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The Hotel Perennial case puts students in the shoes of Dan Jameson, founder and CEO of a boutique real estate private equity firm called EL Investments (ELI), as he wrestles with the decision of whether or not to acquire the distressed Hotel Perennial, a 194-room hotel on the north side of Chicago, Illinois. When making the investment decision, Jameson (and students) must consider various factors: What is ELI's implicit investment strategy, and what are the firm's core competencies? What are Jameson's goals for growing ELI, and how might the acquisition of the Hotel Perennial fit with those goals? What opportunities and challenges might ELI face if it decides to acquire the hotel? How much would a buyer likely have to pay for the Hotel Perennial to achieve an attractive return? In addition to containing a hotel valuation and modeling exercise, the Hotel Perennial case also exposes students to several real estate industry concepts and terminologies, including those regarding the hotel sector, equity sourcing, and distressed investing. The case material assumes that students have taken an introductory real estate finance course or have relevant work experience.

-Show students how an investment decision can go beyond simply “crunching numbers” and projecting an internal rate of return to include considering an individual's or firm's strategic objectives and core competencies. Students should think through how to

This case highlights repositioning strategies that change a product’s position in the minds of the consumer in response to changes in market conditions. These changes should be balanced with a certain amount of brand authenticity and continuity. Brand identity is the vision, core values and key beliefs of the brand. There are four main branding strategies as follows: house of brands, endorsed brands, sub-brands and branded house. These options can be placed in a continuum and the position on the branding relationship spectrum reflects the degree to which brands are separated in strategy execution and in the customer’s minds.

This case is based on secondary data, mainly from interviews of industry leaders in business journals, newspapers, research articles and industry reports, including from international organizations.

The case examines the frequent revisions in branding strategies by India’s second largest group of hotels – Indian Hotels Company Limited. Repositioning involves changing the market’s perceptions of an offering to compete more effectively in its target segments. However, a certain amount of continuity is also essential to the brand’s development over time. The case helps students to view the brand from two angles as follows: the angle of brand identity and the disruptive angle of new developments. They will examine the rationale for the frequent repositioning strategies using the brand relationship spectrum and whether these will affect the brand identity of the iconic brand Taj.

This case has been effectively used with MBA Marketing students in Product and Brand Management and Services Marketing classes to demonstrate how companies use repositioning strategies as a considered response to the market conditions. As competitive conditions and consumers evolve, changes in branding strategy will be necessitated. The students are expected to have basic knowledge of brand architecture and brand strategies. The case can be used to illustrate the brand relationship spectrum and the differences among branding strategies in brand architecture.

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The present case study discusses the multi-branded strategy of hotels by the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) in 2012. The brand architecture of the group in 2012 consisted of four brands, namely Taj, Vivanta, Gateway and Ginger. However such brand architecture posed quite a few challenges for the group such as positioning, sustain the different brands and avoiding brand dilution since both The Gateway and Vivanta had a tag “by Taj” which could erode the premium associations of the parent brand.

The case is based on secondary research and has been developed using published information collected from online and offline sources. Wherever required, written permission has been obtained from the copyright holders (Exhibits VII-IX). Direct quotes have been properly cited from original sources.

This case could be a part of the Marketing Management course in an undergraduate Program in Business Management. The specific topics which could be facilitated through this case are Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning. The case could also be a part of a Brand Management course in the same program for specialized subjects where it could illustrate the concept of Brand Architecture. In case of an Executive Education Program, this case can be used to facilitate issues in Marketing as well as Brand Management.

This case studies the growth of OYO Hotels (OYO) to illustrate the operational processes necessary to succeed in the service sector. The case allows for a discussion of employee- and customer-management systems, tech-driven solutions, and profit drivers. The material unfolds OYO's growth and its solution for making economy hotels discoverable and bookable online.

The case raises a series of questions around OYO's business model, its ability to translate across global markets, and growth potential. It has been successfully taught in a second-year MBA class on the management of service operations.

Segmentation, business impacts of decision making, hotel management.

Undergraduate Business or Finance.

The sales manager at a Caribbean hotel wonders whether to accept a large block booking at a discount rate from a group participating in an international sporting event. Do the promised publicity benefits justify the risk of turning away guests from higher paying segments?

The case should: highlight the potential for conflicts when customers from different segments with different needs and expectations find themselves in close contact with each other; identify the trade offs that may have to be made when acceptance of a large block booking might displace regular customers; and calculate the incremental financial impact of revenues from new business less revenues forgone when capacity limitations mean that some traditional business will have to be turned away to accommodate the block booking.

Teaching notes.

General Management, International Strategic Management, International Marketing and Brand Management.

MBA (General Management), MBA (Marketing), Management and executive development programme.

The Indian Hotels Corporation limited known as the Taj Group was set up by JRD Tata in 1903. The company has undertaken a long journey since then. It is one of the most recognized hotel brands in luxury market segment of the hotel industry. Off late some micro- and macro-level changes in the business environment have not been in favor of the group. The strategy of international expansion in acquiring and refurbishing of assets has mounted the debt and the growing losses. What has compounded the growing troubles is the entry of aggressive multinational brands in the luxury segment of the hospitality industry. The group prioritizes to get its financials in order. It thereafter needs to rework on its competitive strategy and take advantage of the booming domestic hotel industry for profitable future growth.

Expected learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the impact of expansions on the top line and the bottom line on the hospitality industry; to understand the impact of expansion on brand image for the legacy brand; to understand and develop strategies for a company which make it profitable in the hotel industry; and to formulate entry and exit strategies for companies dealing in the hospitality industry.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS: 11: Strategy.

Tourism & Hospitality

Post graduate

The South African-based Sun International Group (SI) develops, operates and manages hotels, resorts and casinos. In its mission statement, SI describes itself as a “leisure group offering superior gaming, hotel and entertainment experiences”. In 1984, SI was listed in the travel and leisure sector on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. SI is looking for growth opportunities.

Strategic options analysis to create new market spaces. Practical application of blue ocean thinking frameworks.

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This case encourages students to consider how they would communicate and support the implementation of a company’s policy for annual performance reviews. Analysis may include considering how to build commitment from line management for the process and practice of colleague performance reviews and an exploration of the relationship between appraisals and performance management, human resources (HR) strategy and business strategy. Managers may perceive that performance reviews are taking them away from the more important and pressing tasks that directly relate to their own performance on the job – and not appreciate the strategic significance of the appraisal process.

Topics were identified as case preferences and a shopping list of questions were generated for field interviews. Two field interviews were completed. The company involved was not disguised, however the HR Director’s name (David White) is a pseudonym.

This case is suitable for third or fourth year undergraduate or postgraduate studies in hospitality management, human resource management or a human resource management course that specializes in strategic HRM, performance management, performance appraisal or employee engagement.

There has been a gradual shift from performance appraisal to performance management to reflect a more strategic approach to human resource management practice (Bach, 2005). A performance management system typically includes the following components: regular performance appraisal, mission statement and values statement, individual objectives, performance standards or competencies, unit objectives, company-wide objectives, performance-related pay, training and reward or recognition system (Armstrong, 2002). Collectively these components have a strategic focus and connect individual, team and organizational performance.

Services management, strategy, marketing.

Services management, strategy, marketing.

Owned and operated by the Tata Group, Ginger Hotels is the first-of-its-kind of Smart Basics™ hotels across India. The case explores the business model and the relevance of the service concept given the Indian context and consumer behaviour, the marketing strategy, and communication strategy of Ginger. Challenges such as the use of outsourcing, learning and development, and attrition are discussed.

From a marketing perspective, this case can be used to demonstrate understanding of consumer behavior, reshaping customer expectations, perceived service quality, Gaps in service, service orientation, and value-for-money positioning, aggressive advertising and promotions, use of the marketing mix to introduce a new service concept in a market. From a management perspective, the case can be used to highlight how the marketing strategy is being delivered through a focus on service staff (selection, training, and motivation) and operations (logistics, IT, and communications), and branding (brand strategy – alignment to the corporate strategy).Third, the case is suitable for highlighting strategy – analyzing current competitive advantages, and carving out potential future competitive advantages in a services context. For example, strategic analysis models such as Porter's industry analysis and value-chain models can be applied to examine the sources and sustainability of Ginger's competitive advantages. The case can also be used for teaching service innovation.

Teaching note.

Strategic Marketing, Marketing Management, Services Marketing.

MBA and Executive MBA.

The case talks about the inception and growth of OYO Rooms, a company that originally started as ORAVEL Stays Ltd. in 2012, as a platform for booking budget and premium accommodations, but graduated to become OYO Rooms, an online aggregator of hotels, with a unique business model of “managing the partial inventory of rooms” in hotels and offering a proposition of affordable, consistent, quality experience to business, leisure and pilgrim travellers. The company received rounds of funding from Greenoaks Capital, Lightspeed Ventures, Sequoia Capital and DSG Consumer Partners. Moreover, unlike its competitors, OYO adapted itself to the fast-changing consumer preference and grew at an enviable pace and by 2016, was present across 190 cities through a network of 6,500 hotels. However, OYO Rooms had to face a multitude of challenges both from the consumer and hotel owners’ ends, primarily service quality concerns from the customers and majorly concerns out of payment irregularities or non-abidance to written contracts from the hoteliers’ end. The dissatisfaction levels increased to an extent that experts started raising questions on the viability of the business. OYO was growing at an aggressive rate but breakeven point was yet to be achieved. Moreover, growing dissatisfaction and switching amongst its customers as well as hoteliers threatened the very existence of the model. The case allows the students to critically analyse the strategies of OYO for deliberation on whether the business model was sustainable in the long run. It also encourages the students to deliberate on the possible growth strategies for OYO as also on the service recovery strategies for OYO.

The case has been positioned around the following modules: industry analysis; value of a two-sided business model to both parties; sustainability of a unique business model, against the challenges that it faces; applying the VRIO framework (resource-based view); complaint handling and service recovery strategies; applying the Ansoff’s grid for possible growth options.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 11: Strategy.