Spanning 2023, the new year is coming as promised. Standing in the torrent of time, the peak moment is engraved on the wheel of time rolling forward, such as the 2023 Milestone Cultural Tourism Accommodation Festival and the 5th Cultural Tourism Investment and Operation Conference, which has just come to a successful conclusion. More than 5,000 first-class departments, investment institutions, first-class representatives, industrial chain representatives, and guests from major cultural tourism groups, hotel apartments, and scenic parks from all over the world jointly explored the integration and development of cultural tourism accommodation, dug deep into the potential of advantages, and empowered the future of the industry.
Among them, the word "innovation" has been mentioned repeatedly, and the pioneer has received awards from the market and the industry at this event - Wang Yanting, CEO of Super 8 Hotels (China), won the medal of honor of "MBI Influential Cultural Tourism Person of the Year: 2023 Outstanding Innovator in Tourism and Accommodation".
Caption: Wang Yanting, CEO of Super 8 Hotel (China), won the MBI Influential Cultural Tourism Person of the Year: 2023 Outstanding Innovator in Tourism and Accommodation.
Since joining Super 8 (China) in 2018, Wang Yanting has led the company to achieve nearly 20% of new store openings per year with her keen business sense. Up to now, Super 8 Hotel has signed contracts with 2,200+ hotels in 500+ cities in China. In the process of continuous expansion of the hotel scale, the hotel's performance is also firmly improving. It is revealed that in 2022, Super 8 China will jointly create an annual turnover of more than 3 billion yuan with the help of stores across the country. The underlying logic behind these achievements is that under the leadership of Wang Yanting, Super 8 Hotels (China) has always been at the same frequency with consumers and continues to innovate.
Caption: Wang Yanting, CEO of Super 8 Hotel (China).
At the same frequency as consumption, comprehensive innovation and empowerment
In 2004, the Super 8 hotel brand officially entered the Chinese market through the franchise model of Beijing Tianrui Group, and is the earliest international economic hotel brand. At that time, China's hotel market officially began to enter the era of budget hotels. The core demand of consumers for hotel cleanliness and hygiene has made Super 8 Hotel with "clean and friendly" as its service concept quickly take root in the Chinese market. Relying on the development model of franchising, efficient operation management system and perfect customer capacity, Super 8 Hotel has grasped the dividends of the market economy and developed rapidly and gradually.
In the face of the changing market environment, as the helmsman of the brand, Wang Yanting has been concentrating on researching consumer needs, constantly upgrading and optimizing products, and launched a new sub-brand in 2018: Super 8 Select Hotel. Different from Super 8 hotels, Super 8 Hotels are more refined and elegant, and incorporate intelligent products such as self-service check-in equipment, cardless door lock systems, and smart rooms, providing millennial business elites with better travel options and optimizing their stay experience. According to statistics, Super 8 Select Hotels has opened nearly 200 stores across the country, and its market reputation and performance are remarkable.
Caption: Super 8 Select Hotel.
In this process, the product iteration has become the standardized operation of Super 8 Hotel. In 2023, to create a comfortable living environment for guests, Wang Yanting led the team to build a new Super 8 Preferred Hotel and Super8 Yue Hotel, focusing on dedicated and high-quality services, and optimizing the guest experience by respecting localization, personalization and improving the quality of guest amenities.
With a deep insight into the consumer market, Wang Yanting and her management team have launched a number of product series of Super 8 Hotel brands to meet the needs of consumers in different circles and expand their market share. Taking stock of the regional layout of Super 8 Hotel (China)'s stores, Super 8 Hotels have been spread all over the first and second tiers, sinking to the third, fourth and fifth tiers, and have a wide range of market recognition in the northwest region.
While successfully occupying the market, Super 8 Hotel also enjoys a good reputation in the industry. According to incomplete statistics, Milestone has won a number of honors in recent years, such as the honorary titles of "China's Most Influential International Hotel Group", "2020-2021 Outstanding China Hotel Group", "Top 10 Influential Brands of Economy Hotels" for 10 consecutive years, the 10th 2021 Top 30 Foreign Hotel Group Brand Scale "Eye", "2022 China's Top 30 Foreign Brand Scale Ranking TOP1" and other awards. What's even more amazing is that based on its unique business development model, Super 8 Hotel has been listed in the top 300 commercial franchises, ranking 120th among 300 franchise head companies covering catering, retail and life services, becoming a leader in the franchise model.
To deepen the brand image, warmth continues to upgrade
Whether it is based on China's first total franchise model or the continuous diversification of the product matrix, [Innovation] is like the brand DNA, which is strongly imprinted in the development process of Super 8 Hotels (China). This has contributed to Super 8 Hotel's membership growth. According to statistics, Super 8 online free membership increased by 72%. Milestone observed that this is inseparable from the membership series marketing actively led and promoted by Wang Yanting.
With the just-concluded [Super 8 Brand Month|For example, Super 8 Hotel's IP "Lu Xiansen" invites online fans and offline tourists to check in the five popular cities of Beijing, Xi'an, Hefei, Chongqing and Chengdu to unlock the impression of the city, record the warm moments, and continue to touch the cultural fabric of the city. According to the data, the number of Douyin topics such as Warm Travels is as high as 54450,000 times, and the total amount of content of the warm parade reached 56910,000 times, of which 2,288 were live8min;Live Streaming**2340,000 person-times; Live broadcast likes 37270,000 times. Through concrete interactive activities, Super 8 Hotel continues to deepen the "warm" image of the brand.
Caption: [Super 8 Brand Month|Warm Circle Parade] event.
This is not the first time that Super 8 Hotels has landed on the consumer side. Super 8 Hotel has always set the 8th, 18th, and 28th of each month as Super 8 Fan Day, enhancing member stickiness and increasing the return rate by creating node interactions and preferential activities. In 2019, Wang Yanting extended on this basis and designated August every year as the exclusive brand month of Super 8 Hotel.
This is an effective way for Super 8 Hotels to determine market segments based on market demand and their own advantages, and then to revitalize a variety of marketing resources and deliver Super 8 voices and dynamics through all channels. Wang Yanting told Milestone. In the process, Super 8 Hotel launched various marketing activities, such as movies, self-created memes, etc.
With the transformation of the consumer market, in 2020, Super 8 Hotel has created a new membership system, which provides the best channel for many young consumers who are chasing "cost-effective" to have a refined life at a lower cost through user classification, refined operation, and investment in the products and services they need, and helps them achieve a leapfrog in coffee position, style and quality.
If the early campaign focused on Super 8 members, this year's campaign is to expand the scope to all consumers, connect with more people, and provide them with emotional and spiritual value.
With the increasing number of consumer choices, consumers are paying more and more attention to the hidden value behind brands. In this regard, Wang Yanting started from the corporate culture of "the beauty of dedication, speed 8 accompanying", and refined [warmth] as a brand value strategy. Wang Yanting said: "In 2023, Super 8 Hotel will make every effort to build the brand concept of warm companionship, devote itself to public welfare, and contribute to the national rural revitalization strategy. ”
Under the "Warmth" strategy, participating in public welfare activities has become the standard configuration of Super 8 hotels. More than that, in the process of daily operation and service, Super 8 Hotel also spontaneously organizes public welfare activities. Taking the Spring Festival of 2021 as an example, Super 8 Hotel (China) exclusively planned a public welfare activity with the theme of "Staying in Place for the New Year and Inviting You to Live in Super 8 for Free". During this period, nearly 50,000 guest rooms were prepared in stores across the country to provide free accommodation services for city builders in foreign lands.
Apart from being clean and friendly, Super 8 Hotel China is even warmer. This not only enriches the connotation of the brand, but also further deepens the brand image, continues to improve the consumer stickiness of Super 8 hotels, and has more say in the era of consumer sovereignty.
To do the best value delivery, Super 8 has been on the way
Based on the American road culture, the first Super 8 hotel opened in Aberdeen, South Dakota, USA in 1974, promising to provide travelers with clean rooms, friendly service, and 8Low price of $88. After nearly 50 years of development, this brand has blossomed in China. Rooted here and growing up in Sri Lanka, Super 8 Hotel will use "warmth" to link more travelers on the road. At the same time, Super 8 Hotel (China) is also providing "warmth" for investors - constantly making the best value delivery.
Operate the best and most profitable hotel in China", is Wang Yanting's business philosophy. How to effectively land? Super 8 Hotels' measures in terms of product iteration and membership marketing have been described above, but this is inseparable from the franchise model that Super 8 Hotels has been adhering to when it enters the Chinese market. Under the franchise model, investors can earn reasonable profits without involving high capital risks, let alone taking into account the daily chores of franchisees. Although franchising has become a favorable model for hotel brands to expand their territory in recent years, Super 8 hotels have a monopoly until 2020.
With an effective development concept: "international brand, independent operation, steady investment, and continuous benefit", Super 8 Hotels (China) encourages franchisees to integrate local characteristics and personality styles according to local market conditions and their own preferences and needs, so as to give their hotels unique value while bringing guests the customs and regional culture of different cities. Giving full play to the flexibility, Super 8 Hotels (China)'s franchise model not only gives investors strong operating system support, but also can respond in a timely manner according to the market, improve the ability to resist risks, and do the best value.
Ms. Wang Yanting said: "All-round empowerment franchisees is by no means a slogan, but our mission and responsibility, we and franchisees have always been a community of destiny, we pay no less attention to franchisees and franchised stores than to the expectations of family members, because only franchisees continue to make profits, Super 8 brand can flourish, and the community of franchisees can continue to grow." Super 8 brand will, as always, adhere to the core concept, and franchisees continue to do a good job in the construction of Super 8 brand. ”