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Holiday Inns Worldwide launch down under: an Australian preliminary case study

School of Tourism and Hotel Management, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland

Willem Oostdyck

Centre for Tourism, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW

Scott D. Cogar

General Manager of Hamilton Island Resort, Queensland

Holiday Inns Worldwide has recently acquired the management contract for Australia's largest and most diverse resort. Hamilton Island Resort is situated in the Whitsunday Islands off the Queenslaud coast. Though well positioned as a global hotel operator, Holiday Inns lacks awareness in Australia. This paper addresses the following key issues:

— Holiday Inns' regional ambitions;

— why Holiday Inns needed Hamilton Island;

— how the resort's new branding (positioning) was determined;

— how the product was modified to satisfy the branding;

—how it is communicating its marketing strategy; and

— the level of success of branding (positioning).

The fate of the newest and biggest Crowine Plaza Resort may well determine the immediate success of the Holiday Inns chain in this country. The future marketing direction of the operators will impact on the perception within the market. Follow-up papers and comparative analysis will detail the ongoing marketing efforts and their performance in this new market for Holiday Inns.

Key Words: Australian case study • management contracts • marketing positioning • branding • consumer expectations • product development

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