The umstead hotel and spa CASE STUDY
creating A Brand with staying power
THE SITUATION
The Umstead Hotel & Spa is a contemporary,
elegant hotel nestled in a beautiful natural setting just outside of Raleigh, NC. It’s a getaway destination that has consistently received the AAA Five Diamond Award and Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Award several years in a row.
Avenir Bold was approached by The Umstead to develop a marketing campaign that would help support their mission of creating memorable experiences for their guests.
Avenir Bold was approached by The Umstead to develop a marketing campaign that would help support their mission of creating memorable experiences for their guests.
THE CHALLENGE
A reservation at The Umstead costs more than most hotels and spas in the area and, for some, this is a barrier to booking a stay. The key to overcoming this barrier was to clearly communicate the value of what one receives
for their money.
Avenir Bold conducted desktop research and leveraged solid insights from the client to discover what visitors cherish and value most about a stay at The Umstead.
For one, the accommodations are elegant and luxurious and the guest services and attention to detail are second-to-none. Stunning art and décor is a main feature throughout The Umstead. The hotel offers a thoughtfully curated collection of art from renowned local and national artists, including the premier glass artist, Dale Chihuly. Artists’ works are regularly updated and guests can request a tour or take a self-guided tour using a gallery guide available at the concierge desk.
Avenir Bold conducted desktop research and leveraged solid insights from the client to discover what visitors cherish and value most about a stay at The Umstead.
For one, the accommodations are elegant and luxurious and the guest services and attention to detail are second-to-none. Stunning art and décor is a main feature throughout The Umstead. The hotel offers a thoughtfully curated collection of art from renowned local and national artists, including the premier glass artist, Dale Chihuly. Artists’ works are regularly updated and guests can request a tour or take a self-guided tour using a gallery guide available at the concierge desk.
THE CREATIVE SOLUTION
Armed with solid research results, our team explored several creative directions that
approached the challenge from different angles.
Concept: Once Upon Any Time
When The Umstead guests step onto the property, they are transported to an extraordinary world where they can leave their cares behind and be enveloped in luxury, comfort and beauty.
When The Umstead guests step onto the property, they are transported to an extraordinary world where they can leave their cares behind and be enveloped in luxury, comfort and beauty.
Concept: Highlight The Aesthetic Experience
By taking a highly visual approach, we effectively communicate the brand’s key attributes. Each ad reflects the aesthetic experience guests encounter during their stay by revealing glimpses of nature and the beautiful objects, patterns and décor found throughout the property.
By taking a highly visual approach, we effectively communicate the brand’s key attributes. Each ad reflects the aesthetic experience guests encounter during their stay by revealing glimpses of nature and the beautiful objects, patterns and décor found throughout the property.
Concept: Giving New Meaning To Words
How do you adequately convey “comfort” or “relaxation” when describing the Umstead? By using beautifully-designed typography, we allow the words themselves to communicate the depth of their meaning.
How do you adequately convey “comfort” or “relaxation” when describing the Umstead? By using beautifully-designed typography, we allow the words themselves to communicate the depth of their meaning.
Concept: What You May Not Notice
As guests enjoy their time at The Umstead, there are countless small, but very carefully-considered details, that may go unnoticed. Although guests may miss that the beautiful vase they passed by is a Ben Owens III masterpiece, the overall effect of all those thoughtful details is immensely enjoyable and highly memorable.
As guests enjoy their time at The Umstead, there are countless small, but very carefully-considered details, that may go unnoticed. Although guests may miss that the beautiful vase they passed by is a Ben Owens III masterpiece, the overall effect of all those thoughtful details is immensely enjoyable and highly memorable.
Ultimately, we launched a campaign that highlighted the aesthetic experience of visiting The Umstead with a slight modification to the copy to communicate their core mission — “creating memorable experiences.”
Using The Umstead’s existing photography and supplementing it with our own shots in and around the property, we designed the ads to pop off the page with beautiful colors, textures, patterns and glimpses of the amazing experience awaiting guests.
Using The Umstead’s existing photography and supplementing it with our own shots in and around the property, we designed the ads to pop off the page with beautiful colors, textures, patterns and glimpses of the amazing experience awaiting guests.
Full Page Dining Ad
Full Page Wedding Venue Ads
Another key goal of the campaign was to increase awareness and bookings of The Umstead’s gorgeous, state-of-the-art meetings facilities.
THE RESULTS
- The new campaign launched in Q4, 2015
- Since the launch of the campaign, ADR is up versus Q1, 2015 marking the highest the hotel has ever seen consistently
- Q1, 2016 revenue projections were also exceeded
- The Umstead reported a 77.7% occupancy rate for March in comparison to their competitive set which is at 73.0%
2017 was another good year for the The Umstead Hotel and Spa as we launched a new campaign that followed the same successful visual approach from the previous years. The headline calls out two important ingredients, art and nature, which have been the inspiration and catalyst for the development of the hotel as well as its resounding success.
