The Mission of the Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry has a unique situation in terms of their customer base; at any moment anyone in the world could be a customer. It sounds obvious, but for hospitality companies, like McDonald’s or Marriot Inc., at any moment a person could want a meal or need a room. These are not goods that can be stored in one placed and then shipped to any where in the world; these are services that need to be located anywhere and everywhere in the world where people are in order for a company to maximize its profit (please its stakeholders). In addition, the hospitality industry relies heavily on the instant and constant satisfaction of their customers. Yes, this is true for every business; however, in the hospitality industry fulfilling and pleasant service is one of the main “products” its offers, and therefore relies on it to succeed. A company’s ability to realize these distinctive aspect of the hospitality industry, and adopt their business practices to meet these demands, will most likely succeed. 

To prove this lets look at some of the mission statements from the leading companies in the hospitality industry... 

McDonald’s mission statement reveals the following: "be our customers' favorite place and way to eat” by implementing their “Plan to Win centering on the five basics of an exceptional customer experience – People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion.” 

I found this to be the most interesting mission statement because it directly mentions the marketing mix (4P’s) we learned about. Interestingly, they added the “people” factor because they realize that the people- employees- that their customers are in contact with greatly impact the brand name and brand loyalty- customers view of the company and willingness to patronize it. 

MGM Resorts International, which owns 12 hotels in Las Vegas, claims their mission is to, “deliver our winning combination of quality entertainment, luxurious facilities and exceptional customer service to every corner of the world in order to enhance shareholder value and to sustain employee, customer and community relationships” Notice how they mention “every corner of the world”, perhaps because they realize that in order to maximize profit, and keep shareholders happy, they must serve as many people as possible. Furthermore, they also acknowledge the relationship between their employees and customers- realizing that their success rides on the fact that this relationship is a pleasant one. 

http://www.mgmresorts.com/company/mission-statement.aspx

Marriot International Inc. mentions that part of their mission is “Pride in the knowledge that our guests can count on Marriott's unique blend of quality, consistency, personalized service, and recognition almost anywhere they travel in the world or whichever Marriott brand they choose.”  Again, they mention how they want to be a    brant name identified and revered around the world. Additionally, they also emphasize the importance of maintaining a reputation through outstanding customer service and dedication to customers’ needs. 

http://www.marriott.com/corporateinfo/culture/coreValues.mi

A hospitality company’s success is directly related to how satisfied their customers are. Whether this is achieved through global access to their service, attention to superior customer service, or focusing on providing their customers the greatest amount of high quality products, or all of the above, can be found in their mission statement.