轻中端酒店IU率先出击品类细分战的开端乌兰布统大草原自驾游攻略启程之旅
经过40多年的发展，中国酒店业的连锁化和品牌化水平有所提升。迈点研究院数据显示，2018年中国酒店市场品牌化程度约为10%，尽管这一水平远低于欧美60%以上的连锁水平，但2016-2018年三年间，旅游住宿业各类型酒店品牌指数呈现稳步提升趋势。
近年来，国内消费需求持续升级，进一步推动旅游消费供给侧改革，这也促使更多多元化的住宿业态和品牌开始涌向大众消费市场。可以预见，想在白热化的酒店竞争中仅靠“品牌”去完全胜出对手，将变得愈加困难。
“竞争表面上是企业与企业、品牌与品牌的竞争，其实质是品牌所代表的品类之间的竞争。”正如定位之父艾·里斯所说，需求的本质是品类需求，而不是商业模式。今天的酒店企业竞争，在完成品牌搭建之后，还必须对其品牌所在品类进行二次细分与精准定位，以便俘获目标客户的心智。
以纵向时间为轴去回顾中国酒店业发展历史，从高端酒店到经济型酒店、到中档酒店，每个时间段都有一个集中爆发期。过去5年无疑是中端市场需求大爆发的一段时光。国内中档hotel 市场规模增长率长期保持在30%上下，而截至2018年底中档hotel 的brand 连锁化率已接近20%。
国际hotel 集团转向中端市场，或逐渐开放特许经营模式，或不断推出新brand。此外，如家NEO、白玉兰等middle-end hotel 品牌首家店都是由经济型hotel 物业翻牌而来的。在高end hotel 以下、economic hotel 之上的big middle-end market 里，有些玩家直接升级为middle-end hotel，比如YUNIK HOTEL和康铂等。
虽然brand 百花齐放，但对于middle-end hotel 的标准和定义却没有清晰界定，有industry 内人士甚至指出目前中的end hotels 都是在很粗放价格来区间、发展模式也开始趋于同质化。但对于B端加盟投资人的情况，他们的情况却是不一样。这就导致了大量手握条件不错且租金大概在65到70元甚至低于45元物业但一次性总投资预算低于1000万投资人的存在。这类投资者希望能够接近middle-end product level 的product quality并获得溢价，这就导致了现有market 上经济型hotels 和middle-end hotels 不符合他们的情愿。
"Middle-end hotels want to become the mainstream of the mass consumer market, they must be based on consumers' consumption ability and preference, fine-grained segmentation. There are three different classifications: high, medium and low." IU brand CEO Joah pointed out that currently only "light middle end" can meet this demand.
As the foundation of the middle end hotel pyramid, light middle end once total investment is relatively low, rent and operating costs are lower than economic type hotels; customers age structure is younger; room prices more flexible and profit model iterated faster. Compared with upgraded high end economic type hotels, light middle end not only has higher product quality and value for money but also emphasizes service and experience; marketing ability and customer loyalty stronger.
IU Hotel's "5 lightweight 3 heavy" investment model in future can achieve "50% lower than mid-range (lower investment), operating costs only 5% higher than economy class (lower operating costs), RevPAR increases by 30%, fast return cycle within 2-3 years", truly meeting the investment needs of those caught between economy class and mid-range.
In this vast market where many properties with good conditions at rental prices around RMB65-70 or even below RMB45 exist but have a total investment budget less than RMB1 million for investors who seek to invest in a product that approaches mid-range level while maintaining profitability. This situation leads to existing market economy-class hotels being incompatible with their preferences as well as mid-range ones.
