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Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B)


In June 2008, the Kimpton Hotels' area director of revenue management (director) for Washington, D.C. finished creating a pricing strategy that would determine the optimal posted price for rooms in the Washington, D. C. hotel as well as the number of rooms that should be provided to Priceline.com. He realized there was even more potential to gain revenue by posting more than one price; however, this would add further complexity into the strategy and he was unsure of the potential impact of having multiple posted prices.

Authors :: Chris K. Anderson, John G. Wilson, Joel Read

Topics :: Technology & Operations

Tags :: , SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B)" written by Chris K. Anderson, John G. Wilson, Joel Read includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Kimpton Posted facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Technology & Operations.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) casestudy better are - – talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing energy prices, technology disruption, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, there is backlash against globalization, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B)


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Kimpton Posted, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Kimpton Posted operates in.

According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.




SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix


SWOT analysis of Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Kimpton Posted
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Technology & Operations field.
4. Making a Technology & Operations topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Kimpton Posted




Strengths Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Kimpton Posted in Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -

Innovation driven organization

– Kimpton Posted is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of Kimpton Posted in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Organizational Resilience of Kimpton Posted

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Kimpton Posted does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Kimpton Posted has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Kimpton Posted has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive segment. Secondly the value chain collaborators of the firm in Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Technology & Operations industry

– Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Kimpton Posted to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Kimpton Posted to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Analytics focus

– Kimpton Posted is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Chris K. Anderson, John G. Wilson, Joel Read can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Kimpton Posted is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Kimpton Posted has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Kimpton Posted has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.

High brand equity

– Kimpton Posted has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Kimpton Posted to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field

– Kimpton Posted is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Kimpton Posted in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Diverse revenue streams

– Kimpton Posted is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.






Weaknesses Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) are -

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B), it seems that the employees of Kimpton Posted don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Kimpton Posted has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Kimpton Posted has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Kimpton Posted even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B), it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Technology & Operations strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Kimpton Posted needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Kimpton Posted, firm in the HBR case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Kimpton Posted 's lucrative customers.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) HBR case study mentions - Kimpton Posted takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.

Lack of clear differentiation of Kimpton Posted products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Kimpton Posted needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B), is just above the industry average. Kimpton Posted needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Chris K. Anderson, John G. Wilson, Joel Read suggests that, Kimpton Posted is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.




Opportunities Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) are -

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Kimpton Posted has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Kimpton Posted to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Kimpton Posted has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Kimpton Posted to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) case study. Kimpton Posted can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Kimpton Posted can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Kimpton Posted operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Kimpton Posted can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Technology & Operations segment.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Kimpton Posted can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Reconfiguring business model

– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Kimpton Posted to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.

Finding new ways to collaborate

– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Technology & Operations industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Kimpton Posted can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Kimpton Posted to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Kimpton Posted to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Leveraging digital technologies

– Kimpton Posted can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.

Identify volunteer opportunities

– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Kimpton Posted can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Kimpton Posted to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.

Loyalty marketing

– Kimpton Posted has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Kimpton Posted can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.




Threats Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) are -

Backlash against dominant players

– US Congress and other legislative arms of the government are getting tough on big business especially technology companies. The digital arm of Kimpton Posted business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

Aging population

– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Kimpton Posted with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Kimpton Posted can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) .

Instability in the European markets

– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Kimpton Posted will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.

Capital market disruption

– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Kimpton Posted.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Kimpton Posted is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Environmental challenges

– Kimpton Posted needs to have a robust strategy against the disruptions arising from climate change and energy requirements. EU has identified it as key priority area and spending 30% of its 880 billion Euros European post Covid-19 recovery funds on green technology. Kimpton Posted can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.

High level of anxiety and lack of motivation

– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Kimpton Posted needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Kimpton Posted can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.

Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc

– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.

Increasing wage structure of Kimpton Posted

– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Kimpton Posted.

Regulatory challenges

– Kimpton Posted needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Technology & Operations industry regulations.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) Template, Example


Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants. We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –

First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.

Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.

Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of Kimpton Hotels - Setting Prices on Priceline (B) is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Kimpton Posted needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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