INTRODUCTION

Tourism is one of Indonesia's economic indicators according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). Bank Indonesia (BI) stated that tourism is the most effective sector in encouraging foreign exchange transactions in Indonesia because the resources needed to develop tourism are located within the country, which makes more sense because the number of foreign tourists (tourists) has continued to increase in the last five years (2015-2019).

At the beginning of 2020, all parts of the world faced the spread of the Corona Virus (Sars- Cov 2) outbreak originating from Wuhan, China or known as COVID-19. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, most of Indonesia's economic activity weakened. One of them is the tourism industry in Indonesia which faces big challenges during this pandemic. Hotel operators, tourism operators, hotel associations, and the government engaged in the tourism industry, have made various efforts to predict the losses experienced by the Indonesian tourism sector.

Hotels are one of the tourism business sectors that have been hit the hardest considering that almost all services are limited or even closed due to the increasing COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions on the mobility of residents resulted in the public's interest in using hotel services decreasing drastically during the pandemic, so it can be concluded that the hotel room occupancy rate has decreased, which indicates that the intention of some guests to return to the hotel has decreased. The decline in the hotel room occupancy rate was due to a decrease in the activity of foreign and domestic tourists as well as a decrease in visiting and staying at hotels.

One of the hotels that experienced a decrease in room occupancy rates was GH Universal Hotel Bandung. GH Universal Hotel Bandung is a 5-star independent hotel that presents European-style luxury and comfort surrounded by nuances of Bandung's natural beauty. The

Italian Renaissance architectural design style looks unique and different from other hotels in Bandung, where the lines and curves of the building characterize GH Universal Hotel Bandung. As an independent hotel in the city of Bandung, GH Universal Hotel Bandung must be able to compete with international chain hotels, national chain hotels, and other independent hotels that have conformity to the concept of GH Universal Hotel Bandung. However, due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, the occupancy of GH Universal Hotel Bandung has decreased.

This hotel is usually full of tourists and business people who come to stay here, but now it is very less. In addition to reducing the number of residents, cooperation between GH Universal Hotel Bandung and outside the hotel is also affected. The marketing strategy implemented by GH Universal Hotel Bandung is interesting to be studied. Hotel management takes certain strategies that are oriented towards reducing health risks for customers who come. Consumer needs have become the focus of risk reduction strategies that have enabled the hotel industry to survive in a crisis.

The general objective of this study is to describe the analysis of the marketing strategy adopted by GH Universal Hotel Bandung in increasing occupancy during the COVID 19 pandemic. The specific objectives are:

• To analyze the marketing strategy of GH Universal Hotel Bandung in increasing occupancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• To analyze the obstacles faced by GH Universal Hotel Bandung in implementing marketing strategies to increase occupancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• To analyze the challenges faced by GH Universal Hotel Bandung in implementing marketing strategies to increase occupancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

THEORETICAL REVIEW

In this article, we will analyze using theories related to Marketing Strategy, Marketing Mix, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Marketing, and Hotel Occupancy. These 5 things will be described in detail and associated with the theme of this research, which is as follows:

RESEARCH METHOD

The method used in this research is using a qualitative approach. According to (Hardani, Sukmana, Fardani, & R, 2020), qualitative research differs from other research in several respects. In this connection, Hardani mentions three main points, namely (1) basic views (axioms) about the nature of reality, the relationship between the researcher and the researched, the possibility of drawing generalizations, the possibility of building causal relationships, and the role of values in research. (2) the characteristics of the qualitative research approach itself, and (3) the process followed to carry out qualitative research (Hardani et al., 2020).

Data collection techniques are carried out by collecting primary data through observation, interviews, and documentation. Under normal conditions, researchers should conduct observations and research directly in the field through the involvement of various parties who are considered to have the authority to answer research problems. However, considering that it is still in the period of mobility restrictions, the researchers conducted online interviews. In this case, the primary data used is based on the results of interviews with predetermined informants. The appointed informants came from internal GH Universal Hotel Bandung, namely Marketing Communication Manager, Executive Assistant Manager, and Director of Sales.

While the supporting data is obtained from the literature study where the study is used to support the primary data obtained. Supporting data is obtained from literature study by studying literature from books, articles, and journals, or so on.

RESEARCH RESULTS

From the results of research conducted by researchers that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made the hotel industry slumped, and some hotels were forced to close operational activities and lay off some employees. As well as making hotels have to continue to look for efforts including GH Universal Hotel Bandung to be able to continue operating. Various efforts have been made, starting from suppressing the operational budget, reducing employees, to changing marketing strategies. Based on the results of interviews with research informants, information was obtained that COVID-19 had a very real impact, which stated as follows:

“This pandemic has had an extremely negative impact on us. The hotel relies heavily on guests while the government implements a policy restricting the movement of people. Because hotel management has to think hard to stay afloat but also have to keep employees. We did lay off some employees, but they were not laid off, only laid off because we reduced the amount of spending, especially at the beginning of this epidemic” (Interview with Pak Asco Hamdani).

From the data obtained by researchers based on information obtained directly from research informants, the occupancy rate of this hotel ranges from 30-60% every month. Meanwhile, GH Universal Hotel Bandung can hold 20-50 events every month. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, GH Universal Hotel Bandung experienced a very drastic decline in occupancy rates and events. The statement above is in line with the description of the research informants as shown in the following interview excerpts:

“Once again, this pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to the hospitality industry, including what has been experienced by GH Universal Hotel Bandung. With the decline in occupancy, the events that we usually hold are eliminated, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. However, we slowly started to adapt. Even if this epidemic is not over, at least we try to apply the principle of coexistence. Of course, it's hard, but we also have to think about continuing to run this hotel business”, (Interview with Mrs. Anti Purnamasari).

In its efforts to continue to run its daily operations, as well as to adapt to changing market needs, the management of GH Universal Hotel Bandung made adjustments to several elements of the Marketing Mix carried out by the management. The adjustments made were focused on 5 main things by following the principles of the Marketing Mix, namely Product, Price, People, Promotion, and Process. Furthermore, the adjustment efforts made by the management of GH Universal Hotel Bandung are described as follows:

Product

According to (Warrink, 2018), a product is any offer that can satisfy a need or want.

Hotel products consist of tangible products, products that can be seen by guests, for example, rooms, food, drinks, and other facilities in the hotel, and intangible products, products that cannot be seen directly but can be felt by the guest and to obtain it the guest must pay such as

1) Service for the guest; 2) Safety and cleanliness; and 3) Hospitality (Nidn, Akademi, & Yogyakarta, 2019). Quality products are the hotel's flagship in attracting customers to take advantage of hotel services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these superior products must be accompanied by service changes that lead to customer health assurance. This is following statements by the informants:

“The service products that we offer in terms of facilities are complete and offer their luxury like a 5-star hotel. However, in times like today, facilities alone are not enough to attract customers. We also have to ensure that customers who come are guaranteed safety from the transmission of this COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, we apply strict health protocols such as checking body temperature at the entrance, installing markers so that customers with customers and hotel staff keep their distance, spraying disinfectants in all hotel areas, and so on by following health protocol rules issued by WHO and the government.”, (Interview with Mrs. Anti Purnamasari).

Price

One of the serious efforts as a form of a survival strategy is to save on hotel operational

costs. Spending that can be reduced or even eliminated is the most rational choice for hoteliers. In addition to operational cost savings, hotel management cuts service prices compared to normal conditions. However, cutting the price of this service cannot be done very drastically considering that hotel management still has to consider the standard income that the hotel must earn. In determining the price, careful analysis is needed for the product to be marketed so that it can be used as a product advantage produced by the company. The policy of cutting prices is one of the strategies to survive during of the crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have to set a pricing policy that is lower than the normal price as a form of strategy to attract customers to use hotel services. However, we can't offer discounted rates to a drastic one considering that we have to balance the income balance with the hotel's regular expenses. This policy of significant price cuts does not mean that the services provided have decreased in quality. We still hold the principle that service quality remains number one. Only certain services we reduce for example parking fees.” (Interview with Mrs. Winny Herlina).

People

Employees are one of the most important elements of the Marketing Mix. GH

Universal Hotel Bandung has competent employees. Every month the hotel holds training for its staff to provide maximum service. To be able to provide security and health guarantees for both customers and also as one of the management's efforts to be able to provide protection guarantees for employees. This statement is by following the description of the information

obtained from the results of interviews with research informants as shown in the following quote:

"In a pandemic condition that is transmitted from person to person, the main focus in providing security guarantees from the transmission is to apply stricter health protocols to hotel human resources at all levels. We equip employees, especially those on the front lines, to wear PPE when providing services. Employees are required to wear masks or even face shields to protect themselves, especially customers who visit the hotel. In addition, we must also ensure that all employees on duty are in good health or negative for COVID-19. To ensure that, we carry out SWAB tests regularly so that the safety of everyone in the hotel can be fulfilled” (Interview with Mrs. Anti Purnamasari).

Promotion

Promotion is the process of communicating the marketing mix variables carried out by the company in marketing its products or services. GH Universal Hotel Bandung has carried out various promotional activities ranging from Direct Marketing, Sales Promotion, Public Relations, Personal Selling, Interactive Marketing, to Digital Marketing. During the COVID- 19 pandemic, promotions were only carried out using Digital Marketing, namely through social media or websites. In limited conditions, promotions must be more innovative by utilizing all types of media, especially online media.

Process

GH Universal Hotel Bandung always provides the best service for hotel guests or

customers, starting from booking rooms or meeting places that are easy, payment, check-in process to check-out process. Along with government regulations on implementing health protocols, all business fields or agencies in Indonesia have added processes to their services.

"Assurance of customer safety to avoid or at least reduce the risk of contracting COVID- 19 is to implement tactical steps in strict health protocols. The system is built based on guidelines set by the government which of course refers to the standards set by WHO. GH Universal Hotel Bandung also implements strict health protocols, for example, we make instructions to maintain distance, check body temperature at entrances and exits and require everyone to wear masks, and provide places to wash hands in many corners of the room." (Interview with Mr. Asco Hamdani).

Utilization of Digital Marketing

GH Universal Hotel Bandung takes advantage of this trend by promoting using digital marketing, one of which is through social media. Apart from hampering marketing activities in doing marketing, nowadays, people pay more attention to their smartphones. This can indirectly support the marketing strategy carried out by the hotel. Marketing through social media is done by optimizing the management of Instagram accounts through control over the content and narratives displayed on the account. In addition, the content displayed on the social media accounts also reposts the content of customers who are satisfied with the services provided by GH Universal Hotel Bandung.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people's behavior in carrying out their daily activities. Now everyone is used to working without meeting face to face with coworkers or customers. The use of internet-based technology is increasingly used by all of us. In this condition, we are ultimately more intensive in conducting promotions or other marketing activities by utilizing digital technology or what we know as digital marketing. This change in behavior makes us make digital marketing the most rational choice. In addition to the various online media platforms that we use, the frequency of marketing activities is also carried out more frequently. For example, under normal

conditions, we do marketing once every 3 months, currently, we do it once a month. So there has been a very significant change.

DISCUSSION

The world of tourism and hospitality has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Public perception related to the health risks faced when using hotel services is interesting study material. Willingness to pay for hotel services amid the issue of health risks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has become the focus of academic attention. This is a point of comparison between the health risks received, and the costs incurred by hotel service customers. The COVID-19 pandemic raises public concerns about using hotel services, especially related to the implementation of health protocols that can reduce health risks (Qiu, Park, Li, & Song, 2020).

GH Universal Hotel Bandung, the subject of research is a 5-star hotel operating in Bandung for decades. After conducting observations and interviews, it was determined that GH Universal Hotel Bandung, which implemented a pre-pandemic market share strategy, made several design changes with the start of the pandemic. It seems that implementing a product life cycle strategy has always emphasized reliability in hotel promotions and making a difference. The hotel's customer base, which consists of different overseas markets such as East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, has declined due to the travel bans that started with the COVID-19 Pandemic. For this reason, hotel management changes their market differentiation strategy and focus on the domestic market, in other words implementing a concentrated marketing strategy. A marketing strategy that is concentrated on the domestic market to increase hotel occupancy both in the short and long term, GH Universal Hotel Bandung made adjustments to

the principal Marketing Mix namely Product, Price, People, Promotion, and Process.

GH Universal Hotel Bandung set the policy of cutting prices as one of the strategies to survive during the crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy of cutting prices is quite significant up to half of the normal price, as well as other services such as wedding packages and restaurants. The strategy of cutting the price was taken without compromising the quality of the services provided.

GH Universal Hotel Bandung has products that are quite capable to meet the needs of hotel guests, ranging from complete facilities and many rooms. In addition, GH Universal Hotel Bandung provides a variety of quality food and beverage menus. To be able to increase the trust of potential customers, the hotel is currently continuing to increase efforts to implement ideal hygiene. The application of high standards of cleanliness is carried out evenly in all parts of the hotel by spraying disinfectants to every place that is often exposed to physical contact, providing specific boundary instructions in places that are deemed to cause crowds and are required to queue, as well as providing automatic hand sanitizers at every often exposed to physical contact, such as the lobby area, elevators as well as at the entrance of each meeting room. Quality products are the hotel's flagship in attracting customers to take advantage of hotel services. In addition, to support the applicable health protocols, GH Universal Hotel Bandung conducts medical tests for all employees who are on active duty. In addition, it also requires the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the form of masks and face shields for every employee, especially for employees who are directly dealing with guests.

Some processes applied by GH Universal Hotel Bandung are as follows: (1) Provide distance instructions at places required to queue; (2) Mandatory checking of body temperature for anyone who wants to enter the hotel area; and (3) Require customers to use masks or face shields during activities in the hotel area. Another policy is to set entrances and exits in one place to make it easier for hotel staff, especially the security department and frontman, to control the traffic of people entering and leaving the hotel area. Temperature checks are still carried out even if the customer or employee will leave the hotel. This reason is applied by the

hotel to assure that everyone who enters the hotel area is in good health. With artificial intelligence and robotics, cleanliness and hygiene, as well as health, can be applied in restoring the hotel business in the face of the health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The perspective of hotel customers in increasing attention to hotel cleanliness and safety is a dimension that gets the full attention of hotel management (Jiang & Wen, 2020). One of them is by providing an automatic hand sanitizer machine, a sink based on a sensor system, a body temperature checking device based on a sensor and computer system, an automatic booth for spraying disinfectants to guests.

In this pandemic situation, GH Universal Hotel Bandung increases the frequency of promotional activities through social media, in normal conditions marketing activities are carried out once every 3 months, now it is once a month. Efforts to implement social media- based promotions are also strengthened by collaborating between departments. Where the Front Office Department is the executor and spearhead of marketing as a department that provides services to guests 24 hours a day. Marketing through social media is done by optimizing the management of Instagram accounts through control over the content and narratives displayed on the account. In addition, the content displayed on the social media accounts also reposts the content of customers who are satisfied with the services provided by GH Universal Hotel Bandung.

CONCLUSION

Some strategies adopted by GH Universal Hotel Bandung are described below:

• GH Universal Hotel Bandung takes a marketing strategy based on the marketing mix, namely by improving the quality of hotel service products, setting lower service prices, increasing more intensive promotional activities by utilizing digital marketing as the main promotional media for hotel product services on various types of online media platforms, and utilizing artificial intelligence to make it easier for the hotel to carry out the service process to customers, including ensuring that everyone in the hotel, both employees and guests, adheres to health protocols.

• GH Universal Hotel Bandung is one of the hotels that has suffered quite a lot of losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic where the hotel is very dependent on guests while the government implements social distancing policies. Hotels take various ways to reduce operational costs along with limiting hotel occupancy by 50% of normal capacity. This is done by reducing or eliminating budget items that under normal conditions have been allocated. In addition, the hotel is also streamlining the number of workers, although not in the form of layoffs but rather to reduce the number of work shifts. Despite the downsizing, GH Universal Hotel Bandung still strives to provide the best service.

• GH Universal Hotel Bandung realizes that marketing effectiveness in increasing occupancy is by utilizing digital marketing as the main promotional medium for hotel services and products, which provides convenience for customers, especially for prospective customers who need various positive reviews to convince themselves that the services of GH Universal Hotel Bandung guaranteed quality and safety. This is a challenge for the hotel where previously marketing activities were carried out once every 3 months to once a month.

SUGGESTION

Based on the above discussion and the results of the research conducted, the following can be suggested:

• GH Universal Hotel Bandung needs to maintain and improve the marketing strategy that has been carried out by the hotel to increase occupancy during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

• GH Universal Hotel Bandung can implement an effective marketing mix during the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing artificial intelligence and digital marketing to support business continuity, including in the hotel industry.

For further research in determining the marketing strategy for GH Universal Hotel Bandung are expected to be able to research on an ongoing basis. For this research only to focus on marketing communication strategy & marketing department, it is hoped that further research can focus on all divisions to increase hotel occupancy both during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.