Ad campaign comes up trumps for Best Western
Best Western has reported a jump in sales of almost 30% year on year following its relaunch in the Spring.
It claims calls to its reservations team are 70% since re-positioning itself as ‘Hotels with Personality’ to highlight the variety of the hotels in the group.
Best Western says sales figures for Best Business, its corporate product aimed at small to medium sized businesses, are up 120% year on year, while meetings bookings are up 24%.
The group ran a TV advertising campaign for the first time in its 30-year history, running from three weeks starting on 15 April during Coronation Street.
This was backed up by direct mail, PR, social media, experiential activity, online and press advertising.
“This repositioning campaign has had great resonance with our target audience as our sales have increased the most year on year in our 30 year history,” said CEO David Clarke.
“The increase in the corporate sales figures are very reassuring as it shows that companies are returning to spending on travel. This shows confidence is returning to the business sector.”
In another publicity-generating move, Clarke was the subject of Channel 4’s new programme Undercover Boss last month, swapping his comfortable existence in York for a series of rather less well-paid positions within the group.
Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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