Carino Collection Co-Op Opt-In Marketing
— one kind does not fit all
Just joining a consortium is only part one -then there is the need to market yourself to the agents, both on screen and in person. Sales presentations and these marketing programs will position your property ahead of your competition.
Consortia Marketing Report
Update from June 2005 of all the consortia marketing programs from March through June, 2005
A. Carlson Wagonlit Travel participants:
Quorum Hotel Tampa
Villa Montana Beach Resort
Flatotel
Snake River Lodge
Westminster Hotel
Langham BostonCWT Part 1: Logos on city pages
This is a basic awareness campaign to begin to match the brand franchisee visibility.
The above logo was re-made by us so as to maximize the horizontal view format required on the on the city page of CWT.
CWT Part 2.
Hotelines printed newsletter to agents in May/June and Sept/Oct.
The piece of artwork below is for the May/June CWT Hotelines printed newsletter.
The "size" at which you are viewing the artwork is not the actual printed size. (Your screen settings and browser settings control the quality and size of what you are seeing.)
The design shape, the font, the font sizes, the lay-out - are all dictated by CWT. We were only able to develop this piece within those parameters and because of our ability to provide camera ready we are able to include many more more photos than "allowed" and were able to shape so as to include some hard information on each member.We needed a hook of an idea to tell the reader why there were all these hotels in one place but, at the same time, we wanted to present the skill of the individual property.
Hence the lead-in:
"unique hotels and resorts
that will reflect your clients' unique personalities"Remember that at no time are we endeavoring to market Carino Collection. We are the conduit for the members' own brands and values - as always.
The vertically ordered listing of hotels will always revolve.
CWT Part 3.
USTraveler e-mail newsletter to travelers and agents - with traveler emphasis - in April and July. Format HTML web pages.
Below is the html insert page created for CWT's e-newsletter that was distributed in late April.
Note Please: Because all the surrounding ads are hooked/predicated on Brands, we felt that we needed to frame our marketing piece. Hence the attention getting lead-in copy. This piece is designed to fit within CWT's format. We needed a hook - an idea - to tell the reader/agent why there were all these different hotels in one place but, at the same time, we wanted to present the uniqueness of each individual property.
Hence the lead-in:
"unique hotels and resorts
that will reflect your clients' unique personalities"
Because only the larger brands use these media to communicate with the agent, we felt that solo hotels without a concept behind them stood too great a risk of being ignored by the agent. So we thought it best to turn our individualities to our overall advantage by making that the "hook". And the hook is not a brand but, rather, actual words that describe the group.
unique hotels & resorts that will reflect your unique personality
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Your Carlson Wagonlit Agent will secure the very best values and rates for you - we assure you of that.
Read more details about these unique hotels > http://www.carinocollectionforagents.net>
In New York City Midtown Manhattan, USA
Flatotel - our chic, tailored, hotel with boutique intimacy and apartment size rooms from $225 in July. At 52nd St. between. 6th & 7th Aves. Walk to work, museums, Broadway. We are truly "stylish" - with state of the art amenities. Our suites are so large that they easily grow into "long term stay apartments" at beneficial monthly rates.
Tripadvisor review: :"Hip . . . rooms are bigger than W, but just as cool."
In Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Langham Hotel Boston. Celebrate our 140th anniversary in 2005.
Tripadvisor review: "Looks great and is great. The staff is friendly and willing to help."
140th Anniversary Gift To CWT Traveler: Rate - $140.00 per night excl taxes. | Validity: May 27th through to Sep 4th, 2005 | Conditions: Minimum 2 night weekend stay (Fri or Sat arrival); subject to availability| Inclusions: Small "London" souvenir/in-room gift on arrival (since this is the anniversary for our London hotel).
Northern New Jersey - Livingston, NJ, USA
Westminster Hotel - a classic contemporary in the heart of North Jersey's office parks. AAA Four Diamond. Our Spa, is unique to the area | indoor pool | Concierge Level | extensive meeting space . Tripadvisor review: ". . .wonderful hotel. The beds were sooo comfortable, with four down pillows on each bed."
Special Offer to CWT: US$179.00 per night & complimentary upgrade to Club Level Rooms (subject to aviailability).Club level guests can indulge themselves with comp food and beverage during breakfast & evening hours.
On Isolated North West Coast of Puerto Rico - Isabella, PR
Villa Montaña Beach Resort - Puerto Rican boutique "family" surprise. No casinos, no cruise ships -- our isolated villas and hotel rooms offer a retreat for families -active families: unparalleled para boarding and windsurfing, plus all the activities of the sea and the mountains. Our staff earned us P. R. Tourism's "Quality Award" - highest scores in all P.R.
Hot Deal for CWT: Off season "Easy Escape" "4 for 3" -- Stay 3 nights get 4th complimentary Plus transfers to Aguadilla Airport, meal credits, and much more
Tampa, Florida, Westshore District, - Tampa, FL, USA
The Quorum Hotel, in heart of the city, just 2 miles from the airport and with great shopping all around - the Business Resort for Tampa. Just finished a $5 million renovation with extensive new meeting space and we sparkle for unique travelers.Tripadvisor review: "Location is great . . . The beds and linens are so comfortable. We slept in both days."
Offer: Quorum Cares Package - 20% commission | traditional island style room | subject to availability | $ | T shirt ammenity | Breakfast buffet for 2 | $119 only
Jackson Hole, Tetons, - slopeside - Jackson Hole, USA
Snake River Lodge & Spa -a Rock Resort - in the Tetons. We were voted #8 US Resort by Conde Nast readers. AAA Four Diamond and our exceptional Avanyu Spa.
Excellent condos and towhhouses available.
Tripadvisor review: "From our greeting at the door we knew we would be in for a grand time. . .our group are raving fans . . ."
THIRD PARTY WEBSITE
You will see that we are referring the reader to go a website for further information:
www.carinocollectionforagents.net.
We have added this third party website channel for the members' in the consortia program to enable an agent to get more information quickly. We could not link straight to the members' own sites as agents and travelers both receive the material and the consortia obviously want to drive the traveller to their agents. So this 3rd party site is what we developed to provide more information in a "non-booking" setting.
On this site, please note that we can change and highlight different information throughout the year.
It is another way of amplifying your message and of increasing your own hotel's search engine rankings.
Several of the big players were using back-up information sites such as "www.bigmilesrewards.com" and we wanted to stay up with if not ahead of the brands.
Hence an informational site - with vast amounts of detail including, offers, reasons to book, and reviews.
The text and photos, here, are largely copied from your own site and collateral along with reviews from the all important Tripadvisor.
We can accommodate any changes, re-writes, updates, and new photos.
The site is linked or printed wherever allowable.
Pala Mesa
Hotel ZaZa
Pala Mesa
Banners on the home page of the agent's Radius website.
In this program, we negotiated revolving banner space of the actual homepage of Radius: the key first landing point after log-in.
We developed the visuals so as to pop out from the crowd in terms of actually integrating the design and using an animated 2 panel set.
The overriding issue for banners is to provide a very quick message - catch the eye. The banner is linked to an explanation website that has no booking engine capability ( not allowed). http://www.carinocollectionforagents.net ( described earlier).
C. Radius Part 2
Hotel ZaZa
Villa Montana
Photo on Property Screen:
Because we are doing the artwork in house, we could opt for creating dynamic collages of photos rather than just a single shot. So we put together photo stories.
Radius E-mail newsletter in pdf format "Hotel Happenings" - May, July, Sept
Here is a sapmple of the three months of insertions so far - again working on the themes elaborated above in CWT explanation. Each is giving hard details with customer comment or 3rd party appraisal.
The format is one required by Radius but with adaptations so as to provide substance, classic simplicity and visual lead-in.
D. CCRA:
Langham Boston
Villa Montana Beach Resort
An assortment of Traveler Hot Deals, Agent Hot Deals, and newsletters - all running through the year with one medium used each month.
This is continuing the theme with adjustments for the medium's framework.
Where: BOSTON, MASS, USA
Hotel: Langham Hotel Boston - a classic Leading Hotels of World property in heart of city and built in the 1920's neo classic style.
What: 2 Night weekend stay minimum -- $140.00 per night excl taxes. Taxes are an additional 12.45%.
Validity: Now through to Sept. 4th, 2005
Conditions: Minimum 2 night weekend stay (Fri. or Sat arrival); subject to availability; restrictions apply; net non-commissionable.
Inclusions: Small "London" souvenir/in-room gift on arrival (since this is the anniversary for our London hotel)
When: Book - 2 night minmimum; arrive Fri or Sat night, thru Sept. 4, 2005
Benefits & Upgrades to Your Client:
Price: $140 per night exclusive of taxes
Booking Code to input: WK
GDS Chain Code: LW
Why should an agent book us?: A Leading Hotel of The World -- Four-diamond, four-star hotel - one of the top 50 hotels in the U.S. by Condé Nast. We are located within walking distance to Boston's historic attractions, the waterfront, Quincy Market and business addresses. Our building, which is registered as an historic landmark, the former Federal Reserve Bank building, offers a sense of place in Boston, along with a tranquil, elegant European ambiance. In fact, this is our 140th anniversary. We offer a heated 40-foot in-door lap pool and fitness facility included in the room rate. Our weekend Jazz Brunch and our Saturday Chocolate Bar are both award winning weekend features in our restaurants. > read more
Where: ISABELA, PUERTO RICO - pristine, isolated north western tip, 3 miles of isolated beach, near Aguadilla airport with service by JetBlue, Continental and Pan Am
Hotel: Villa Montaña Beach Resort, winner of Puerto Rico Tourism's '04 QUALITY AWARD; sea & garden luxury villa resort, plus 20 hotel rooms
What: Off season "Easy Escape"
on your own - for two - or bring the whole family for just a little bit more!
Fly via JetBlue, Continental, Pan Am into local Aguadilla Airport (BQN)- 15 minutes away
When: Book - April 1 '05 thru Dec 20 '05
Consume - April 1 '05 thru Dec 20 '05
Commission: 15%
Agent Added Benefits: 1 complimentary night to agent for every 6 days booked - consume within same period - May '05 thru Dec 20 '05. Gift Cert issued by the GM.
Benefits & Upgrades to Your Client:
"4 for 3" Stay 3 nights get 4th complimentary
Transfer from and to Aguadilla airport
Room/Villa Upgrade if Available
Late Check Out: 3PM
Welcome Amenity
Private General Manager's welcome drink and orientation with you on your first evening
$50 coupon for Food and Beverage in the hotel restaurant
Price: Double or Single -- Hotel Room - $787 tax inc. | 1 Bedroom Villa - $914 tax inc. | 2 Bedroom Villa - $1362.50 tax inc
Child Under 11 free.
11-16 Years: plus only $15 per day per child
Extra Adult: only $30 per day per person
Booking Code to input: HOT
GDS Chain Code: YX
Why should an agent book us?: We are not what most would think of as a Puerto Rico vacation - here are no casinos, no cruise boats and no "night life" - just the kind of experience that you might find at St. Barth's or St. Maarten's. We have 50 luxury villas in a garden setting on pristine isolated beach - 3 miles to wander along from our beach out front. Our 2 tropical pools are backed up with manifold activities: tennis, surfing, sailing, kayaking, wind surfing, paraboarding, scuba, road biking, horseback riding, children's play area, challenging mountain hikes & rock/mountain climbing and mountain biking (20 minutes away). We have a fine outdoor restaurant. We even stock our guests' refrigerators from their shopping lists. Spa services by the beach.
> read moreOverall View of Consortia Marketing Presence
Most of the communication pieces within the consortia are "owned" by the large brands.
Most of the artwork is handled, not by an agency, but by the consortium "artwork" department.
We have been supplying finished artwork: web page, parts, html e-mail, and print. Because the consortia have less work to do for us, we have, so far, been able to get much more copy and photos into the pieces than are "allowed" by the consortium artwork team. Furthermore, we have managed to get some excellent placement in the marketing pieces - by dint of simply giving the consortium completed artwork - making it easy for them.
Of the smaller hotel groups, Warwick is very aggressive across Radius, CWT, and CCRA.
We have caught sight of only one marketing communication piece for any of the marketing partner groups such as Leading, Preferred, and Small Hotels. The piece was a full 2 pages by Leading and was focused entirely on Leading.
There are very few solo hotel properties advertising in the three consortia that we're working with this year - CCRA, CWT, Radius. So far we have seen no repetition or consistency.
The Carino Co-Op group is the only co-op group with a presence and the only one marketing individual properties rather than the "brand".This is a crowded market and the brands are owning it, so it will take some time to heighten awareness for the Co-Op properties. Consistency and repetition is the key as in all advertising. However, our call to action ads with rates and specials do have the ability to "make the phone ring".
End: August 05
