The demand for sport tourism throughout the world has risen in recent years primarilybecause of a greater emphasis on health and fitness and the increased use of sportevents by cities in order to attract sport tourists. Sport tourists are individuals whoparticipate in sport activities while on holiday and can be divided into three categories:1. Event participants, whose number one purpose in traveling is to take part in an organizedsport event.2. Event spectators, whose main purpose is to watch an organized sport event.3. Sport lovers, who travel in order to take part in ‘‘self-organized’’ sports.In light of the great interest of tourists in sport vacations, several sport clubs, such as ClubMed, have been established in recent years, offering a variety of sports activities. The mostpopular sports among such tourists are swimming, tennis, sailing, and windsurfing.But despite the increasing demand for sports vacations, only a handful of hotels throughoutthe world actually market themselves as a sports-lover’s paradise of any kind. The IsrotelHotel Management Group provides a unique example of a hotel based entirely on the idea offulfilling the dreams of active sport tourists.The purpose of this case study is twofold. First, to trace the corporate communicationprocess implemented by the management of Isrotel Hotels in their effort to build the newSport Club Hotel, focusing on internal and external communications. Second, to describehow the marketing and promotion of sport hotels differ from that of ordinary hotels.

Isrotel’s corporate identity strategy

Is rotel is the third largest hotel management company in Israel, with 2,650 rooms in 12 hotelsthroughout the country. Isrotel has invested heavily in recent years in the implementation ofits corporate identity as a response to intense competition from its competitors, FattalsHotels and Dan Hotels (with 4,500 rooms in 14 hotels and 3,150 rooms in seven hotels,respectively, throughout the country). Dan Hotels, unlike the two other hotel chainmanagement companies, has chosen to reinforce its market positioning using a monolithiccorporate identity strategy. According to this strategy, the organization employs a singlename, symbol, trade dress and typestyle for all products and divisions. This strategy iscommon and has been adopted by several well-known chains, including the Carlton HotelCollection and the Hilton Hotels chain.In contrast to the Dan Hotels, the two other large Israeli hotel management chains haveadopted an endorsed corporate identity strategy. Under the endorsed strategy,corporations own several products or businesses, each with its own semi-independentidentity. The Holiday Inn chain is a good example of this strategy. Fattals implemented theendorsed corporate identity strategy by creating four different sub-brands of hotels, each associated with the name of the chain. Isrotel has chosen to adopt this strategy in a slightlydifferent manner. Their idea was to create unique identities and names for each hotel, basedon the strategy of offering ‘‘a hotel for every dream’’.One of Isrotel’s 12 hotels is the Sport Club, which is based on the idea of fulfilling thesport-oriented holiday experience. The process of building the identity of the first sportshotel of its kind in Israel was executed in two distinct stages. First, the hotel’s identity wasprecisely defined based on its target audiences. Second, the most efficient communicationchannels for assimilating this identity among the target audiences were selected. Bothstages were completed in 2004.

Defining sport hospitality in the Sport Club Hotel

The concept of building a hotel based on a sport vacation theme was derived from surveysundertaken in 2003 that identified trends in the hospitality sector worldwide, indicating thegrowing interest of young people and young families in combining holidays with sports.Another motivating factor was research conducted by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, whichconfirmed that the city of Eilat, on the shores of the Red Sea, is a leading tourist destination inthe Middle East. Eilat annually attracts hundreds of thousands of European tourists who wantto integrate marine sports into their holiday. The city was also perceived as being attractiveto sports teams, especially from Eastern and Western Europe, interested in holding trainingcamps outside their home countries.After a thorough examination of these findings by local and international travel agencies thatwork with the chain, the Isrotel Hotels management decided to establish a unique hotel thatdedicated to the sport experience. This hotel aimed to cater to two main sectors: sport loverswho are not professional athletes – mainly young tourists and families, from both Israel andabroad, who would be interested in a sports-oriented holiday, and, second, sport clubs andteams from Europe and elsewhere, as well as professional athletes, who would be interestedin combining training and a vacation.To make the Sport Club Hotel more attractive to potential guests, Isrotel decided to equip itwith a large number of sports facilities in three categories: classic sports, extreme sports,and marine sports. Facilities in the first category, classic sports, include a heated (in winter)semi-Olympic swimming pool intended for professional swimmers and two smaller pools forother vacationers and children; a state-of-the-art fitness center equipped with thehighest-quality training equipment, including certified, professional trainers; a professionalarchery range with a certified instructor; tennis courts with a staff of instructors andprofessional equipment available day and night; basketball courts available day and night;mini-soccer fields available day and night; squash courts, including professionalequipment; lawn volleyball courts; and ping-pong tables. The main facility in the secondcategory, extreme sports, is a challenging climbing wall. For the third category, marinesports, the hotel offers kayaks, pedal boats and speedboats.

Using multiple channels to establish the corporate identity

Since stakeholders are influenced in many different ways, organizations often use as manychannels and methods as possible to get their message across. The most useful corporatecommunication channels in the hospitality industry are nomenclature and branding, graphicdesign, formal statements, architecture, media relations and routine interactions. Thesechannels are summarized in Table I.The Isrotel management chose to use all of the above-mentioned corporate communicationchannels, as is customary in the hospitality sector, to establish in people’s minds the identityof a hotel based entirely on the concept of a sports holiday

Nomenclature and brandingNomenclature and branding 

refer to the brand names that identify the corporation. Brandnames become important mainly when one organization merges with another; creating aunique new identity may then require that one organization change its name or add to it. Awell-known example is Quality Hotels (today known as Choice Hotels), which extended theirline to include different product tiers and gave each a different name (Comfort, Quality, andClarion).To strengthen its endorsed corporate identity strategy, the Isrotel management looked for ameans by which its local clients would form the connection between the private brand name(Sport Club) and the ‘‘family’’ brand name (Isrotel). This it achieved primarily through itswebsite, which presents all 12 hotels under the Isrotel name and the slogan ‘‘A hotel for everydream you have’’. Thus, the concept of a sport-oriented holiday became linked with thename of the chain. In addition, all international travel agencies that worked with the Isrotelchain in Europe and North America received a brochure with a detailed description of all ofthe chain’s hotels, by theme, emphasizing both the uniqueness of each hotel and theirmanagement by a single company.

Graphic design

The corporate graphic design system covers the overall visual presentation of the firm, ofwhich the logo is considered the heart. Hotel chains tend to emphasize their logos, whichmay be designed to symbolically express particular qualities. The thick, black Hilton logo, forexample, evokes strength, prestige and safety, whereas the Holiday Inn logo expressespleasure and lightness.The Isrotel management, because logos are a central means for promoting associationsamong clients, decided to register their hotel names and logos in English, rather thanHebrew, the local language, in order to give the hotels an international flavor.

Formal statements

Formal statements include mission statements, codes of ethics, annual reports, andorganization slogans. A formal mission statement presents the organization’s fundamental reason for existence and, for established companies, the quest for a mission statement oftenbecomes an odyssey into the organization’s history and origins.With the aim of presenting a clear message to its clients, the Isrotel management created adirectory of services for the Sport Club that included a service guarantee for a perfectholiday. This directory of services takes the form of an elegant brochure placed in eachroom, where guests can find detailed information on all the sport-related services availableduring their stay (reserving sport facilities or professional equipment, booking privatelessons, ordering healthy food from a rich menu, and more). The brochure reinforces theclient’s feeling that the hotel is indeed designed, down to the last detail, to fulfill the dream ofthe ultimate sports holiday

Architecture

Architecture refers to the design and layout of the grounds and buildings, and what theycommunicate to stakeholders about the company culture. A hotel’s interior design can alsobe seen as a clue to the kind of customers the company seeks (e.g. families versus businesspeople).The Isrotel chain management aspired to create for the Sport Club’s clients, from themoment of their arrival and throughout their stay, the feeling of having arrived at a sportlovers’ paradise. To this end, emphasis was placed on the smallest details of the hotel’sexternal and internal design. The fac¸ade of the hotel is decorated with images of famousathletes several meters high, extending from the roof to the first floor. Spaces in the parkinglot are separated by concrete separators shaped like soccer, basket and tennis balls. Thehotel lobby, which is especially spacious, is designed like a sports Hall of Fame, displayingvarious sport-related items belonging to both internationally-known athletes and leadingsport figures in Israel (some of whom are well-known in Europe) from the worlds of basketballand soccer, swimming, martial arts, sailing, tennis, and track. On display before the entranceto the dining room is an exhibition focusing on a contemporary Israeli athlete who hasreached the highest achievement in world sports. This exhibition changes periodically,according to which athletes are most successful at the time.Photos documenting all branches of Israeli sports adorn the walls of each floor in the hotel,with swimming represented on the first floor, track and field on the second floor, and soupward with soccer, basketball, martial arts, marine sports, and tennis, culminating withOlympic sports on the eighth and highest floor. All the hotel’s restaurants and pubs featurescreens that display sports broadcasts and events from around the world, around the clock.

Media relations

Media relations focus on knowing who in the media might be interested in the organization’sstory. Since media relations are crucial to any organization, and especially in crisissituations, it is imperative for any organization to create a successful relationship between itspublic relations staff and the media.In order to make effective use of the media available, the Isrotel hotel management decidedto use both formal and informal sources. First, to attract new customers as well as to keep theloyalty of existing ones, Isrotel deploys both advertising and public relations. The advertisingstrategy of Isrotel communicates the company’s messages using a media mix, including both in-house and out-sourced advertising. In-house advertising at the Sport Club is concentrated in an internal magazine that presents the unique features of the hotel, helpingguests manage their time while enjoying the various sports activities offered. Out-sourcedadvertising includes the internet and a television campaign. The internet enables Isrotel toconvey the concept of the sports holiday to its potential clients by displaying the hotel’sfacilities, the sports events held at the hotel, the healthy food served in the hotel’s diningroom and restaurants, and all of the instruction and training services that guests can enjoyduring their stay.Every year, as summer approaches, Isrotel introduces a television campaign to increaseawareness of the hotel’s potential and loyal customers to the fact that the Sport Club is theonly place where sport hospitality can be experienced. These TV campaigns are alwaysaired in conjunction with highly rated sports programs, mainly basketball and soccer games,since these are the most popular sports in Israel.Public relations efforts are considered by the Isrotel management to be crucial incommunicating the unique experience of a ‘‘sports lover’s paradise’’. The hotel holds specialsports events at certain times, especially during the summer, featuring well-known athleteswho give workshops in their areas of specialty, as well as leading coaches who conductworkshops. In addition, the hotel sponsors international and local competitions, includingthe European World Cup and the Israel Championship in the Triathlon World Cup. Thesecompetitions receive wide exposure in the media and are actively supported by the mayor ofEilat and key officials of the local sports scene. The events are organized as a big‘‘happening’’ that lasts several days and are accompanied by well-covered briefings,opening and closing banquets, and impressive closing ceremonies and receptions for theforeign athletes.In Isrotel’s case, the informal, external communication messages come in the form ofcustomer feedback and word-of-mouth communications. Isrotel management encouragesguests staying at the sport hotel to complete a brief questionnaire on their experiencesduring their stay. This feedback allows management to make rapid changes to improveservice at the hotel, always with the goal of hospitality combined with the strongestsports-oriented atmosphere. Since Isrotel considers word-of-mouth the most important formof advertising, the company makes real efforts to follow up with their customers and learnhow they describe the hotel at social events, such as hospitality and tourism conferencesand exhibitions.

Routine interactions

Routine interactions are the relationships created between members of the organization andits external stakeholders. To create positive relationships between Isrotel and its Sport ClubHotel customers, management uses formal and informal internal sources. To ensure thathotel employees are aware of the unique added values of this hotel, the human resourcedepartment compiled a handbook of procedures specifically for the Sport Club. In additionto work procedures, this handbook specifies exactly what is permitted and expected fromeach employee in general, and from each division in particular, in order to assure that hotelguests feel that they are staying at a sport lover’s paradise and that their experience at theSport Club is truly unique. The human resource department also implemented two formalinternal mechanisms to reinforce employees’ knowledge of norms and work procedures:weekly meetings between department managers and their employees; and an annualrefresher course for hotel employees at all levels. Once a year, all employees are tested toascertain their knowledge of company procedures. Isrotel also decided to communicate the company’s unique values in advertisements aimed at attracting potential employees to thehotel. The ads run mainly in sports newspapers and magazines and at sports colleges andsports events. The Isrotel management believes that it is essential to employ workers whoare sport lovers, rather than people who are indifferent to sports.The Isrotel management is aware of the impact of informal messages in strengthening theculture and feeling that it wishes to establish within the hotel. In order to reinforce the hotel’sadded values, Isrotel holds an annual gala for all employees. During this event, a great dealof informal information is communicated, helping the hotel enhances its reputation as a funplace to work. Informal messages are also communicated through the interactions ofemployees with their direct mangers. Each new hotel employee has a personal supervisorfrom among the hotel’s management team. Thus, the company shows its new employeesthat the relationship between the hotel’s management and its staff is a real one and that allemployees, both newcomers and veterans, can always find a senior person to learn fromand consult with.

Management strategy of sports hotels versus other hotels

An analysis of the strategy used by the Isrotel Hotel Management Group to manage theirsports hotel in comparison to their other hotels reveals different approaches. These twotypes of hotels differ in several aspects (see Table II). Whereas the sport hotel’s identity ismore limited, with a focus on a sports-oriented holiday experience, the identity of a typicalhotel is more general and focused on providing a vacation that promises general freedomand enjoyment. Although ordinary hotels have their own target markets, such as wealthyclients, families and young couples, the target customers of a sports hotel are selectedbased on psychographic variables and include only two main groups: sports lovers andsports professionals (sports teams). Management of a sports hotel must focus only onsport-related activities such as games, workshops, and sporting events, whereas themanagement of more typical hotels offer a broader range of activities, like sightseeing,musical entertainment, lectures and parties, which appeal to larger target groups. The foodat a sports hotel must be based on healthy menus under the supervision of expertnutritionists, while a typical hotel offers a menu that caters to popular tastes, including richerand less-healthy offerings. Employees of a sports hotel should be drawn from candidates who define themselves as sports lovers who will be up-to-date on game results and worldsporting events as well as sports history. The hotel should be designed with a sports-relatedde´cor – a magical atmosphere of sports glory and fame – that will appeal to customers wholove sports. In marketing sports hotels, management should exploit sports-related mediasuch as sports newspapers and TV channels and should take advantage of sporting events.In contrast, managers of ordinary hotels can market their hotels through the general mediaand through events that are connected to hospitality, pleasure and vacations.

The results of the communication process

The success of marketing and communicating an identity of sport hospitality in Isrotel’s SportClub Hotel is reflected in increased occupancy rates, financial returns and results ofsatisfaction surveys among primary stakeholders of the hotel chain. Before thecommunication process was implemented, occupancy rates were less than 40 percent.After the process, occupancy rates increased to 85 percent. Moreover, operating revenuesincreased by 14.7 percent one year after the communication process was executed.According to hotel employee surveys, it appears that 76 percent of respondents are veryhappy to be working at the Sport Club Hotel and feel that their job suits their sports-orientedpersonality. Around 90 percent of new employees at the hotel indicated that working at therewas their first priority because of the unique atmosphere. The hotel’s employees speak acommon language, the language of sports, and provide a unique service at standards muchhigher than customary in the hotel industry. As for the sport tourists who stay in the hotel,some 90 percent of those surveyed stated they enjoyed a true sports holiday, and 70 percentsaid they would consider coming back. In addition, in an awareness test taken by localtourists, the hotel achieved a top rating and was associated with all the sports events thattake place in Eilat.

Implications for practitioners

As a result of the demand for sport tourism throughout the world, hospitality firms have towork hard to learn about the best ways of providing sport vacations. Moreover, hotel groupsall over the world can now take advantage of the high demand for sport vacations from bothfamilies and professional clients and change their hotels to sport rather than all-purposehotels.This case study gives hotel group managements and hospitality managers insights, wehope, that will help them create the corporate identity communication process required forsport hotels and the marketing strategy needed in order to implement this identity.Keywords:Hospitality management,Communication,Corporate identity,Hotels,Sports

Further reading

Behaeghel, J. (1991), Brand Packaging the Permanent Medium, Architecture and Technology Press,London.Campbell, A. and Young, S. (1991), ‘‘Creating a sense of mission’’, in Witt, B.D. and Meyer, R. (Eds),Strategy Process, Content, Context: An International Perspective, West Publishing Company, New York,NY, pp. 147-56.Collins, J.C. and Porras, J.I. (1998), Built to Last, Random House, London.De Knop, P. http://www.steelbee.net/baogao/c368 (1990), ‘‘Sport for all and active tourism’’, World Leisure and Recreation, Vol. 32, pp. 30-6.Gibson, H.J. (1998), ‘‘Sport tourism: a crucial analysis of research’’, Sport Management Review, Vol. 1,pp. 45-76.Gray, E.R. and Balmer, J.M.T. (1998), ‘‘Managing corporate image and corporate reputation’’, LongRange Planning, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 695-702.Jiang, W., Dev, C.S. and Rao, V.R. (2002), ‘‘Brand extensions and customer loyalty’’, Cornell Hotel andRestaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol. 43 No. 4, pp. 5-16.Kedidi, S. and Torfve, C. (2005), ‘‘Communicating corporate identity in international hospitalityorganizations’’, Master’s thesis, Lulea University of Technology, Lulea.