Travel today comes with challenges and annoyances – rising airfares, fewer amenities, canceled flights, and meager onboard snacks. Travelers arrive at hotels more stressed-out than ever.

DoubleTree by Hilton, built on a culture of CARE and comfort, is dedicated to making weary travelers feel human again—starting at check-in with a warm chocolate chip cookie welcome.

But DoubleTree realized that while most travelers were aware of its signature cookie, they were less aware of its unique, personalized CARE culture. So how could DoubleTree prove the brand is the hotel “where the little things mean everything”?

Our idea: the “Little Things Project.” It distinguished DoubleTree as the “surprise-and-delight-me” franchise where little things add up to meaningful differentiation.

We first listened to consumers via social media and then embarked on a cross-country tour, delivering “little things” they requested, amounting to 129,000 small kindnesses -- from $25,000 dream vacations to MLB game tickets and exclusive local discounts. Our Swarm Cars crisscrossed tour cities to grant tweeted wishes with #littlethings – free pizza parties, champagne, forgotten anniversary gifts and umbrellas for those caught in the rain.

But we didn’t just deliver, we continued to listen: collecting a total of 20,000 suggestions from travelers telling us all of the “little things” that would brighten their days, providing fodder for future initiatives.

The public and the media responded: DoubleTree revenues jumped nearly 10%; 2,500+ stories generated 3.6 billion media impressions; 9,000 new members joined Hilton’s guest loyalty program; and 25,000 fans joined DoubleTree’s Facebook page. No “little” feat.

Building kindness hubs and dispatching Swarm Cars…

First, we collected 5,000 “little things” ideas by combing social media conversations. Then, we launched the Little Things Project, a cross-country listening tour bringing “little things” to travelers, while continuing to ask what would brighten travelers’ days. We traveled during peak spring, summer and holiday travel times to compile national feedback.

A central “Tell Me Tree” served as our kindness hub in every location where we delivered “little things,” like exclusive local-attraction discounts, free WiFi and charging stations. Travelers in 40+ cities stopped by to munch cookies, leave suggestions – and connect with DoubleTree.

Through our Twitter and online campaign (#LittleThings), we granted special requests like uncorking anniversary champagne, delivering lobster dinners, and invading offices with cookies.

We granted baseball tickets, partnering with ESPN, and earned $5,000 for Food Network’s Share Our Strength campaign during November -- donating $1 for every pledge to end childhood hunger.

Big taste in small packages…

The “Little Things Project” was enormously successful, surprising and delighting thousands of unsuspecting people with a dash of DoubleTree culture – and cookies.

We blanketed each tour city with 3,000 “little things,” attracting big media results: 2,600 stories producing 3.6 billion impressions in national print and broadcast media; a flood of social media successes – including 25,000 new Facebook fans and 7,500 new Twitter followers; 658,000 sweepstakes entries; and 9,000 new hotel loyalty program members. Hotel revenues jumped 9.97% during the campaign.

In all, DoubleTree collected 20,000 amazing ideas on how to improve the travel experience, which will fuel the hotel’s future culture of CARE and help management continue to provide a “home away from home” which feels more like “home sweet home.”