Investigating Internet Marketing Strategies among Hotels in Ghana

Variable Name		Responses		Percent of Cases	% of Respondent
		Frequency	Percent
Responses (a)	TProd1L	87	36.7%	100.0%	100%
	TProd2H	13	5.5%	14.9%	14.9%
	TProd3H	86	36.3%	98.9%	98.9%
	TProd4H	7	3.0%	8.0%	8.0%
	TProd5H TProd6H	17 7	7.2% 3.0%	19.5% 8.0%	19.5% 8.0%
	TProd7H	20	8.4%	23.0%	23.0%
Total		237	100.0%	272.4%	272.4%

From the data presented in the table 5.6 and figure 5.6 above, it is evident that all the respondents have transformed the Product Dimension with all the 87 (100%) of the surveyed hotels having written information about their facilities and services on their website (TProd1L) which forms 100% of all the cases. 86 (98.9%) of the hotels have pictures of their facilities on their web sites whiles 13 (14.9%) of the respondent have videos of product on their web site. Also only 7 (8%) of respondents have audio and offer opportunity for clients to participate in hotel room design online, while 17(19.5%) and 20 (23%) of respondents respectively have customization of product information online and opportunity to suggest services on offer via the hotel website.

On the level of sophistication at which the hotels are transforming the product dimension, All the hotels 87 (100%) of respondents are engaged in low sophistication by providing written information on their hotel website. 86 (98.9%) of the respondent have transformed one aspect of the product dimension (availability of pictures on hotel website) which relate to high sophistication. Less than 25% of respondents have designed their web sites to make use of other aspects of high sophistication.

5.2.2 Transformation of Price

Table 5.7 Frequency, percentage of price dimension

Variable Name		Responses		Percent of Cases	% of Respondents
		Frequency	Percent
Responses (a)	TPri1L	56	63.6%	100.0%	64.4%
	TPri2H TPri3H	10 12	11.4% 13.6%	17.8% 21.4%	11.5% 13.8%
	TPri4H	3	3.4%	5.4%	3.4%
	TPri5H	7	8.0%	12.5%	8.0%
Total		88	100.0%	157.1%	101.1%

Table 5.7 shows that Out of the total respondents, 56 (64.4%) have price information on their hotel website. It is also evident that, out of 87 surveyed hotels, it is only 56 have transformed aspects in the price dimension with all of them providing price information on their web sites which accounts for the 100% of cases for TPri1L. 10 (11.5%) of the respondents provide dynamic customization of price based on personal information (TPri2H) while 12 (13.8%) of the respondents have dynamic customization of prices based on demand patterns (TPri3H).

However only 3 (3.4%) and 7 (8.0%) the surveyed hotels provide price negotiation online (TPri4H) and allow partner websites to provide price negation on their behalf (TPri5H) respectively.

On the level of sophistication at which the hotels are transforming the price dimension it is clear that all the 56 hotels that have transformed the price dimensions have transformed at low sophistication while the other aspects classified as high sophistication records figures below 15% of all the hotels that have transformed the price dimension.

Table 5.8 Frequency, percentage of place Frequencies

Variable Name		Responses		Percent of Cases	% of Respondents
		Frequency	Percent
Responses (a)	TPla1L	87	41.8%	100.0%	100%
	TPla2L	50	24.0%	57.5%	57.5%
	TPla3H	63	30.3%	72.4%	72.4%
	TPla4H	8	3.8%	9.2%	9.2%
Total		208	100.0%	239.1%	239.1%

From the data presented in the table 5.8, it shows that all the respondents have transformed the Place Dimension with all the 87 (100%) of the surveyed hotels providing email request for hotel booking online (TPla1L) which forms 100% of all the cases as well. 50 (57.5%) of respondents’ carryout promotions of their website on the internet (TPla2L). Furthermore, out of 63 (72.4%) of respondents that allow online booking on their web site only 8 (9.2%) of them provide secure online payment.

All the respondents are transforming at least one aspect of the place dimension at a low level of sophistication while 63 (72.4%) more than half of the hotels have transformed high sophisticated aspects of place dimension.

5.2.4 Transformation of Promotion

Table 5.9 Frequency, percentage of promotion dimension

Variable Name		Responses		Percent of Cases	% of Respondent
		Frequency	Percent
Responses (a)	TPromo1L	52	58.4%	98.1%	59.8%
	TPromo2L	16	18.0%	30.2%	18.4%
	TPromo3H	16	18.0%	30.2%	18.4%
	TPromo4H	5	5.6%	9.4%	5.7%
Total		89	100.0%	167.9%	92.3%

A dichotomy group tabulated at value 1. Source: Field Data 2011

Table 5.9 shows responses of the surveyed hotels on aspects of the promotion dimension, 52 (59.8%) out of the total respondents are engaged in online advertising (TPromo1L) which also forms 98.1% of all the cases in the promotion dimension. 16 (18.4%) of respondents uses their web sites to offer sales promotion (TPromo2L) as well as customizes promotion depending on their guest profile (TPromo3H). 5 (5.7%) of the respondents links with other organizations to offer online promotion.

Again most of the respondents (98.1%) are engaged in transformation of promotion dimension at low level sophistication. 18.4% of the respondents have transformed high sophisticated aspects of promotion dimension.
5.2.5 Transformation of Customer Relations

Table 5.10 Frequency, percentages of customer relation dimension

Variable Name		Responses		Percent of Cases	% of Respondent
		Frequency	Percent
Responses (a)	CR1H	36	33.0%	87.8%	41.4%
	CR2H	9	8.3%	22.0%	10.3%
	CR3H	17	15.6%	41.5%	19.5%
	CR4H	13	11.9%	31.7%	14.9%
	CR5H	34	31.2%	82.9%	39.1%
Total		109	100.0%	265.9%	125.2%

Table 5.10 shows the responses of the surveyed hotels along the five aspects that make up the customer relation dimension. 36 (41.4%) of the respondents use the internet to provide customer service (CR1H). 17 (19.5%) out of the total respondents have websites that provide online communication with customers (CR3H). 34 (39.1%) of the respondents from the survey solicit feedback from customers (CR5H) by the use of the hotel website. 13 (14.9%) of respondents have created online communities for customers (CR4H) while only 9 respondents use the internet to identify and track customers online with the aimed of providing customized services (CR2H)

The customer relation dimension showed the least positive responses in all the 5 aspects within that dimension. This may be because all the aspects within that dimension are of high sophistication and they require the use of advanced internet tools and as well as commitment from management.

5.3 Dimension of Hotels’ Internet Marketing Mix and their Degree of Transformation

In this section to be able to further answer research question two, three, four and five. The level of sophistication/degree of transformation as well as the number of the dimensions of the surveyed hotels along the internet marketing mix is analyzed.

As indicated in Data Analysis of Chapter Four, the degree of transformation of a dimension is calculated using the frequency of each of the aspects within the dimensions. The transformation degree of each aspect and the overall transformation degree of a dimension as show in table 5.11 is calculated using the formula below:

Transformation Degree of a Dimension (%) =