The Inn at Ole Miss, one of Oxford’s oldest hotels, has hosted visitors in the area since 1951.
Competition has increased massively within the hotel market. Three new hotels opened this past year alone.
As the Oxford population increases, so does hotel occupancy. According to Visit Oxford, the hotel industry brought in more than $22.5 million in combined revenue for 2015.
To combat this increased saturation, The Inn brought in a new marketing manager to help the hotel adjust to city growth.
Liz Lancaster, a Corinth native, became the first marketing manager at The Inn at Ole Miss last July. The position was created to help The Inn adapt to new hotel competition.
Lancaster said coming up with a new marketing strategy was the main goal of the hotel.
The Inn at Ole Miss is a 10,000 -square-foot hotel that hosted guest since 1951. (Photo by Xinyi Song)
“We needed to find a way on how to move forward to compete with these new hotels that are opening up,” Lancaster said. “But in my opinion, we can’t compete with them because we aren’t like them.
“My goal as marketing manager is to look at the strengths that The Inn has and just focus on those strengths, and to not even try to compete with what those other hotels are selling,” Lancaster said.
The 10,000-square-foot hotel is frequently booked for meetings, conferences, weddings and, of course, football.
Rates and location are Lancaster’s two primary focuses in her marketing strategy. The centralized location allows people to pay a low rate, while also being in the center of everything in Oxford, she said. The Inn has recently started a new special for active alumni members so former students can enjoy a 10 percent discount during their stay Sundays through Thursdays.
Another strategy is maintaining a positive guest experience. Most hotel employees at The Inn have worked there for more than 10 years. Their years of service allow them to remember customers by name.
Conversations have started on possible future renovations to the original part of the hotel building, but the idea is only in the works, according to Lancaster.
“We need renovation, but the more support we have from alumni and donors saying that they want to see updates and changes, the better chance we have about moving this idea forward and getting The Inn at Ole Miss where it needs to be,” Lancaster said.
Lancaster said the strategy will keep people coming back to the home-away-from-home for Rebel fans.
