The McCormick Hotel has undertaken an AIO analysis of social media reviews to obtain a better understanding of our target market. The results were as follows:

Activity, Interest and Opinion Analysis

Competitor reviews color-coded for activities, interests and opinions:

Competitor 1 Reviews

Review 1: We stayed here along with another couple on a mini vacation. Our room was the VIP corner suite, which was beautiful; the room our friends had was a slightly smaller suite, but still had all the same amenities. The wine was very good, and the selection was both large and interesting. Prices were surprisingly low for what I felt was great quality. The free bottle in your room was a nice touch. The location of the hotel is great, as it is right next to the Fells Point area for shopping and nightlife, but not smack in the middle of it. The best part of the stay was the staff. I have traveled a lot and normally stay in higher-end hotels and suites; this was by far the most attentive and genuinely concerned staff I've ever dealt with. Where I stay is very important part of my trips, and I hate starting with boring disinterested check in personnel. Every employee we talked to was very helpful and a pleasure to deal with. I will stay here every time I am in the harbor area from now on. I think the only thing I wasn't completely happy with was the balconies. There were 2 in our room, one from the bedroom and one from the sitting area. I had pictured something a little larger. These were more of small lookout areas. To be clear, I wasn't promised anything about the balconies, I just pictured something different. Still, it wasn't so bad having 2 balconies to look out over the harbor from. :) We did not have the opportunity to try the restaurant in the Hotel unfortunately. but we plan to on our next trip.

Review 2: We stumbled upon the Inn when coming to Baltimore for a concert. The staff are so friendly; everyone is awesome. The room that we had was spacious, clean and had a good view. We were able to walk to attractions and restaurants. We had our service dog with us, and the inn accommodated every need for her. It was one of the best places we've stayed at; we will tell our friends about it and we will definitely be back in the future.

Review 3: The Inn is a new hotel in the Fells Point area of Baltimore. We recently visited the inn, toured its rooms, shopped in its gourmet store, and sampled the food in its restaurant as part of a charity event. The hotel has a very European feel to it: balconies in the rooms and the restaurants with harbor views, a great location in Fells Point and close enough to downtown to walk or water taxi. Food was outstanding and the view from the room top restaurant made it a perfect location for a special event.

Review 4: If you are deciding to go to Baltimore, do yourself a favor and stay at this inn. It is in Fells Point, which is a very nice area and is a short walk to the touristy Inner Harbor area. The weekend we were there just happened to be the Fells Point Festival with lots of arts and crafts and ethnic food booths. It was a fun time. There are lots of shops, bars and places to eat in Fells Point. The inn is right next to a parking garage which is extremely convenient. The innkeeper and reception staff were very friendly and accommodating. They gave us directions to attractions and even printed them out for us. They also printed out our boarding passes. The room or suite is incredibly spacious with a sink, fridge, coffee maker, FREE wi-fi, and a flat screen TV in a separate living room. The TV has netflix selections and cable. It was nice to be able to stay up late and watch TV without bothering my sleeping husband. Speaking of sleeping, the bed is so comfortable with nice soft linens. In the bathroom, there is a whirlpool tub and separate shower. The bathroom was huge. If all this is not enough, there is a complimentary breakfast which you can either eat in their rooftop restaurant or in your room. We ate in our room, but we ate dinner at the restaurant and were not disappointed. The Greek Romaine salad was so delicious. I am still thinking of it. This place is a must see and a must stay. It is a great new addition to Baltimore having I guess just opened in May. Avoid the Inner Harbor crowds and stay here. Did I mention that it is right next to Little Italy, which has great dining options also. You can't go wrong.

Competitor 2 Reviews

Review 1: After working many hours of overtime I wanted this weekend to be special for my husband's birthday as he was exhausted. We are sailors and love the water so when we made our reservations they said they had a marina view room. When we got there the room was the first one when you walk in the lobby and you had to lean on the desk to see a glimpse of the marina. We asked to be moved but they were sold out and had no rooms. We made the best of it, they reduced our rate and gave us an extra bottle of wine; we enjoyed our stay and nothing else was said. At check out time we were asked how our stay was and we again expressed disappointment. This time the manager was there and he agreed the room had been misrepresented. He canceled our charge. I applaud him for doing the right thing; it was an important weekend and had we known we would not have a view, we would have chosen another hotel. I do think this is a great place and will stay there again. The Inn is very close to the water taxi. We also enjoyed the restaurant and a great gelato place up in the square area.

Review 2: This hotel is in a great location in Fell's Point— lots of bars, pubs and little shops. We were there for a girls weekend and it was perfect—the wine, robes, high thread count sheets and most excellent breakfast were some of the high points. It was nice not to have any kids hanging around—very quiet and serene. Everyone was super friendly and eager to help with our endless questions (thanks, Frank for directing us to your hotel when we got a little lost—lifesaver!) We checked out some of the other places to stay and this really is the best choice.

Review 3: Stayed here overnight as part of my husband's 50th birthday celebration. Perfect location to walk to the pubs/taverns on Thames St. Staff were very professional and helpful. Assumed that the complimentary wine choices would be "red or white?" but was pleasantly surprised to be presented with a selection of three reds and three whites from which to choose. Chose the chardonnay and it turned out to be a very nice wine. Breakfast was plentiful; if you are a "bacon and eggs" breakfast eater, this buffet won't satisfy you (although there were cold hardboiled eggs). This was more in line with breakfast buffets I have seen in Europe (pastries/croissant, bagels, loads of fresh fruit, cheeses, cereals (hot and cold), etc.) You can almost certainly find something you like and it was fresh and beautifully presented.

Review 4: My daughter and her husband, traveled with my husband and me to attend her graduation at Johns Hopkins. The Inn was a cross between a great B&B and a small Inn. It actually was the best of both. The rooms were very large, the harbor view lovely...especially with the complimentary bottle of wine upon check-in! Everything was within a 5 mile radius...a perfect location. Very, very memorable. They know how to do it right. The value was exceptional as well. Great neighborhood with nice shopping and dining choices. Far enough away from the rest of the touristy stuff but still just a short water taxi ride away. Breakfast was super: fresh fruit, breads, juices, etc. If you stay here I would suggest eating at Inn’s restaurant. Ate here a number of times in our short 3 day stay. Would go back

Review 5: You could pay a fortune to stay at the Marriott, Hyatt, or one of the other massive chain hotels thronging Baltimore's touristy Inner Harbor (like I almost did), or you could drive a mile or two to the charming Fells Point district and stay in this wonderful B&B-type hotel which is literally right on the water. The hotel is in the Fells Point neighborhood, a revitalized historic area within 20 minutes walk of the Inner Harbor. For a little over $200 a night, I had a ridiculously spacious room overlooking a small private marina. The room price included a complimentary bottle of wine upon check-in (red or white, my choice!), free parking, and a decent continental breakfast in the morning. Also, the room had Direct TV with tons of channels to choose from! Two strange things about the hotel. The loft-style room with its exposed red-brick wall was so large, it almost felt sparsely furnished. Also, the bathroom, while clean and with upscale toiletries, felt a little underwhelming with the large space dwarfing a regular-to-small size tub with a cheap shower curtain. Even so, this hotel should be at the top of your list if you're staying in the Greater Baltimore-DC area, in light of its many freebies and the excellent location.

Review 6: My husband and I recently spent a weekend in Baltimore and stayed at this Inn. The hotel itself (including the guest rooms and common areas) is lovely -- clean, comfortable, tastefully decorated. The staff was friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the continental breakfast each morning; the variety and quality of the food and beverages were great (and the quantity of items was not overwhelming). The Fells Point area of Baltimore, where the hotel is located, is perfect for spending a leisurely weekend. Within walking distance of the hotel were numerous shops and restaurants, including Bonaparte Breads which quickly became one of our favorite stops of the weekend. We took advantage of the hotel's free parking, but never once used the car while we were there, since there was so much to do and see so close to the hotel.

 Review Summary

Activities: Travel for special events (7), walk to dining or attractions (6), dining (4), leisure or vacation (3), shopping (2), nightlife or bars (2), sightseeing/touring (2)

Interests: Harbor view (5), wine (3), dining (3), shops and shopping (3), travel (2), bars (2)

Opinions: Friendliness and attentiveness of staff (6), importance of location (5), avoiding touristy crowds (3), unique feel or charm (3)

Conclusions: Psychographic lifestyle profile of the target customer—people who travel for leisure and special events, who like the ability to walk to dining, shopping, and attractions—but who do not like “touristy” activities and crowds. These guests enjoy water views, wine, and dining. They appreciate personal attention by friendly staff, and prefer lodging that has a good location, but that also has a unique feel and charm.

Customer profiles

• Trendy Foodies: The reviews revealed a clear interest in dining, but also an aversion to "touristy" activities, which suggests that these types of customers view themselves as hip and trendy.
• Boutique Experiencers: This label captures the desire for a range of unique experiences, such as dining, sightseeing, and culture. The "boutique" angle shows a preference for customized experiences and personal attention.