International waters begin at 12 nautical miles off a coast. Casino Gaming is not regulated in international waters, and other activities are not regulated either.

As casino gaming operators who want to compete in regions without casino gaming licenses, how likely would it be that you would recommend investing in a cruise ship scaled to the desired market segment to provide an amenity of casino gaming to your organization’s assets or as a core business similar to what Princess Cruises has done with a cruise ship offering casino gaming?

Reply from Elisa Hink

“Growth” in any industry is challenging, but in hospitality it becomes extra challenging in that it can mean a variety of things. An industry that is inventory- or product-based, like the tech or automotive fields can find growth by easily communicated upgrades to products customers are familiar with; an iPhone user can enjoy hardware upgrades while maintaining a concrete understanding of what their device is meant to accommodate and the basic experience that should be delivered. More importantly, it is challenging to participate in society without some sort of computer or computer stand-in making it much harder to get along without – a smartphone will accomplish quite a bit that are necessities. Hospitality is an industry that offer optional experiences in life in a way that can’t be materially measured. “Growth” isn’t just a new property or venue; rather, it is a dynamic moving target that varies by region, culture, age group, and even gender. It is a malleable and requires adaptation at a constant rate.

Simple shifts like new offerings on a menu or heavier lifts like a whole-property room remodel stand alongside completely new restaurants or hotels as examples of this.

In this fluid sea of change, marketing has the pressure of serving as the conduit between proprietor and customer. New customers have to be welcomed and provided conceptual context in quick order and returning customers must be not only reminded of what it is they like about a business, but that they can trust that they will also like anything the business does that is new. A grocery store doesn’t need to offer an invitation to return because it is likely a commitment of convenience, but a restaurant is one of many and must remain an active choice. Marketing provides avenues of continued conversation with customers to affirm and validate someone’s choice.

Creating and maintaining this conversation is key for growth. By platforming CRM, feedback can be given and received – these insights can aid in tweaking elements to attract more customers. Social media content and engagement craft a parasocial relationship with customers, allowing them the opportunity to stay in touch with a business well after departure and a gateway to FOMO that might drive a return

Traditional forms of media that return all storytelling control to a business are helpful to shape dominant brand identity and make declarative statements about it. Projection of brand onto customers through an establishment of place and time with internal / in-visit touchpoints maintain a holistic experience and imprint more deeply onto a sensory level (this must be true since every luxury hotel suddenly all smell the same and every kitchen is open to the dining room with one or another “signature” cooking method…).

Importantly, none of these elements can exist in a silo. A business has to be prepared to deploy all of them – some more than others, depending on market and target demographic, but ultimately, the intangible “awareness” has to be established. Hospitality’s long-held mechanisms for attracting business are no longer what they were; legacy brands like Hilton and Marriott have developed boutique-like hotels resembling quirky mom-and-pop shops they replaced 40 years ago; cathedral-like nightclubs are being replaced with small lounges populated by live bands like those abandoned in the 90s; and Caesar Salads prepared table-side are the height of cool in restaurants that would have embarrassed diners 20 years ago.

Everything feels up for grabs because it is – the cycle isn’t cycling like it used to: being new isn’t enough and being fancy isn’t, either. Customers are smarter and more worldly than they were even a decade prior – marketing is one of the few ways that businesses can recognize and collaborate with them to ensure that they will be a part of something that is worth their attention. This collaboration is what will drive new business and capture it in the long-term.

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