ABSTRAK
Perencanaan dan Strategi komunikasi pemasaran sangatlah dibutuhkan bagi perusahaan yang menyediakan peayanan jasa pada masa sekarang ini terutama persaingan jasa perhotelan . Persaingan jasa perhotelan di kota Surakarta sangatlah berkembang pesat dalam kurun waktu beberapa tahun saja. Penelitian ini bertuijuan untuk mendeskripsikan bagaimana strategi komunikasi pemasaran yang dijalankan oleh marketing departemen Grand Orchid Hotel Surakarta yang meliputi bagian Front Office, Marketing Excecutive, Operasional Manager dan Food and Beverage Manager sehingga memiliki rencana pemasaran yang terperinci dan terstruktur disetiap harinya.
Penelitian ini mendeskripsikan bagaimana strategi komunikasi pemasaran yang dijalankan oleh marketing departemen dalam merencanakan program harian hingga program bulanan sehingga banyak menarik tamu untuk datang dan menginap dan enggunakan fasilitas lain didalam hotel. Perencaan komunikasi pemasaran menggunakan beberapa strategi yaitu dengan berpromosi lewat spanduk , internet, pamerran pariwisata , media serta promosi secara langsung didalam hotel.
Wawancara dilakukan keada 9 orang yang berperan dalam pemasaran hotel / marketing departemen yaitu Marketing Excecutive , Operasional Manager, F n B Manager serta staff Front Office.Seddangkan pengamatan dilakukan ketika proses pemasaran berlangsung , misalnya pada saat upselling dengan tamu atau pada saat Operasional Manager mengadakan Morning Briefing.
Marketing Departemen menarik calon tamu dengan cara memberikan promosi – promosi harga lewat spanduk dan internet serta proses negosiasi yang dilakukan oleh Front Office saat tamu datang ke hotel. Tak hanya itu pilihan menu dari Food n Beverage Manager yang bisa dipilih tamu sesuai dengan budget yang mereka punya juga menjadikan daya tarik tersendiri bagi calon tamu untuk menyelenggarakan acara seperti MICE dan beberapa acara lainya.
Mengacu pada teeori yang diajukan para ahli pada bab awal , strategi komunikasi pemasaran yang diterapkan oleh marketing departemen cukup relevan dengan konsep yang dirumuskan para ahli tersebut. Merujuk pada teori , marketing department hendaknya ebih meningkatkan lagi dalam merumuskan beberapa strategi komunikasi pemasaran di Grand orchid Hotel. Mengingat bahwa promosiluar ruang juga ikut menjadi bagian penting dalam proses pemasaran , maka promosi luar ruang seperti baliho juga sangatlah menjadi hal yang penting dan wajib dilaksanakan dalam proses pemnasaran di Grand Orchid Hotel.
ABSTRACT
Marketing communication planning and strategy is desirable to the company providing service today, particularly hotel service competition. The hotel service competition develops very rapidly in Surakarta City in just few years. This study aimed to describe how the marketing communication strategy is operated by marketing department of Surakarta Grand Orchid Hotel including Front Office, Marketing Executive, Operating Manager and Food and Beverage Manager in order to have a detailed and structured daily marketing plan.
This research described the marketing communication strategy undertaken by the marketing department in planning daily program and monthly program in order to attract many visitors to come to and to stay and to use other facilities in the hotel. The marketing communication plan was developed using such strategies as promotion with street banner, sales call, telemarketing, internet, tourism exhibition, media and direct promotion within the hotel.
Interview was conducted with 2 persons having contribution to hotel marketing/marketing department: Marketing Executive and Operating Manager. Meanwhile, the observation was carried out during the marketing process, for example, during the sales call by visiting the partner company and new company or when the operating manager held Morning Briefing.
Marketing Department attract the potential visitors by means of promotion through street banner, sales call and telemarketing to some partner company and new companies, travel mart promotion program, special price program for some seasons, and for several corporate companies and government, the use of online travel agent and conventional travel agent  could support the hotel promotion activity.
Referring to the theory proposed by the experts in earlier chapter, the marketing communication strategy applied by marketing department was sufficiently relevant to the concept formulated by the experts. Referring to the theory, the marketing department should improve, develop, and differentiate better its promotion methods and formulate several new promoting strategies in Grand Orchid Hotel. Recalling that the outdoor promotion can also be an important part in marketing process, the outdoor promotion including billboard became very important and should be implemented obligatorily in marketing process in Grand Orchid Hotel.