Unveiling Choice Hotels' Most Ambitious Marketing Campaign Yet

Today, Choice Hotels International is unveiling its biggest marketing campaign ever, leveraging ongoing brand growth to boost guest satisfaction and franchisee revenue.

The nationwide multichannel campaign, titled "A Stay for Any You," features actor and writer Keegan-Michael Key as "Any You," showcasing the diverse roles and personas travelers embrace for different types of trips, from family vacations to romantic escapes to business travel.

Choice Hotels’ campaign is based on the real moment in trip planning when guests ask, “Which me am I going to be on this trip?” The goal is to differentiate Choice Hotels’ brands, highlight their unique value, and assist guests in finding the best fit for their travel budgets and needs. Before the campaign's launch, Chief Marketing Officer Noha Abdalla spoke with Hotel Dive about the strategy behind the company’s biggest marketing push yet and the expected results for franchisees.

Choice Hotels CMO Noha Abdalla

Retrieved from Choice Hotels International on January 08, 2024

The Campaign

The “A Stay for Any You” campaign will spotlight four Choice Hotels brands: Cambria Hotels, Radisson, Comfort Inn and Quality Inn. 

Choice collaborated with multinational advertising company Havas to execute the media buy, running the campaign across various platforms including broadcast, cable, streaming TV, SiriusXM, Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Key's social media handles. The broadcast ads were co-written by Key, his partner Elle Key, and McKinney, Choice’s creative agency. In one of the broadcast ads, provided to Hotel Dive by Choice Hotels and set to go live later today, Key explores different travel scenarios as "Any You," deciding between the midscale Comfort Inn brand and Radisson's accommodations geared toward business travel.

In the video, Key demonstrates being a hero of a free hot breakfast at a Comfort hotel by flipping a waffle onto his character's son's plate. He also portrays being a "business big-leaguer" by answering a corporate phone call in a Radisson meetings room. Regardless of the reason for travel, Abdalla states that finding a hotel that offers the appropriate amenities at the right price and location is a universal need for guests.

In the current economic climate, hotel guests are looking to get more value for their money, often choosing to spend on experiences rather than accommodations. However, the choice of hotel still matters as guests want options that fit their budget and travel needs, making it crucial to distinguish Choice’s brands in the "A Stay for Any You" campaign, according to Abdalla.

“[There’s been] this realization that travel is going to continue to play a really important role in people's lives, and that they are cost conscious and want to make sure that they're being smart with their money, but also that they're finding a hotel brand that meets their specific needs of that trip and it has the amenities that they want and that they prioritize,” she added.

Campaign objectives

The campaign has three primary goals: to increase brand awareness for Choice Hotels, drive traffic to the Choice Hotels website, and increase direct bookings. Abdalla explained that the strategy behind the selection of the featured brands in the campaign was aimed at achieving these objectives. She told Hotel Dive that the selection of Cambria and Radisson brands was a deliberate effort to change the perception of Choice Hotels' segmentation. Typically known as a major player in the economy and midscale segments, with the acquisition and integration of Radisson Americas and the national expansion of Cambria, Choice aims to make guests aware of its presence in the upscale space.

Abdalla stated that this is an opportunity for guests to understand the comprehensive portfolio of Choice Hotels and shift their perception to see that Choice offers a range of hotel brands suitable for any type of stay. The campaign will also highlight the growth achieved by legacy brands Comfort Inn and Quality Inn in the past year. In October, the first Comfort hotel with the brand’s new Rise and Shine prototype was opened as part of a multiyear, $2.5 billion brand refresh. Additionally, Quality Inn experienced substantial pipeline growth in 2023.

This is Choice Hotels' largest campaign in terms of investment and scale. Its main goal is to increase traffic to the hotels' websites and drive direct bookings through the sites or app, which is more profitable for franchisees. This aligns with the desires of franchisees who are seeking more profitable booking methods.

“Franchisees are seeking us to maintain strong brand presence with consumers, focusing on increasing awareness, driving more traffic to our website to showcase our offerings, and generating cost-effective bookings,” Abdalla said.

Beyond the campaign

Choice Hotels' marketing strategy extends past the "A Stay for Any You" campaign. Their lower-funnel or acquisition marketing program, along with digital channel partnerships, helps them to be visible to consumers when they are considering travel options. For example, Choice ads may appear on sites like Tripadvisor during trip planning, boosting bookings for Choice hotels. Search engine marketing is also utilized as part of their marketing toolkit.

Choice Hotels boasts a dedicated sales team focused on driving group sales and bookings, according to Abdalla. The company anticipates an increase in group travel demand, projecting performance growth in 2024. Choice Hotels also has partnerships with organizations such as AARP to drive direct bookings and loyalty. In addition, Choice Privileges members can earn and redeem points with hotel partners such as Luxurious Preferred Hotels & Resorts, PENN Casinos & Resorts, and BlueGreen Vacations.