“ We just didn ’ t figure on their radar . It was so inexpensive to tactically grow this brand digitally in a rapidly digitising world – from Instagram to Facebook to Google search ,” he says .
Now , 80 % of FIVE ’ s marketing budget is allocated to digital marketing , primarily because FIVE ’ s target audience are active on social media platforms . This next generation of global travellers simply do not want to stay at the kind of hotels their parents frequented – quality , five-star establishments in their own right , but a very different , sterile experience .
“ Trends are trends and people want to do different things and we just need to be visible and create that discernible difference ,” says Aloki . “ This is my brand . This is us and we ’ re different . You can ’ t compare . So I tailored a lot of our F & B , a lot of our events , a lot of our venues to cater to that feeling of difference – and now we almost have a cult following .
ALOKI DRIVING A DIGITAL-FIRST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
As the driving force behind FIVE Hospitality ’ s success , Aloki ’ s determination that all properties be equipped with leading-edge hardware and cutting-edge experiential software has resulted in high performance in both customer satisfaction scores and record revenues , ensuring FIVE consistently outperforms its competitors . With a digital-first customer experience , the brand has achieved lower costs and higher profitability margins ultimately leading to higher direct brand revenues , proven by direct bookings growing from 25 % in 2019 to around 54 % in 2022 .
70 November 2023