of market opportunities • Constantly acting in anticipation of future needs or changes • Being first to find and introduce new products and technologies

30. High-performing Hotels …… are actively involved in shaping their own destinies rather than reacting to events in their environments

31. Low-performing Hotels • Stick with the status-quo • Fail to stay ahead of competition • Less likely (than their competitors) to seek to improve products and services • More likely to “imitate rather than innovate”

32. Mirage Resorts

33. Mirage Resorts “Everything we do is about being receptive to change, learning new ways to do things, and developing good ideas” www.mirage.com

34. Kimpton Group “We constantly challenge ourselves to keep improving, to learn from each project and not to copy past successes” www.kimptonhotels.com

35. Examples of Kimpton Hotel Initiatives • Kimpton Intouch • guest loyalty programme • Women Intouch • special program for women guests • Kimpton Cares • corporate social responsibility programme • Kimpton Earthcare • environmental programme

36. All of Kimpton's boutique hotels welcome dogs, cats, and lots of pets - with no fees or special deposits; no weight or size limits.

37. Kimpton 1stHuman Resources May 2008: Launches I Am Kimpton, an interactive Web site, to feature the first-hand experiences of employees who work at Kimpton hotels and restaurants. This new site provides potential job candidates with an authentic perspective on Kimpton as an employer and connects Kimpton employees with one another.

38. Kimpton 1stMarketing May 2008 Introduction of KimptonKids, a program with special services and amenities for families, at more than 40 hotels nationwide. April 2008 Launches "We Got Your Bag" promotion, the first hospitality company to offset increases in airline baggage fees.

39. Kimpton 1stMarketing + Social Responsibility January 2008 Initiates the Great Meetings, Great Causes program, offering eco- and socially-responsible meeting incentives for clients and guests. The program includes opportunities to make charitable donations and to incorporate green practices into daily life.

40. Kimpton 1stMarketing + Meetings March 2006 Launches Signature Meetings, a program designed to enhance meetings with creative and personalized amenities, pioneering a new trend in event planning.

41. Kimpton 1stMarketing + July 2005 Launches the "Mind. Body. Spa." wellness program, which includes in-room yoga, Pilates, meditation and spa services.

42. Kimpton 1stMarketing the Kimpton Brand November 2004 Launches national brand campaign, focusing on the original idea that "Every Hotel Tells A Story." The Kimpton brand is based on five signature elements that support all of Kimpton's new programs and essentially all that Kimpton stands for: Care, Comfort,Style, Flavor and Fun.

43. Kimpton 1stMarketing ++ July 2003 ….. the first hotel company to offer complimentary yoga baskets for all guests January 2003 ….. the first hotel company to offer complimentary high speed Internet access in all rooms

44. Kimpton 1stMarketing ++ July 1993 ….first hotel company to introduce ‘Tall Rooms’ September 1993 ….first hotel company offer rowing or bike machines for guests in rooms

45. Why do we need creativity in hotels? • Fast changing external environment: • consumer demands and expectations • competition • legislative • environmental • economic • political • Creativity and innovation – necessary for survival

46. Without creative thinking and action Hotels fail to meet customer needs and expectations Hotels fail to keep up with the competition Hotels see a gradual or rapid decline in REVPAR Hotels loose market share Hotels loose major tour operator contacts

47. Tangible Outcomes • Product innovations • Continuous improvement • Enhanced customer services

48. The Creative Process You must produce operational ideas……

49. ………and not dreams!