ITC GRAND CHOLA

Industry Profile- Hotel Industry

The Indian hotel industry is likely to witness only a marginal revenue growth of about seven per cent in 2012-13 with uncertain economy impacting demand, according to a study by rating agency ICRA. Visibility on the immediate term growth remains clouded with an uncertain economy impacting demand even as lumpy supply additions occur. ICRA ( Indian credit ratings agency ) revises downwards the revenue growth estimates to 5-7 per cent, with a seasonally stronger second-half partly compensating for the low operating margins in the first half, says the report. New lows It further says that the hotel industry hit new lows during the second quarter of 2012-13 with falling revenue per available room (RevPARs) and escalating power costs eroding the operating margins, which coupled with increase in fixed costs (interest and depreciation) resulted in many players posting net losses. World Tourism Organisation UNWTO projects a moderate 2-4 per cent growth in international tourist volumes this year in view of the continued global uncertainties in Europe, it says.

Tourist volumes:
In 2012 calendar year, global tourist volumes are estimated to have

grown by a modest 3-4 per cent compared with 5.9 per cent in 2011. Foreign tourist arrivals to India grew by 5.4 per cent in CY2012 at 66.5 lakh travellers. ICRA says the growth trajectory has slowed down sharply from that of the previous two years CY2010 and CY2011, respectively. Overall, it does not anticipate decline in demand for the fiscal 2012-13. However, growth is expected to be subdued at 5-6 per cent. Although there has been some easing in the global economic scenario since our last report in October 2012, with some immediate term respite from the postponement of the US fiscal cliff and the European debt crisis, there continue to be several dark clouds in the horizon driving down global consumer confidence, it points out. The domestic situation has been largely stable, while the rate cut, reforms and some healthy corporate numbers in Q3, promise some respite in the near term, the ICRA report adds.

Company profile
ITC Grand Chola, Chennai

This ornate, palatial tribute to Southern India's greatest empires the Imperial Cholas overlooks verdant foliage in the heart of Chennai. It embodies the highest standards in Indian hospitality balanced with elegant restraint in a prime property with a distinct personality. The ITC Grand Chola has 522 rooms and 78 luxuriously appointed serviced apartments. Its 600 spacious guest rooms, suites and luxury serviced apartments, are the epitome of Indian grace and style, expertly appointed with thoughtful amenities .

 Ideal Location

The delights of this luxurious hotel are multifarious. As a fascinating throwback to a vibrant period in Indian history, ITC Grand Chola stands for timeless beauty and luxury. Built in the midst of the business hub of Guindy and located on Mount Road, ITC Grand Chola in Chennai is within close proximity to many key areas of Chennai and is just 8 km away from the domestic and international airport. This luxury hotel which exceeds the grandeur of existing 5-star hotels in Chennai is also an ideal destination for both business and leisure sojourns. The well-connected roads and transportation system enable easy accessibility to commercial points and key areas in the city.
Refined Artistry Towering facades and flowing architecture are leaves taken from the aesthetics of the Cholas, an ancient dynasty that made a deep impact on many regions within and outside of this country. From the shores of the Bay of Bengal to that of South Asian borders of Malaysia, China and Sri Lanka among others, the Cholas have influenced art, architecture and culture from their time to now. Impeccably carved temples, bronze sculptures of unparalleled beauty and keen attention to detail is aesthetics that continue to influence us.

Objectives :
To analyze the sales effectiveness of the sales

performance of ITC sales team i.e., the corporate sales team , the convention sales team To find the sales approach of all the ITC hotels in india To understand the sales approach of ITC hotels and give sugessions to improve the sales process

Scope of the study:

The study has a wide scope of effectively bringing more customers

"through the door" and enticing them into contact, sales organizations can dramatically improve their results, efficiency, profitability, and allow salespeople to provide a drastically higher level of customer service and satisfaction. This is commonly referred to as a "Pull" marketing strategy. Marketing and advertising efforts are designed to pull potential customers into the sales channel. Alternatively, some companies invest spending on the sales force in pursuit of uncovering new sales leads. This is referred to as a push strategy; the sales force is motivated to uncover leads and push them into the sales channel. For example consumer packaged goods companies typically use a pull strategy relying on advertising and marketing efforts to translate into sales at the retail end point. Technical sales and sales of high out of pocket cost items typically rely on a push strategy as a more sophisticated sales technique is required to attract and educate customers about their products.

Research Methodology:
Thorough study of the already existing sales process in published articles

research papers, surveys etc., Compare and match the company sales process with the other leading hotels Obtain a benchmarked sales process and sales approach applicable throughout the industry and design an appropriate questionnaire using the same. Identify the sales effectiveness of ITC hotels with respect to the various categories like : Sales methodology Forecast. Sales techniques

 Perform a thorough analysis of the data collected using

appropriate statistical tools like percentage analysis, Corelation analysis, ANOVA etc., The hypothesis for each analysis will be tested on the criteria of skills possessed with respect to sales methodology, growth of the targets , Sales process The results obtained will help identify the sales approach and its effectiveness It will also thus help in suggesting measures to improve the sales process of the existing ITC Hotels.
DATA COLLECTION
Primary data Quesionnaire Secondary data- Sales report , Hotelier news magazine ,

and documented SOP

Sampling
Sampling type: Convenience sampling
Total population: 250
Sample size 100

10 from the existing 10 hotels of ITC

Research Instrument- Questionnaire with 15

questions.
Type structured and 5 scaled ( Highly agree , disagree,

Neither agree nor disagree , Disagree , Highly disagree)

Pre- testing/ Pilot test- done on 10 samples.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

As the data will be collected through questionnaire,

there are chances of biased information provided by the respondent. The study is confined to the existing sales teams of ITC hotels only.

Data analysis & Data interpretation

SPSS for analysis
Tables, bar graphs, pie- charts, used for data

representation. Statistical to be used Chi-square, Correlation tests, ANOVA. FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS & SUGGESTIONS Yet to be finalized.