The purpose of this final semester ELP project for Avari Hotel is to identify the brand positioning of Avari Hotel, Karachi (Restaurants/Food and Beverages) in the leisure market and the Y- Generation. The project’s focus would also work upon increasing the footfall in Avari Hotel, Karachi in general and its restaurants in specific. Consumer research shall also be gathered for gaining valuable insights with regards to the brand and its current positioning in the mind of the consumer. Furthermore, a literature review shall be done as well in order to gather valuable secondary data in this area of research.

1. Experiential Learning Project

2. Deliverables
Experiential Learning Project

3. Deliverables
 Developing a marketing plan primarily for social media
engagement for the restaurants at Avari Hotel, Karachi.
 Develop Brand positioning of restaurants at Avari Hotel for
younger generation and provide insight about the industry.
 Develop a strategy to increase the footfall in the
restaurants at Avari Hotel, Karachi

4. Experiential Learning Project
Advisor
Farahnaz Baig
Team Lead
Muhammad Raza Ayub
Team Members
Muhammad Osama Sakha
Muhammad Usman Azam
Hyder Abbas Mufti
Minhaj-bin-Mushtaq

5. Project Terms of Reference

6. Project Terms of Reference

7. Project Sponsor’s Representatives
Mr. Dinshaw Byram Avari – Director
Mr. Kamran Sani – Director of Sales
Ms. Shajia Raza – Public Relations

9. Sample Size
 Online Surveys – 50 individuals
 Personal Interviews – 40 individual interviews
 Focused insights as per request
 Focus Groups – 16 individuals
Total sample: 106 individuals

10. Focus Groups
 Total of 2 Focus groups were
conducted.
 Each focus group of 8 students,
currently studying at IBA.

11. Focus Groups - Insights
 We like dining out.
 Refreshing, socializing, enjoying food with ambience, variety
of food, experience.
 Food is part of the experience.
 Ambience and taste go hand in hand.
 PC Chandni (Fine Ambience. Food is not that good).
 Share one experience to remember;
 Arizona Grill, Koffee Chalet, Ginsoy, Beach Luxury, Kolachi,
Café 44,
 Dining out 4-5 times on average in a month. (Lunch with friends,
dinner with family).
 We like fine dining . (Ambience and Food)
 Hotels: Ambience is fine/ Food is satisfactory.

12. Focus Groups - Insights
 Price Points
 Willing to spend upto 2500 PKR , if there is value for money.
 Dynasty is fine, but ginsoy wins it on value for money.
 Preferred Cuisines:
 Chinese, Continental, Seafood and BarBQue.
 Top 3 hotels:
 PC, Marriot and Movenpick.
 Top of the mind recall:
 Arizona Grill, Roasters, Ginsoy, Charcoal, Kolachi.

13. Focus Groups - Insights
 Mediums influencing a dine out experience:
 Family/Friends/Word of Mouth
 Social Media
 Online Reviews
 Stand Alone Restaurants/ Hotels
 Price Points a major difference.

14. Focus Groups – Picture Association
 Avari Towers: Corporate, Expensive, swimming
pool.
 Marriot: 5-star, much better than avari, Ballroom,
hospitality, high quality.
 Movenpick: Sheraton,Sheesha, Expensive. Worst
Pakistani Food.
 PC: Respectable, Cakes, Live Kitchen, highly
sophisticated. Noodle House is good.

15. Focus Groups – Picture Association
 Dynasty: Chinese, Fine food, old feel.
 Fujiyama: Japanese, kung fu.
 Cinnamon Café: Café feel.
 Sky BBQ: Live Food.
 Asia Live: No comments.
 Aylanto: Pretty Place.
 Café Flo: Good Food.
 Roasters: Everyday café, good food.
 Jade Garden: Narrow, Not good.
 Ginsoy: Best Chinese place, dragon chicken, prawns.

16. Focus Groups - Statements
 First thing that comes to mind when it comes to dining out at Avari Towers.
 With Friends: No
 With Family: Yes.
 Fine dining at premium hotels: they lack freshness in food and taste.
 Environment is too formal.
 You have to follow certain norms. You cant ease up with friends.
 Live Kitchen.(Can be a plus).
 TGIF , Dubai ( An example for fine dining restaurants in Karachi-
Complete Experience).
 Fine dining at hotels can be occasion based. (Engagements, Post
Marriage dinners).
 Kolachi( Best Restaurant in Karachi.)
 Ginsoy.(Best Chinese Place in Karachi)

17. Personal Interviews
Problems

18. Personal Interviews
 40 personal interviews were conducted
 Mostly conducted through Skype and phone calls
while a few were face-to-face.
 Majority consisted of graduate students mostly IBA
Alumni.
 Few recently married individuals

19. 16
24
Personal Interviews - Composition
Undergraduates
Graduates

20. Interviews
18
22
Gender Composition
Male
Female

21. Interviews
 Dining Out
 All respondents had a preference for dining out
 Reasons
 Change of environment
 Relaxation point
 Break from your daily routine
 Quality food
 Meeting place (Friends, Family, Colleagues)
 Frequency of Dining out
 More than 2 times a month

22. 2
27
11
Time of Day
Breakfast
Dinner
Lunch

23. Timings
 Dinner
 Office workers
 Busy schedules in day time
 Hanging out with friends and family
 Celebrate special occasions
 Lunch
 During office hours
 With office colleagues or friends nearby
 Breakfast
 After dropping off kids
 Or breakfast with kids

24. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1 2 3 4 5
3
15
12
8
2
Frequency of fine dining / month

25. Fine Dining
 Respondents preferred fine dining
 Exotic dishes (Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Barbque etc.)
 Cultured Environment
 Premium feel
 High customer service
 Peaceful Environment
 Not many entertainment spots in khi
 Frequency of fine dining
 Majority dines out around 2 times per month

26. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
700-1000 1000-1500 1500+
13%
35%
53%
Average Spending / per head

27. Cuisines
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%

28. Cuisines
 Traditional dishes don’t count as fine dining
 New dishes available at these restaurants
 Gives a change taste
 Like trying new things out
 Preference for Chinese food, Steak, Thai dishes

29. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
4
6
5
3 3 3
4
6
2 2 2
Fine Dining Resturants
Fine Dining Resturants

30. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
PC Movenpick Ramada Marriot Avari Regent Plaza
11
7
1
10
9
2
Fine Dining Hotels

31. Hotels
 Fine Dining at Hotels
 A luxury above normal fine dining, because to the
whole created experience.
 Preferred for events or special occasions

32. Avari
 2 tier hotel
 Still considered a luxury hotel due to limited high end hotels in
Karachi
 Low value for money
 Low brand awareness of restaurants except dynasty
 Seen as branded house rather than house of brands
 Location
 People want to avoid the evening traffic but some prefer it
because of central location
 Poor entrance
 The notice signs are unclear
 Business Hotel
 Corporate guests
 Unilever

33. 0
5
10
15
20
25
Taste Ambience Hospoitality of
servers/waiters
Duration it
takes to serve
food
Variety Price
Avari Hotel – Quality Traits
Very Poor
Poor
Satisfactory
Good
Excellent

34. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Dynasty Asia Live Cinnamon
Lounge.
Fujiyama Sky BBQ
1st Priority
2nd Priority
3rd Priority
4th Priority
5th Priority
Restaurants

35. Restaurants
 Dynasty standing out as the most popular
 Good reviews
 Reasonable pricing
 Quality taste
 Great Ambiance
 Cinnamon Lounge had almost negligible presence
in the minds of respondents

36. Mode of Awareness
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Online reviews
Reviews from
friends/Relatives Advertsing Social
Media Traditional Print
Advertising
25%
65%
8%
3%
Medium of Influence

37. Standalone vs Hotel Restaurants
 Preference for Standalone
 Easy Parking
 Purpose of hotel is different
 High value for money
 Quality taste in standalone restaurants
 Frivolous environment
 Easy to spot

38. ONLINE SURVEYS-
INSIGHTS

39. 48
94%
3
6%
Preference for fine-dining
Yes
No

40. 19
37%
26
51%
6
12%
Average expenditure on fine-
dining
PKR 700-1000
PKR 1000-1500
PKR 1500+

41. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Family Friends Office
Colleagues
Others
71%
82%
18%
14%
Preferred Companionship

42. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Barbecue
Chinese
Steaks
Seafood
Lebanese/Turkish
Japanese
Others
Preferred cuisines
57%
63%
67%
47%
16%
10%
16%

43. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
4/5 Star Hotel
Restaurants
Stand-Alone
Restaurants
What type of Restaurant comes to one’s mind when
asked about Fine Dining

44. 4/5 Star Hotel Restaurants
Avari
Movenpick
PC
Others
16% (3)
32% (6)
42% (8)
10% (2)

45. Attributes rating for a fine-dining restaurant

46. Attributes of extreme importance
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Price
Variety
Duration of serving
Hospitality
Ambience
Taste
24%
29%
26%
42%
43%
78%

47. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Online Reviews
Social Media
Word of Mouth
Traditional Print Ads
60%
4%
6%
0%
THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MEDIUM!

48. Recommendations
 Social media engagement pages
 All restaurants engagement pages to be separate
 Theme based
 Name recall increases
 Posting menus online
 Plan ahead and decide, try-out new dishes
 Conducting social media engagement activities
 Free fortune cookie if you post a check in at Dynasty
for instance.
 Complimentary dessert at Fujiyama for checking in.

49. Recommendations
 Offering discounts on weekdays to the customers.
 15% off on the total bill.
 Buy one course and get 50% off on the second course.
 Free dessert
 Moving from customer satisfaction to customer
delight.
 Gifts, souvenirs to loyal customers/ Reward Points.
 Reaching partnerships with food review agencies.
(Karachi Snob, Karachi Food Diaries)
 Targeted advertising, visibility, customer engagement

50. Recommendations
 Reaching partnerships with cinemas across
Karachi.
 Free tickets to the customers who dine out at Avari
(Over the total expenditure of PKR5000+)
 Enhancing the product line for Cinnamon café.
 Introducing gourmet burgers/ Sandwiches.
 Mock tails /Cocktails.
 Cold lattes/ Coolers

51. Recommendations
 Marketing the chefs and their
experience/credentials on social media platforms.
 Small videos.
 Testimonials.
 Marketing the “Live cooking experience.” (For
example: live sushi)
 Marketing tool: Using chef as a character to
connect with people
 Engage people while cooking

52. Recommendations
 Cover image - Make sure you take full advantage
of your cover image. You have 851x351 pixels to
market your business for free. Include delicious
photos of your food, or people having a good time
enjoying a meal with friends
 Facebook Page Tabs - Use tabs on your
Facebook Page to entice people to visit your
eatery
 Check in increases visibility

53. Recommendations
 Geo target your ads: You can target your ads to be
seen only by Facebook users in your particular
geographic location. You can also target your ads
to be seen by those with specific likes, and by
those who like certain pages.

54. Recommendations
Twitter Marketing.
 Using trending hashtags.
Example: #sweetthings #heavenlyfood.
 Using specific/niche hashtags.
Example: #dynasty #chinesecuisine #elegance
#creatingexperience.

55. Recommendations
Instagram/ Facebook – Pictures.
 Asking the customers to share the pictures of their
food on the specific restaurant pages with a
certain hashtag.
 Increases food pictures.
 Brings more traffic on the page.
 The picture with most views and likes can be
incentivized.

56. Recommendations
Instagram/ Facebook – Pictures.
 Using Instagram as an effective to market to younger
generation.
 Employee appreciation: Pictures of chefs working
delicately to prepare the meals.
 Sharing the pictures of the events on the social media.

57. Points of Differenciation
 Fine Dining Menu.
 Customer Service.
 Marketing your dishes- Try to be different.
 Visually appealing.
 Food has to be interesting. (Marketing the creativity)
 Enjoying the culinary art and marketing it.
 Reward System.
 Not just discounts but Free meals.- Long term Loyalty.
 On 5 visits, you get a free main course for one person.
 Safety over accessibility.

58. “We don’t call them chefs, we
call them Culinary Artists.”
“We just don’t create food, we
create experience.”
“Good friends, Good food and
Good times.”
“Not settling down for anything
less than the best.”
The Right Philosophy

61. THANK YOU 