HOSPITALITY MARKETING
Joie de Vivre / Two Roads Hospitality
HOTEL KABUKi, a joie de vivre hotel
I joined Hotel Kabuki as Director of Marketing & Communications just as it was wrapping up a $30 million renovation. I was tasked with spearheading the reintroduction of this 50-year-old, 225-room hotel and managing its brand awareness, content development, and creative direction. Some of my responsibilities and wins included:
• WEBSITE MANAGEMENT
While I consistently monitored the website to ensure its accuracy and relevancy, I also made a push to revamp its content. The intention was to make the site more robust, customized, and profitable. I created more than 15 content-rich and optimized landing pages, which led to a spike in traffic, as well as contributed to an almost 20% increase in ADR and a 40% increase in revenue via the booking engine, year over year.
• PHOTO SHOOTS
Following Hotel Kabuki’s renovation, we had a stunning space and now we had to show it off. I coordinated several multi-day shoots to capture architectural, lifestyle, and food and beverage shots. Responsibilities included: Hiring the photographers, models, and glam squad, procuring props and wardrobe, reserving spaces and guestrooms, developing shot lists, arranging food and beverage to be styled and photographed, communicating with department heads about the shoot schedules, and even steaming bed linens if necessary, all while managing not to inconvenience guests. Following shoot days, I worked with photographers on post-production, uploaded to the corporate asset management site, and updated imagery anywhere necessary (from collateral to partner booking sites).
FUN FACT: One of the images we shot (below) has been used to represent the JdV by Hyatt brand on the corporate site.
• CRM/EMAIL and ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
I enjoyed taking a more active role in generating leads and revenue while at Hotel Kabuki. I managed and created email campaigns for the property, cutting through the inbox clutter, increasing RFPs, and bringing in more than $300,000 within six months for the Two Roads Hospitality portfolio (with almost half of that being booked at Hotel Kabuki). In addition to monthly eblasts, I also set-up automated bounceback campaigns that produced more than $10,000 within their first month.
I was involved in generating leads for group, catering, and corporate business through email campaigns, as well as via GDS and consortia advertising. These successfully increased awareness, generated revenue, and led to actualized programs.
• COMMUNICATIONS
I served as the the property point-person for our PR, social media, and digital agencies. It was incredibly rewarding to see how collaboration and hard work pay off: Hotel Kabuki was named one of the top hotels in San Francisco as part of Condé Nast Traveler’s 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards shortly after its renovation and repositioning.
• COLLATERAL
This aspect of the job allowed me to flex my creativity and led to some bright, bold items that captured the fun of Hotel Kabuki. In addition to guest-facing pieces, I worked on print and digital ads for both consumer and trade outlets, as well as engaging tools for the sales team (i.e. presentations, fliers, catering and wedding menus) to help them effectively close business.
• REVENUE/PACKAGES
Not only did I work closely with the revenue team to generate business during need periods, but I also worked on developing special offers. As part of the relaunch campaign, I created a signature, post-renovation offer that resonated incredibly well with guests, resulting in 454 room nights and almost $115,000 projected revenue within its first three months.
While some packages are created to sell, some are created to tell and disrupt. At Hotel Kabuki, we successfully launched a buzz-worthy package commemorating the legalization of marijuana, entitled “The Herbal Trip.” It was recognized by the California Cannabis Tourism Association as “an engaging experience that educates the ‘canna-curious’ while impressing the ‘canna-connoisseur.’” CLICK HERE to see the collateral that accompanied the package.
PHOTOS BELOW ARE FROM A LIFESTYLE SHOOT I LED, FOCUSING ON BRINGING PERSONALITY TO THE HOTEL’S RENOVATED SPACES
