vuittonsofstyle

"I'm a fan, he's a fan.....stay different....."

Does the luxury hotel guest take any notice of hotel advertising, and if so, which hotel groups stand out?

Do we remember their ad-lines? Do those photos of smiling guests make us rush to book, or rush to vomit?

It's July, the silly season, so let's have some fun.

Ericka

I'll admit my first trip to Bali was inspired by an ad for the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay. It was a full page in a travel magazine. I don't remember the text but the picture of the room was amazing. The idea of rooms being individual little villas was pretty new back then. Well, it was new to me at least.

I don't think the smiling guests really do it for me. But striking scenery and architecture does. I can still remember seeing a photograph on the cover of the American Express Departures Magazine and thinking WHAT IS THAT?!? I know now it was the dining rotunda of the Dalem Jiwo Suite at Amanjiwo.

paul2

Well the er 'fans' of MO wont get me rushing there, I would be more inclined to vomit at the site of ex models etc stating they are a fan! I'm not influenced by hotel advertising. Reviews and discussion on Flyertalk will influence me though.

luxury

I would concur -- stunning photos capture my interest first in the destination and then the hotel brand. Who really cares if "X" is a Fan? And Pen's smiling valets don't do it either....

I think FS does a great job in capturing my interest...

Kagehitokiri

four seasons ^ >
golden triangle

new york (although horribly misleading re scale of this suite)
http://magazine.elitetraveler.com/el...04/?pg=42&pm=1

chiang mai
http://magazine.elitetraveler.com/el...03/?pg=22&pm=2
budapest (unfortunately just picture used in ad)


also seem to recall a tub with a view

first two, and three others >
http://www.mullen.com/2009/06/fours-...o-the-details/ = master
http://www.mullen.com/2009/06/big-id...-tiny-details/

i know this has come up before, dont remember context

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...formation.html

also a personal favorite, from a now defunct destination club >
http://magazine.elitetraveler.com/el...03/?pg=85&pm=1
edit: actually not defunct
solsticecollection.com

OORR >
http://magazine.elitetraveler.com/el...ir/?pg=12&pm=2
http://magazine.elitetraveler.com/el...ry/?pg=24&pm=2

taj maldives >
http://magazine.elitetraveler.com/el...2/?pg=192&pm=1

RichardInSF

Obviously, advertising helps with name recognition. But to be honest, the only luxury hotel ad campaign I remember is the "He/she's a fan" one for MO because I think it's utterly stupid. Does that mean it's achieved it's goal? "Call me anything, but spell my name right." I certainly am no more likely to stay at an MO because of it.

Being favorably regarded here in this forum on FT is way more important to me. Virtually all other review websites are useless when it comes to luxury hotels.

QF Lad

I actually quite like the 'fan' advertising. It makes me think of some of the memories I have from my stays at Mandarin Oriental hotels, and so is a form of brand reinforcement in itself. You have to give MO credit for consistency in their advertising....the 'fan' advertising has been a feature of their promotion for quite a long time.

I agree that many of us here at Flyertalk Luxury hotels probably look to their forum for advice...but we must remember we are a tiny fraction (although quite sophisticated fraction) of luxury hotel clientele. Organisations need to build their brand, and I would suggest that the 'fan' advertising has been helpful with this. Atleast we are talking about it here, which indicates that it has left a (positive or negative) impression.

The hotel advertising that annoys me at the moment is the Shangri La advertising of "there is no greater act of hospitality than to welcome a stranger as one's own", complete with pictures of wolves sheltering a lost traveller on a snowy mountain. Unfortunately at the Australian Shangri La hotels that I stay in, this slogan does not ring true.

Raffles

I think the MO ones are pretty awful.

The FS ones are a lot better. HOWEVER ... they usually don't identify the property! What is the point of showing a lovely beach or a well furnished room if the reader can't look at it and think 'that looks nice, let's take a look'? It only needs a very tiny caption in a corner.

jujubean71

Fairmont ads stick out to me. Photos of their castle-like Canadian properties get me every time.

beta1607

I love those Four Seasons ads

Kettering Northants QC

I can't identify with the new Shangri La campaign at all

http://www.shangri-la.com/

RichardInSF

Hadn't seen them until you posted that link. What does sleeping with sled dogs in the snow have to do with a hotel chain? Maybe they are trying to make the point that their hotels are better than that! Shangri-La has a real problem since their hotels are so variable, it's hard to know what category to put the entire chain into.

So far I like the FS ones that Kage posted best. They are selling the experience while MO is selling status. However, one of the problems with selling an experience is that the hotel then has to deliver or the overall result is negative. Selling status is, in many ways, a lot easier since performance isn't really required.

Kagehitokiri

which is why the FS resort ads are the best, and aman doesnt advertise

sometimes its about a room/view/etc too, which as long as its accurate (presumably view in FS ad is accurate, just not scale) is also good - OORR beachfront villa with pool comes to mind

vuittonsofstyle

The problem with the Shangri-La campaign line - It's in our nature - is it is open to abuse, and I for one am very ready to abuse it.

It's in our nature to ignore you when you arrive at reception. It's in our nature to miss your turndown. it's in our nature not to refresh the lunch buffet......

Non-NonRev

I think that a lot of advertising in this segment is more aimed at the trade, rather than clients ("end-users.

A celebrity-based campaign actually casts negative aspersions for me, as it seems to reinforce the notion that some paying customers will overtly be treated better than others.