With a lower than desired preference share with generation X and Y business travellers, Marriott Hotels and Resorts (MHR) initiated a programme to upgrade their guest rooms. The industry-leading product innovations focused on enhanced comfort, style and technology elements that would better appeal to and fulfill the needs of the younger traveller. Simply stated, our objective was to create awareness for Marriott’s newly upgraded guest rooms. -Generate buzz with the target audience and press-Shift perceptions of the brand to a stylish leader and innovator

To garner maximum attention and change brand perceptions, a glass enclosed guest room that featured the new room enhancements was placed in the middle of Times Square, New York. A second story performance stage was added to feature live musical concerts and crowds, were estimated at up to 12,000. In addition, the Kodak Jumbotron was used for image magnification of the concerts and events. For additional exposure, Westwood One Radio Network aired live national programmes from the mSpot, which featured high-profile celebrity guests. An online promotion also gave the opportunity to win a trip to experience the mSpot.

• mSpot placement in Times Square resulted in an estimated 8.5 million impressions for Marriott• Westwood One media resulted in 86,894,000 gross impressions• mSpot featured in USA Today, Business Week, CNBC, Fox 5 TV, Washington Post, as well as other TV and print media• Saturday night crowds were estimated at 12,000 – enough for NYPD to shut down the concert due to safety concerns. This is only the third time this has happened - previous occurrences were for U2 and The Beatles

The unique nature of Marriott’s mSpot set precedence for hospitality marketing as well as multi-day events in NYC. The unexpected nature of the experience gave Marriott an opportunity to shift perceptions of their brand to a younger, hipper, more innovative company that understands and embraces the needs and wants of their target audience. The buzz continues on this event today and it has raised the bar for hoteliers to engage their targets in new and unexpected methods.