Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
Hamilton Hotel, the iconic property located in downtown Washington D.C., partnered with Former White House Pastry Chef Bill Yosses to celebrate its momentous 100th Anniversary. Yosses is best known as the White House Executive Pastry Chef from 2007 to 2014 under Former President George W. Bush and Former President Barack Obama.
Paying tribute to the last 100 years while forging ahead as a leading luxury property in the nation’s capital, Hamilton Hotel Washington D.C. is an impressive testament to Industrial Age ingenuity, classic European architecture, and a distinctly American presence.
The marketing goals were: (1) To generate buzz, social engagement and drive visitors to Hamilton Hotel. (2) To honor Hamilton Hotel’s centennial anniversary with sentiment and celebrations alongside its Centennial Confectioner, Bill Yosses. (3) Tailored, feel-good programming offering hotel guests and locals exclusive sweets and bespoke experiences at Hamilton Hotel during the holiday season from November - to December 2022.
Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)
All of the original goals were achieved by partnering with Former White House Pastry Chef Bill Yosses to celebrate Hamilton Hotel’s 100th anniversary and its historical presence in the nation's capital, a partnership founded on a shared love for D.C.
Kicking off on November 1, 2022, the start of the hotel’s birthday month, Yosses created a Hamilton Hotel 100th Anniversary-inspired cookie, which was presented as a turndown amenity for all hotel guests staying onsite the evening of 11/1. On December 8, 2022, from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Yosses led a personal baking class at Hamilton Hotel, followed by a meet and greet and book signing opportunity for his book. A sold-out ticketed event welcomed 30 guests for a fun-filled evening, including limited edition curated gift bags featuring a gift card to onsite Osteria Via Sophia, a custom flask, recipe cards, and a personal copy of Yossess’s book. Lastly, from December 12, 2022 - December 16, 2022, Yosses curated a chocolate truffle display to pair with Hamilton Hotel’s annual Hot Chocolate Holiday Celebration in the hotel’s lobby, where he spoke about the history of chocolate. Long-time friend and renowned Food Network Star and Chef Carla Hall surprised Yosses, which was later featured in People Magazine.
While staying at Hamilton Hotel for the baking class, Yosses appeared on Fox5 DC and NBC4 Washington, sharing his Centennial Confectioner Residency and his love for the city with more than 2,442,600 viewers. Yosses also spoke with Good Morning America’s Kelly McCarthy, providing expert insight for a story on holiday recipes and sharing details surrounding his residency, reaching 4,900,000+ readers. On National Pastry Day (December 9), Bill Yosses was featured on NBC News, spotlighting the holiday and his current residency at Hamilton Hotel, reaching over 7M viewers.
The residency was featured on the Hamilton Hotel website, social media, and hotel newsletters. The hotel also ran a dedicated email campaign surrounding the pa
Return on Investment: How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?
The partnership with Bill Yosses was a fantastic way to highlight the hotel's 100th anniversary while providing guests with a unique experience at the hotel through the hot chocolate station, turn-down amenity, and baking class. The baking class sold out in 3 hours and generated $4,254 in ticket sales, and the dedicated email campaign surrounding the partnership generated $35,500 in room revenue and 42 room reservations. The return on investment was $36,754
Outside direct sales, the residency attracted guests and locals to stop by the hotel and enjoy the gourmet hot chocolate station. Increased foot traffic resulted in 10% more donations for the hotel’s annual Toys for Tots toy drive, which takes place in the hotel lobby.
Entry Title
Bill Yosses Centennial Confectioner Residency x Hamilton Hotel
Division
Public Relations/Communications - Special Event
Category
Public Relations/Communications