HILLSIDE BEACH CLUB (HBC) CASE STUDY REPORT
By: Sanyi Shi
24706 Strategic Services Marketing – Autumn 2020
Francois Carrillat
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
Sydney, Australia
27 April, 2020.
Hillside Beach Club (HBC) Case Study Report
Introduction and Uniqueness of HBC Services
Hillside Beach Club (HBC) is a Mediterranean resort that is currently located in Fethiye, Turkey (Lal and Yucaoglu 2016, p.3). Besides, HBC has sustainably excelled in the provision of family vacations by relying on the concept of “a feel-good factor” (ibid, p.5). Subsequently, the organization gains a competitive advantage by ensuring that every customer is happy and satisfied through the provision of high-quality services and experiences. According to Kavetsos and Szymanski (2010, p.11), “feel-good factor” is a beneficial emotion of happiness that could emerge from particular life experiences. Besides, HBC has been enjoying lots of benefits, including substantial profits, high levels of customer and employee satisfaction and a high number of repeat clients. Subsequently, HBC has won some of the prestigious hospitality awards, including the Best Resort Award and TripAdvisor Hall of fame Award (ibid, p.2). Since HBC plans to open a new branch in Northern Cyprus, this case study report presents how HBC develops “the feel-good factor.” Also, the report provides critical analysis and evaluation of particular success pillars that HBC can embrace while entering the Cypriot market.
Ensuring Customer Satisfaction, Happiness and Loyalty
HBC has been striving to attract and sustain a significant number of guests in the highly competitive hospitality industry and the tourist-rich Turkey market. The first approach through which HBC ensures customer satisfaction and happiness is through the use of “the feel-good factor” where happy employees offer services to family members who dine together with the serene feeling of staying in natural environments ((Lal and Yucaoglu 2016, p.5). That is, HBC offers a unique customer experience by ensuring upscale but genuine family-friendly services in an informal yet respectful setting. Research by Vorhies, Orr and Bush (2011, p.748) suggests that an organization that focuses mainly on customer satisfaction would probably thrive and realize better financial gains. Since the core purpose of a profit-making firm is to attract and sustain a reasonable market share, prioritizing on meeting or even exceeding customer needs and demands is recommendable. HBC ensures that its clients are happy and satisfied by embracing specific strategies. According to Lal and Yucaoglu, HBC uses the concept of “Soft animation” whereby family members on vacation have the freedom to participate or not in joint activities such as volleyball and water polo (ibid, p.6). Besides, HBC maintains constancy concerning service provision to meet and even exceed the expectations of its clients. A research study by Choo et al. (2012, p.98) shows that reliance on high customer values, especially among luxury clients, facilitates the development of positive and beneficial connections. Also, the organization incorporates new and globally-trending services to improve the quality and relevance of their services. Additionally, HBC relies on natural beauty and simple yet elegant style of structures to meet customer needs without being over-the-top luxurious or imposing (ibid, p.4). Finally, the organization facilitates the “feel-good factor” through the use of an easy-to-navigate layout that is suitable for families with kids.
Encouraging Employee Satisfaction and Loyalty
HBC strives to maintain a happy workforce through the adoption of particular strategies such as the participatory approach of management, excellent housing and workplace conditions, and provision of reasonable befits. A research study by Zelenski, Murphy and Jenkins (2008, p.529) shows that happy employees are high performers. Besides, HBC relies on a suitable workforce that is well-trained and deployed to ensure sufficient attention to every customer. For example, the organization relies on a guest relations department that is separate from the concierge and reception sections. Accordingly, HBC depends on loyal employees who are committed to improving service provision.
Factors to be Adapted to the Cyprus Branch
The majority of the aspect that attracts success in the Turkey resort appears to be implementable in the new Cyprus branch. First, HBC should adapt the use of “the feel-good factor” in the new facility because it acts as the firm’s unique brand. As a reputable firm with clients from across the globe, HBC should continue focusing on satisfying its clients through the use of specific strategies that entail provision of upscale but genuine family-friendly services in an informal yet respectful setting. Besides, the organization should fully implement the use of simple yet elegant structures to ensure clients attain suitable and serene environments for socialization, dining, entertainment and other vocational events. Moreover, HBC should fully implement the “soft animation” strategy to facilitate the achievement of the “feel-good factor” amongst its customers. Since clients on vacation could like to obtain some rest and happiness, they should have the freedom to make choices and participate in their most preferred events. Additionally, HBC should endeavour to provide high customer value through the use of specific techniques that could entail constant service provision as well as the incorporation of emerging global trends. As such, the organization will develop a beneficial relationship with its guests because it will deliver quality and relevant services.
Additionally, HBC should treat its Cyprus employees well through the use of particular strategies that may entail the provision of reasonable benefits, suitable workplace and living conditions. Accordingly, the organization will benefit from the high performance by the satisfied, happy and motivated employees. Moreover, the firm should bring in some of the experienced employees to assist and induct new local recruits. Reliance on a whole new workforce would probably make it challenging for HBC to implement the culture of “the feel-good factor” adequately. Nevertheless, HBC should fully implement the participatory approach of management and decision-making approaches to encourage better adaption to the new work environment. Precisely, HBC will quickly learn, understand, and adapt to the local Cypriot culture by encouraging its local recruits to participate in the development of potential ways of improving service provision and enhancing guests’ experiences. However, the firm should not fully implement the use of the participatory approach because some of its employees have limited knowledge and skills concerning HBC’s culture and process. Further, HBC should always stick to its promises and avoid pretension to gain customer and employee loyalty.
References
Choo, H.J., Moon, H., Kim, H. and Yoon, N., 2012. Luxury customer value. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal.
Kavetsos, G. and Szymanski, S., 2010. National well-being and international sports events. Journal of economic psychology, 31(2), pp.158-171.
Lal, R. and Yucaoglu, G., 2016. Hillside Beach Club: Delivering the Ultimate Family Vacation in the Mediterranean.
Vorhies, D.W., Orr, L.M. and Bush, V.D., 2011. Improving customer-focused marketing capabilities and firm financial performance via marketing exploration and exploitation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(5), pp.736-756.
Zelenski, J.M., Murphy, S.A. and Jenkins, D.A., 2008. The happy-productive worker thesis revisited. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(4), pp.521-537.
