The Challenge
Holiday Inn Express is IHG’s fastest growing hotel brand with more than 2,700 hotels globally.
Pro-invest Group’s hotel operating arm, Pro-invest Hotels Group, have committed to developing and operating over a dozen Holiday Inn Express hotels in Australia and New Zealand over the next five years. As such they needed an agency partner that was more than a one trick pony.
Following the launch of Sydney Macquarie Park and Brisbane, communikate et al was engaged in 2017 to conceptualise and manage the launch campaign for the Group’s third Australian property, Adelaide. Since then communikate has gone on to launch new hotels in Newcastle, Melbourne, Queenstown and Sydney Airport.
Our Approach
Holiday Inn Express is a young, fun brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously. In a market that either seeps with luxury or offers bare-basic budget approaches, Holiday Inn Express is a refreshing alternative, offering savvy travellers everything they need, and nothing they don’t.
We tapped into that brand personality, developing creative campaign elements that delivered the right messages to the target markets.
This includes:
- Managing creative direction of the operating hotels’ marketing materials (menus, postcards, flyers, advertisements, signage etc)
- Creating social media content for all properties
- Designing marketing collateral (pull-up banners, booklets, brochures) for trade shows and distribution by the sales team
- Designing various collateral for internal hotel use
- Copywriting and design of hotel industry award submissions
- Scripting, planning, coordinating and project managing the production of marketing videos showcasing new hotel openings or features
- Social media influencer management
- Developing and executing hotel opening campaigns, including:
- Developing creative concepts for upcoming hotel openings
- Applying creative concepts to all collateral linked to the opening (invitations, billboards, posters, signage, advertisements, wayfinding etc)
- Planning and coordinating public activation events ahead of a hotel opening in a city
- Planning and managing official launch parties for hotel partners, dignitaries and media. Hosted in the new hotels
- Coordinating partnerships with local media, both editorial and advertorial
- Creating Facebook and Instagram pages, building a following on both platforms and running ads to promote the opening of new hotels
- A publicity campaign to both industry and local mainstream media outlets, announcing new hotels
- Videos to show off the opening activities to hotel partners, the media and on social media
The Outcome
Our launch campaigns have resulted in each hotel experiencing strong booking numbers throughout their opening periods, with Adelaide being booked out long after its opening.
Through these activities, communikate et al continues to provide Holiday Inn Express with valued marketing support, keeping the brand relevant in a crowded market.
Following the successful launch, we have become Holiday Inn Express’ marketing partner, providing ongoing marketing support for all their hotels in Australia and New Zealand.
We act as a bolt-on marketing team for the Holiday Inn Express team, helping the brand stand out from the rest with:
- Witty copywriting
- Creative graphic design
- Fun events
- Engaging content
Director of Hotel Openings Chris Curran has experienced the value communikate et al delivers to Holiday Inn Express firsthand:
“The team understood our brand from the get-go, and it showed in the concept through to the delivery. During such an intensely busy time for our team, they worked seamlessly with us to develop and manage an integrated campaign.”
