The Contribution of CRM to Sales Performance in the Hotel Business

Especially for the hospitality industry, Customer Relationship is one of the most important success factors with communication playing an integral part. The aim of this dissertation is to evaluate the influence of the most common direct marketing channels in the hotel business (e-mail and post mail) and the communication frequency on the re-buying behavior, i.e. the behavioral loyalty of existing hotel customers within a Customer Relationship Management context. Within the complex construct of CRM, marketing communication plays a central role in creating remembering effects and in initiating booking impulses, but neither the question of a worthwhile frequency nor the quality of the different media channels as a message transmitter within CRM have been evaluated so far. The main questions, which will be answered in this dissertation, are: What is the role of direct communication within Customer Relationship Management? What are the effect of on- and offline messages on customer loyalty, measured by the number of additional sales? Does communication directly and positively influence the purchase frequency of already existing customers?