Days Inn Canada
Toronto, Ontario
Promotion: Summer Road Trip Survival Guide
Days Inn Canada’s Summer Road Trip Survival Guide campaign raises the bar on hotel summer promotions with a sweepstakes, interactive games, checklists and articles featured on a dedicated website.
The Summer Road Trip website includes a sweepstakes to win an HD video camera, 750,000 Wyndham reward points, and weekly prizes such as free nights and CAD$25 Wyndham Rewards partner gift cards. A Days Inn tile match game is provided for guests to play, along with several checklists and articles on travel and road trips.
Days Inn partnered with Canadian family and women’s magazines Chatelaine, Canadian Parents and Today’s Parent, to develop the interactive site. In turn, the hotel company is advertising in those magazines. Days Inn also is running a comprehensive marketing campaign that features print advertising, movie theater ads, social media and other online advertising venues.
While Days Inn ran a similar interactive campaign last year, this summer’s website has been significantly enhanced, according to Prince. For example, “We improved the content of our landing page and made it more engaging,” Prince said.
CoCo Key Hotel and Water Park
Orlando, Florida
Promotion: US$89 introductory rate
Instead of just offering a special rate to introduce its hotel to local and international travelers, CoCo Key Hotel and Water Park is latching on to the 17 June opening of Universal Orlando’s Harry Potter attraction.
“Our reservations picked up for around the Harry Potter opening. We are also an official Universal hotel, so we are on their website,” said Richard Jackson, director of sales and marketing for CoCo Key Hotel.
As a result, the hotel’s US$89 introductory rate is running from early April through 15 June on its website. Guests who want to check out the hotel, which is located in Orlando’s International Drive tourist corridor, after the Harry Potter attraction opens can pay the regular rate of between US$99 and US$149 per night.
CoCo Key also is running a Florida resident special for US$79 per night. While CoCo Key executives are targeting U.S. and Florida markets, they also are banking on United Kingdom travelers for longer stays.
“We are picking up quite a lot of reservations from the U.K. market. Expedia and Travelocity are doing quite well with Universal vacations,” Jackson said. CoCo Key is also “blanket” advertising east of the Mississippi River and the state of Florida and is advertising on around 75 websites that are geared toward women, family and budget ravel.
Covering all bases during its launch period, CoCo Key also is running radio ads, a full-page ad in AAA’s directory and ads in the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau’ guide and on its website.
Rosen Hotels & Resorts
Orlando, Florida
Promotion: Magical Discounts on Summer Stays
Like CoCo Key, three Rosen Hotels are getting on Universal Orlando’s Harry Potter bandwagon with discounted rates. Starting 17 June, the official opening of the theme park’s new attraction, Rosen Shingle Creek, Rosen Centre and Rosen Plaza are offering guests 25 percent off the guestroom rate, 25 percent off dining, and 25 percent off spa and golf services.
“Guests need not be witches or wizards to receive this special offer, and no spells or incantations are required,” according to a statement from Rosen Hotels. The offer is valid for reservations that are booked and used through 30 September, 2010.
The Whiteface Lodge
Lake Placid, New York
Promotion: Share-Cation Weekly Rental Program
In order to grab a share of Lake Placid’s condo and house rental business, The Whiteface Lodge is wisely renting a variety of suites by the week to summer travelers.
Its second annual Share-Cation weekly rental program features a special seven-night rental rate that includes all activities (such as canoeing), services and gratuities. “We have been selling this to families or two couples, each with young children. It is more affordable on a weekly basis, because everything is included,” said Phil Anderson, GM of The Whiteface Lodge.
Weekly rental rates start at US$6,950 for a three-bedroom, three-bathroom suite for up to eight guests. A US$7,450 rate is tagged on to its Grand Lodge three-bedroom, three-bathroom suites and its presidential suite, which features four bedrooms, four bathrooms and an outdoor sleeping porch, goes for US$7,950 per week.
While The Whiteface Lodge launched the program last summer, it was not as successful because it was launched in June when many guests had already made other arrangements. This year, Whiteface began marketing the Share-Cation campaign in early April on its website, via e-mail blasts to previous guests, and by press release. “This year, we have already sold five (packages). The one that has sold the most is the four-bedroom presidential suite,” Anderson said.