De La Salle University Ramon V. Del Rosario Sr.

College of Business Marketing Management

Submitted By: KUNG, EDWARD KENNETH Submitted On: March 11, 2013

Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa The Background Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa, Cebu in Maribago, Lapu-lapu City is owned and developed by the Philippines BXT Corporation, a PEZA registered Tourism Operator / Developer. The project is a foreign-funded investment and was a response to the call of the Philippine government for more investments on the tourism sector. The resort is managed by the Imperial Palace Hotel Group, and international hotel management group with a portfolio of three hotels in Seoul, South Korea. Fukuaka, Japan and Lapu-lapu City, Cebu, Philippines. The Imperial Palace in Seoul, Sout Korea was rated by Time Magazine as the best hotel in Asia a testimony of their high standard of management style and industry expertise. For business meetings, conventions, exhibitions and other special functions, Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort & Spa, Cebu has 4 collapsible meeting rooms, ranging from 109 to 840 sq. meters and a Grand Ballroom that can seat up to 600 persons. All meeting rooms feature high speed internet broadband access and are equipped with built-in LCD screen. You may also take your event outdoors and enjoy corporate and social functions al fresco. Imperial Palace has several options for any occasion possible, which requires outdoor venues. IPWRS offers a dream vacation for everyone to enjoy with a waterpark facility that boasts 5 different themed pools and 3 intense water slides. It also has a 180 meter wide beach front where guests can avail of the outdoor activities that the resorts offers, including Zet Skis, Banana Boats, the Flying Fish, Island Hopping, and Dive packages. Imperial Palace is taking leisure to a whole new level, opening up boundaries never before thought possible. Designed by the Dream Park International USA. Imperial Palace offers the one and only Waterpark in Cebu, providing unlimited adventure and fun for our guests. Primary Target Market The company's key clients come from both international and domestic markets. Aside from local tourists, the Koreans and Japanese are the target market of Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa. Imperial Palace operation is a multi-awarded hotel in Korea and Fukuoka, Japan. It has a reputation for excellent hotel service in Korea and Japan which makes more attractive to the target market.

The Competitors Name of Hotel Shangri-La lVIactan Island Resort Plantation Bay Holdings Cebu Waterfront -Lahug Cebu Waterfront -Mactan Hilton Cebu Resort and Towers Imperial Palace Waterpark

Total Rooms 547 247 562 167 312 556

Average Room Rate $197 $152 $139 $139 $145 $140

SWOT Analysis Strengths The Imperial Palace Waterpark has international branches located at Seoul Korea and Fukuoka Japan. Which means, its an international company with international standards. Hence, the financial capacity of the company is broad enough to support its activities and strengthen its marketing strategy. The hotel has the largest total number of rooms in the region, which means it can accommodate more guests than its competitors at a more reasonable price. Weaknesses Though its an international hotel mostly in Asia, it is not that well known in the Philippines. It lacks publicity and familiarization outside the area of Cebu. Shangri-la Mactan as one of its major competitoe can take over the position as no. 1 in the area. Opportunities As an International hotel and resorts, they may use all their resources in order to be known in the region and even all throughout the Philippines. They may use a unique selling proposition to sell and promote their hotel that the other competitor cannot offer. Threats Customers and travellers always have a choice to stay in any hotels as they wish. Many hotels nowadays are rising left and right. Hence, the market always has something new to offer. They should foresee this fact in order to cope up with the competition and launch their own strategy to keep up with the market. The problem How can Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa promote itself to be known in the Philippines, keep up with the direct competition, and stand out and be the hotel of choice in the region?

Alternative Courses of Action ACA1 Status Quo The Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa shall maintain their status quo and be contented with what they have, the guests, and their target markets. With these, the status quo will not offer any growth to the hotel and they shall still remain on a lower spot then say Shangri-la Mactan Hotel. ACA2 Strengthen its marketing plan through tri-media advertisements. As we well knew, one of the most effective means of communicating your products and services to the public is through TV, Radio and newsprint advertisements. This is considered as one of the most effective way to broaden the scope of your markets and be known to the public. However, this strategy would entail a large chunk of the companys budget for as we well knew, tri-media advertisements are costly. Nonetheless, we have to consider the long term effect of this strategy, one of the effect would be an increase in the number of guests. Primarily, tri-media advertisements would target local customers as an immediate effect. Tourists from Metro Manila and other parts of the country will choose this hotel with much more reasonable price than the other hotels nearby offering the same services and the same luxurious feel. ACA3 Improve Facilities and Improve Service to cope up with the fast growth of new hotels in the area. One of the strategies that would not be costly and more reasonable to spend is to improve the facilities of the hotel. One of the considerations in choosing a hotel would be the ambiance, facilities, and the luxurious feel that would recompense the expenses. However, improving the facilities and services would not entail an automatic and immediate effect of increase in the number of guests. Many customers especially in other region like Metro Manila still has little to none regarding the hotel. Decision Criteria: Ease of Implementation 30% 30% 15% 20% Probability of Success 20% 15% 15% 10% Cost benefit 50% 10% 45% 30% Total Score 100% 55% 75% 60%

ACA 1 ACA 2 ACA 3

Conclusion: The fact that your establishment or in this case the Imperial Palace Waterparks Resort and Spa, located at Cebu Philippines, Surrounded by a world-renowned hotels like Shangri-la is a great challenge and a great enemy to defeat. Shangri-la has its name established not only in the Philippines but internationally. However, hotels like the one in this case may also compete with the existing hotels around the area. One of which is that they may offer the same or equal exquisite hotel experience to their guests like the competitors are offering with a lower price. The major concern will and shall always be the price and the value for money. Will you spend more and get what you want that less and left unsatisfied. Rather you will choose between two services, both offering equal services, ambiance, feel and experience yet in a lower price. The question is how would it be possible for the public to know such fact that the Imperial Palace offers entirely the same service and ambiance with Shangri-la? Hence, Tri-Media advertisements. This would introduce the hotel in a different perspective. That it would appear more luxurious and appealable to the tourists than the existing hotels in the area due to its advertisements. As a short-term effect, locals and residents of other regions like Metro Manila who wanted to visit Cebu would choose primarily Imperial Waterpark than the others due to a fact called recall. Once you saw or heard an advertisement regarding a certain hotel in Cebu, and when you planned to visit Cebu, the first thing would be the one you read, heard or saw before. On the other hand, as a long-term effect, if Imperial Waterparks would be known in the Philippines that can be compared with Shangri-la head to head, which means it has already earned its popularity, this hotel would already be included in the lists of travel agencies around the world. With these, an increase in the number of foreign guests can visit and enjoy the Imperial Waterparks Resort and Spa. Lastly, we should not disregard the location of the hotel. Is it accessible to the airport? To major roads and highways, which is easy to locate? Many hotels and resorts not only in the Philippines but also around the world provide easier access for their customers or guests to reach their hotels conveniently. The free airport-hotel transfer is one key. As a guest, the free transfer from airport to hotel then back to airport would be great factor for me. With the tri-media advertisement and convenient access to Imperial Palace Resorts and Spa, they can increase the number of guests and be the hotel of choice in the region.