Q & A with Felipe GotorMarketing Chief of Coral by Hilton Hotels in the Dominican Republic
by Jose Carlos de Santiago
After big-time success in the domestic market of the Dominican Republic, the Coral by Hilton trademark is determined to make the most of its alliance with megabuck hotel chain Hilton and set out to conquer the world.
“This is a brand with ample possibilities for franchises. The plan is to move on beyond that and own some forty to fifty hotels. In Austria, the Caribbean, Egypt and many other destinations,” says Mr. Gotor.
Q.- What´s the philosophy Coral by Hilton has been implementing over the past two years?
A.- Coral used to be a good and well-known local brand. Now together with Hilton is a far better brand from a competitive standpoint. This is very important because history has shown that alliances and mergers do count. We´re focused on quality and putting Coral by Hilton on the map. The goal is not to stay put in the Dominican Republic, but to have a world-class Coral by Hilton trademark in conjunction with Hilton, company that already owns 2,500 hotels all around the world.
Q.- How many hotels does Coral by Hilton really have?
A.- We only have four hotels in the Dominican Republic, we´re in for more. This is a brand with ample possibilities for franchises. The plan is to move on beyond that and own some forty to fifty hotels. In Austria, the Caribbean, Egypt and many other destinations.
Q.- How many rooms do these hotels add up to?
A.- More or less some 2,500 rooms, all of them in the Dominican Republic.
Q.- What´s the budget your company handles in terms of promotion and advertisement?
A.- That´s hard to figure out because this is close alliance we´re talking about. Anyway, for the country we count on a budget of approximately half a million dollars.
Q.- Is America your natural market?
A.- No, Europe is our natural market, especially France, Germany, Italy and UK. That´s the way it used to be because Coral was not part of the Hilton brand. We´re now beginning to reach out to the U.S. market as well because many Americans are drawn to the Hilton trademark.
Q.- Do you know the FITUR tradeshow?
A.- Absolutely. We´ve been there before.
Q.- Have you attended that fair in recent years?
A.- No, I didn´t attend this year´s edition.
Q- What does the Dominican Republic mean to Coral by Hilton in terms of marketing strategy?
A.- To us, the Dominican Republic accounts for approximately a fifth of our global market, especially during the off-peak travel season.
Q.- What is Coral by Hilton doing as far as communication is concerned to expand in the Dominican market?
A.- We have re-launched the company´s image in the Dominican Republic and we´ve got a number of commitments with several TV series, like Sabrina This Weekend. We´re also engaged with Coca Cola and Presidente Beer to make a merger. We´re also offering special fares for local travelers, and now are ties with Caribbean News Digital are pretty strong.
Q.- One last question. How long have you been in this company?
A.- I´ve been in Coral for ten months, but I come from the Hilton hotel chain.