Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FINAL ASSIGNMENT
[STRATEGIC MARKETING]
[MKT 201]
Date:
I. INTRODUCTION
Established in 1995, with the ambition to bring unique experiences, awaken all
the senses of customers at each destination, Six Senses has been widely recognized for
establishing the early benchmarks for the hospitality industry. Six Senses is one of the
world’s leading operators of top-tier luxury hotels, resorts and spas. Until late 2020, it
manages 20 hotels and resorts in 16 countries. Each Six Senses property has a touch
of uniqueness and natural incredible beauty known for their distinctive and diverse
design personalities. Each property is supported by a leadership commitment to
community, sustainability and wellness. The brand focuses on promoting personal
health and the health of the planet which means they care about people, cultures and
ecosystems where their hotels or resorts are located. They are also famous for their
sustainability programs such as plastic free, using eco-friendly materials, funding for
local and environmental projects, etc. The Six Senses symbol, the highly recognized
graphic of a six-sphere pyramid. It is presented in purple, indicating human’s senses
and association to dignity, wisdom, spirituality, vision, power and passion.
In Vietnam, Six Senses Con Dao is one of the most luxurious beach resorts. This
is the first five-star resort in the Con Dao archipelago. Located in Dat Doc Beach, a
private beach against the dramatic backdrop of the Lo Voi Mountains, the remote area
has also been protected as a national and marine park for decades. The resort is
popular among A-list celebrities, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie having stayed here
once when they were still a couple. It is also known as a 5-star eco resort, the resort
has been built with the lightest possible eco-footprint to conserve the island’s rich
ecosystem. Based on the concepts of luxury, aesthetic experience, respect for nature
and environment, it intertwines these factors that makes the resort so innovative and
unique. Six Sense Con Dao is built as a traditional fisherman village, and all buildings
are in wood where the guests can enjoy panoramic views of the sea and a high degree
of privacy. The villas are elegant, modern and spacious and contemporary design
highlighting local materials. Each villa has its own Guest Experience Maker (GEM)
or butler to guarantee an exceptional level of service. The spa and dining options here
are world-class. The two excellent restaurants offer authentic Vietnamses and
contemporary international cuisine. The Six Senses brand spa treatments are of the
highest quality. About the services, Six Senses is globally well-known for its first-
class service. In Six Senses Con Dao, it combines with warm Vietnamese hospitality.
The resort aims “to help people reconnect with themselves, others and the world
around them”. By creating memorable experiences, in-touch with natural
surroundings will help the guests find the connection with themselves, with other
people and appreciate all the things around.
When mentioning Six Senses, the first impression comes into customer’s mind is
this is a luxurious and eco-conscious resort. Their brand proposition is clear that to
deliver on its promise of the name and reawaken senses with wellness offerings an
experience that is out of the ordinary. As its name Six Senses present for senses of
human, these are senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. By providing a broad
range of services helps customers to reawaken their senses. To deliver the value to the
guests, the brand has 6 criteria to support. First, local sensitivity, global sensibility,
this sustainability program that the brand committed through many activities such as
supporting local development, plastic free campaign, sea turtle incubation and
protection and so on. With a passionate commitment to supporting and protecting the
environment, Six Senses has been built and is maintained with the very lightest
ecological footprint. It educates people about environmental consciousness and
responsibility. Responsible and caring are also a part of sustainability programs that
enhance people to respect and care for others and things around them. Crafted
experiences bring to the guests extraordinary and incredible experiences stimulate,
energize and restore. Pioneering wellness is how the brand takes care of their guests
via food, drink, sleep, all of which is integrated into experiences when the guests stay
at the resort. Emotional hospitality is what their guests can feel from every single
touch point with the service through all the dedicated staff. Fun & quirky are unique
and sometimes unexpected experiences that bring happiness and senses of relaxation
to the guests. All of these values make Six Senses stand out and build a stronger
reputation on the market.
II. MARKET SEGMENTATION
The target customers of Six Senses Con Dao can be defined based on 4 types of
market segmentations:
1. Geographic
Six Senses Con Dao’s guests are from all around the world. On average, the guests
are from 51 countries. Mainly, the guests are from Germany, England, America,
Russia, China, Japan and Korea. They are also the main targeting customers of the
resort. In 2020, due to the outbreak of Covid-19, Vietnam closes the border and
stops international flights, therefore the guests coming to the resort are Vietnamese
and foreigners who have lived in Vietnam for a long time or cannot go back to
their countries. About Vietnamese guests, they mostly come from the big cities
such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh. Because of the
development and expansion of transportations, it makes the accessibility to Con
Dao easier for travelers.
2. Demographic
The resort welcomes people of all ages and genders. Mostly, the guests’ ages
range from 30 to 60 that they would be steady in their career and have good
financing. The guests can be businessmen or business women, singers, actors,
actresses, etc... The resort is aimed at families, couples and leisure travelers who
are looking for an ideal destination for their trips or vacations. For children at
young ages, the resort has a Kids club and provides many interesting activities for
them. For elder people, they can enjoy privacy, quietness, golden sand and blue
sea. Because Six Senses Con Dao is a luxury resort, they target the customers who
have high income and can afford the price. The guests can have the most delightful
experiences and services which are worth their money.
3. Psychographic
Six Senses Con Dao targeted upper class people, generally those with the ability to
pay for their luxury hotels. Because of the high price, only wealthy people are able
to afford their stays. Different groups of guests have different interests and travel
motivations. The families would like to come here to enjoy their time together,
experience more family oriented activity and the surrounding majestic nature.
Meanwhile, young couples or people would like to explore local life and history,
participate in adventurous activities such as snorkeling, trekking and other water
sports. One of the reasons people like to go to the resort is because of tranquility
and privacy where they can get away from the noisy and busy life in the city.
4. Behavioral
Occasion: Six Senses Con Dao attracts more guests on weekends and national
public holidays such as Labor Day, New Year, etc or holiday seasons like summer
or Christmas… The resort also targets people who would like to celebrate their life
occasions, for example, wedding, honeymoon, birthday, family trips.
Benefit sought: The resort target people would like to enjoy the luxurious stay
with high demand in privacy. There are only 50 villas in the resort, the guests can
order the service at their villas and enjoy their time without disturbances. Also, the
resort is aimed at people who love nature and care for environment preservation.
Through the sustainability program, the guests can learn more about ecological,
environmental responsibilities and especially, sea turtle incubation and research.
“Turtle hatching release” is a once-in-a-lifetime activity – witnessing the hatching
of baby sea turtles.
Loyalty status: Six Senses Con Dao is under IHG since 2019 so it adopts their
loyalty program. The resort not only has the repeated guests from their previous
stays but also targets people who are loyal guests of IHG.
III. MARKETING MIX
Next part is the analysis marketing mix of Six Senses Con Dao
1. Product
The core products of the resort are:
Accommodation: 50 villas with spacious rooms, comfortable settings,
private infinity pools and breathtaking ocean view.
Restaurants: there are 2 restaurants within the resort. One is Vietnamese By
The Market restaurant that serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine and, By
The Beach restaurant that is well-known for contemporary international
cuisine.
Spa: offer a wide range of holistic wellness, rejuvenation and beauty
treatment. The spa menu is diverse and attractive. The salt baths and
massages in aromatic surroundings are luxurious and comforting. The spa
therapists are high-end so it will not disappoint the guests.
The facilitating products: All villas are well equipped with flat screen television,
minibar, espresso machine, Wi-Fi connection and so on. In addition, the resort
provides a wide range of services to make their stays more enjoyable. It includes
24-hour butler service, in-villa dining, airport transfer, laundry, car/motorbike
rental, etc.
Supporting products: in Six Senses Con Dao, the supporting products can be
mentioned as Wi-Fi is available within the resort, breakfast in floating tray,
breakfast delivered to the villas or to go, free-homemade ice-cream lab, using local
speciality and fresh juice as complimentary welcome set for the guests and
numerous activities within the resort and Con Dao island such as trekking, hiking,
snorkeling...
The augmented products are offered to the guests through these elements:
Accessibility: Each department or outlet in the resort has a specific operation time
and it is informed to the guest in detail by the butlers. For example, the main
restaurant By The Beach will open from 7am for breakfast, 12pm for lunch and
6.30pm for dinner, then the guests know when they can go to have their meals.
Especially, Six Senses Con Dao is the first resort in Vietnam using private air
service. It is high-end service that the resort offers to their guests for easy and
time-saving.
Atmosphere: Six Senses Con Dao brings a peaceful atmosphere to the guests. All
the buildings are wood-made, natural materials, rustic style and the design is
exquisite. The general decorations help the guests feel welcoming and warm, as
well as will take away all of the tiredness. Located on the private beach,
breathtaking view and outstanding natural beauty where the guests can immerse
themselves in pristine nature and high level of privacy. The guests are surrounded
with natural sounds from waves, birds, winds, … It is where they can connect to
the natural surroundings. The long stretch of white sand, golden sunshine, clear
sky and blue sapphire sea will bring to the guests the sense of relaxation,
refreshing and a good spot for unwinding. The music used in the restaurants and
bar are classic, slow-paced in order to create a warm, refined and relaxed
ambiance. In the Vietnamese restaurant, the kitchen is open so that the guests can
watch the chef’s show, hear the cooking sounds, food sizzling and smell. The
scent in the resort is also filled with nature. All the essential oils used in the resort
are from natural ingredients such as lemongrass, lemon, lavender, etc. It is good
for health, eco-friendly and brings freshness and comfort for the guests. All of
these elements are aimed to enrich the guest’s experiences at the resort.
Customer interaction with the Service Delivery System: Customers can get
information from the resort through many channels such as websites, Facebook,
friends, etc. They can make reservations via OTA, TA or contact directly to the
resort. When the guests arrive at Con Dao airport, they are picked up by the
resort's car and representatives. At Welcome Sala of resort, they are welcomed by
the General Manager and dedicated butler who will personally take care of their
stay. The welcome set has already been well-prepared with cold towers, fresh juice
and “hat bang” - Con Dao’s speciality. The butlers will take the guests for a tour
around the resort and inform them about all the services and facilities to ensure
they do not miss any information. During staying at the resort, the guests can
access and use the service here, any problem or requirement will be fulfilled in the
way that makes them happy. At check-out time, they will be farewell by the
General Manager, butler and other staff.
Customer interaction with others: Generally, all the guests respect others’
differences, privacy and have positive interactions towards others. Moreover,
many of the guests get along well with other people. On some special occasions
like New Year’s Eve, when the guests are gathered to have dinner together, they
meet, greet and enjoy the time with each other then, this activity actually brings
the guests together. However, some non-tour group guests are not happy with the
noisy from big tour groups people
Customer as Employees: During the breakfast buffet, all the guests are self-serve.
They serve themselves with many food and beverage options such as pastries, cold
cuts, juices, etc. There is a “make it yourself” cocktail section where the guests are
able to make their own cocktail with prepared ingredients. It is an interesting
experience for the guests.
2. Price
Six Senses Con Dao aims to offer personal, memorable and unique experiences to
the guests to ensure that their stay is comfortable. It caters to the needs of leisure
travelers, couples and families from the upper class section of society who do not
mind spending extra for a luxurious stay. The resort is a 5-star resort so that the
price is surely much higher than other resorts. Below is the resort’s room rate on
May 31st, 2021 from Agoda.com
The price includes airport transfer, breakfast buffet, bike rental, Wi-Fi, yoga class
and other utilities. The price also will change depending on many factors such as
season, market demand. So the minimum payment of the guests for a night staying
there is around 15 million VND which is quite high and expensive. Easy to
understand that Six Senses Con Dao is a brand of luxurious resorts and believes in
offering the best possible and impeccable services to its guests, which is the reason
why the prices here are expensive.
In Con Dao island, Six Senses Con Dao is the only 5-star resort so there are no
other resorts or hotels in the same line with it. However, there are many hotels and
resorts located in Con Dao island, offering a huge range of accommodation
options for the guests. For Six Senses Con Dao, there are 2 direct competitors are
Poulo Condor Boutique Resort & Spa and The Secret Con Dao.
Poulo Condor Boutique Resort & Spa is a 4-star resort, located near Co Ong
airport, alongside Vong Beach. Compared to the price of Six Senses Con Dao
resort, the room rate of Poulo Condor resort is around 4 times cheaper. Let have a
look at the resort’s room rate on May 31st, 2021 from Agoda.com:
The Secret Con Dao is a new, modern 4-star hotel in Con Dao island, located in
the central town and in front of Lo Voi beach. They have planned for the villa
project, there is one 2-bedroom villa that is completed and used so far. Below is
the room rate of some room types in the hotel on May 31st, 2021 from
Agoda.com:
Compared to the room rate of Six Senses Con Dao, it is much lower, around 4
times for hotel’s room and over twice for villa.
3. Promotion
For promotion, Six Senses Con Dao promotes their brand through a digital channel
which includes its website. The resort has 2 websites, one is in Vietnamese and
one is in English.
There are 2 website links of Six Senses Con Dao:
In Vietnamese: Six Senses Côn Đảo ® Official | Resort Hàng Đầu Việt
Nam (sixsensescondao.com)
In English: Vietnam Luxury Beach Resorts | Luxury Con Dao Resort
(sixsenses.com)
4. Place
Thanks to the development of technology, the reservation process is super simple. The
guests can book a hotel room with only a few clicks. One of the most common
distribution channels in the hospitality industry is Online Travel Agencies (OTA). Six
Senses Con Dao is using OTA to sell their rooms. Every day millions of travelers
from all over the world organize their business and leisure trips via OTA. Taking
advantage of that, the resort uses OTA to capture their booking and increase their
occupancy. The OTA then acts as the primary contact for modifying or canceling
reservations, allowing the resort to focus on the guest experience in-house. Customers
can easily find Six Senses Con Dao on some OTA such Agoda, Booking.com,
Tripadvisor and so on. They can also view the room rate, services and facilities as
well as everyday discount prices.