Marketing strategy

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4.4 Marketing strategy

In order to inform and attract Chinese nationals, our website will be available in simplified Chinese and will be easily accessible on the internet. China had more than 500 million internet users in 2011³² and travelers use internet to research about their destinations and possible accommodations.

The website will have pictures of our B&B including all bedrooms and common areas. All rates with be clearly stated and explained as well as the services that we offer. We will post picture and give examples of our breakfasts. Specials and discounts will also be advertised on the website as well as basic information on local attractions and things to do and see in Valencia. Finally, on-line booking will be made available directly on the website. We will also advertise on daodao.com, the Chinese trip advisor, and allow booking from this platform as well as from our website.

Luna Y Comida will have an active presence in Chinese social media. From the more than 500 million Chinese internet users, an overwhelming 92% of them used social media in some way in 2011³³. We will encourage visitors on our website to follow us on Sina Weibo (the Chinese twitter) and on Kaixin and Renren (two Chinese website similar to Facebook) to get more information, to ask us questions directly and also to be informed about special offers (a discount in a local restaurant or a free bottle of wine, for example). A high percentage of Chinese nationals use smartphones to access internet and we plan to open a direct communication line with our possible customers and ourselves through the application wechat, where they will be able to inquire directly about rooms’ availability and price. We will also encourage customers to write testimonials and share their experience at Luna Y Comida on the different social media platforms.

The presence of the Chinese language will not be limited to the web. We plan to offer services in Chinese as well, with our Chinese speaking owners (Ann’s mother tongue and Alex’s intermediate level of Chinese). Other part time staff might not be able to express themselves in this language,

32 ITB World Travel Trends Report 2011, p.17.

33 ITB World Travel Trends Report 2011, p.17.

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therefore we will also provide our Chinese customers with on-site information in Mandarin. The information in Chinese will range from tourist information of local attractions and transport, maps and things to do and see to our policies, prices, menus and explanation of the services provided at Luna Y Comida. The information will be made easily accessible in order to facilitate and make the stay of our customers as comfortable and convenient as possible. A 2010 survey sponsored by China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), where questions were asked to 200 Chinese tourists and travel agencies, states that nearly 60% of the respondents list a general lack of knowledge of the Chinese language and culture, as well as insufficient information available in their language, as the main deficiency Chinese tourists experience while travelling in Spain³⁴. With our cultural background and language abilities, Luna Y Comida will be able to easily address this issue and offer a unique, comfortable and convenient stay to Chinese nationals.

To enhance the experience and wellbeing of our Chinese clientele, small gestures and attention to details will be important. Like stated earlier, we plan to offer menus in Chinese as well as offering limited Chinese dishes. The COTRI sponsored survey names having menus in Chinese as well as offering some Chinese dishes as possible amelioration for hotels and guesthouses³⁵. Many, if not all hotels in China offer some type of easy access to hot water. We will have kettles in our rooms for the guest to boil water at their convenience as well as a small selection of tea. We also intend to have books and magazines in Chinese available in the common living room as well as movies with Chinese subtitles. Finally, like stated earlier, Chinese nationals are big consumers of internet and social media. Therefore, free Wi-Fi Internet will be made available throughout the building, allowing them to surf the Internet, post pictures and keep in touch with friends and family at home.

These might not be seeing as important ameliorations, but we hope to make our customers as

34 Daniel Toma Gaimundiz, El Turismo Chino en Espana (The Chinese tourism in Spain), Universida de Sevilla, 2011, p.45.

3535 Daniel Toma Gaimundiz, El Turismo Chino en Espana (The Chinese tourism in Spain), Universida de Sevilla, 2011, p.50.

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comfortable as possible and little things like these could make the difference between a nice stay and a great one.

4.4.2 European and Spanish market strategy

Like stated above, we hope to attract European vacationers, mainly from the UK, France and Belgium with our knowledge of their language, paired with excellent customer service and comfortable and relaxing ambiance. To successfully do so, our website will be available in different languages; English, French and Spanish. This will allow potential gests to get and clearly understands the information they need and to see if what we offer cater to their needs. The website will have pictures of our B&B including all bedrooms and common areas. All rates with be clearly stated and explained as well as the services that we offer. We will also post pictures and give examples of our breakfasts and dinners. Specials and discounts will also be advertised on the website as well as basic information on local attractions and things to do and see in Valencia.

Finally, on-line booking will be made available directly on the website. We will advertise on hotels.com, tripadvisor.com, bedandbreakfast.eu and bedandbreakfast.com. Luna Y Comida will also have an active presence in social media. We will encourage visitors of our website to follow us on twitter and Facebook to get more information, to ask us questions directly and also to be directly informed about special offers (a free dinner or a free bottle of wine, for example). We will also be present, in a similar manner on the “Spanish Facebook” Tuenti.

To maximize the satisfaction of our European clientele, we will be able to serve our guests in 3 European languages; English, French and Spanish. We will also provide touristic brochures and maps in Spanish, English, French, German and Italian as well as free wireless (Wi-Fi) internet connection throughout the building and up to date information on what is going on in the city (festivals, concerts, exposition, sport events, etc.). Luna Y Comida will serve delicious food and beverages (from a selection of tea, coffee, juice) in a relaxed and comfortable environment in our dining room or terrace. The common living room will be furnished with couches for engaging conversation with other guests if wanted, watching a movie, playing games or reading a book or a

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magazine. Our bookshelves will be filled with a selection of books and magazines in different languages. We will also provide bicycles so our guests can explore the city and the surroundings while using the well-developed cycling path of Valencia and its surrounding.

Preserving the environment, or being “green” is also very important for us as well as for our European customers. When asked in a 2011 survey about how important was protecting the environment to them, 95% of the citizens of our European target countries (France, UK. Belgium and Spain) replied that it was important (from fairly to very important)³⁶. We will make a clear statement on our website that our Bed and Breakfast is as eco-friendly as possible. Lights in our halls will we activated by movement detectors. All lights will be powered by LED bulbs and small signs will remind our customers to switch off the lights before leaving their room. A small recycling bin will be placed next to the trash cans in the rooms as well as common areas. Water saving showerheads will be installed in all of our showers and all cleaning products will be environmentally friendly. Our kitchen will use local products whenever available in order to lower the environmental footprint and will serve organic and fair trade coffee to our guests. We will also

“recycle” organic waste and transform it into compost, which will be used as fertilizer for our rooftop garden and any plants throughout the building. By taking the above actions, not only will we reduce our overall costs (electricity and water bills for example) but we will also appeal to the majority of Europeans, who are preoccupied by environment issues. Nearly 3 out of 4 residents from the UK, France and Belgium in 2011 were willing to pay more to buy environmentally friendly products or services³⁷.

36 European Commission, Attitudes of Europeans citizens towards the environment, Special Eurobarometer 365 – EB75.2

37 European Commission, Attitudes of Europeans citizens towards the environment, Special Eurobarometer 365 – EB75.2

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