campaign that also starred a Hollywood A-lister and how a CMO goes about their job to create and drive brand awareness .
HOTELS : How do you characterize the role of the CMO within the confines of the hospitality segment ? Abdalla : At Choice , our marketing strategy focuses on three key areas : building awareness , driving loyalty and repeat business and increasing top-line revenue for franchisees . We want to drive consumer awareness that Choice has expanded its portfolio , which now ranges from full-service upper-upscale and upscale , down through midscale and economy . We want to drive loyalty and repeat business since we know that members of Choice Privileges are more likely to stay a second time and book directly , lowering customer acquisition costs for franchisees . We are doing this by adding exciting experiences and perks to our rewards program and driving top-line revenue for hotel owners by increasing traffic and conversions on ChoiceHotels . com . Since the digital migration of Radisson in July 2023 , total traffic , bookings and revenue on ChoiceHotels . com and the mobile app have significantly increased compared to the pre-migration websites and apps .
Noha Abdalla , CMO , Choice Hotels International
HOTELS : How does marketing travel and hospitality to the consumer differ from other brands and other industries ? Is there a certain chord you try to strike ? Abdalla : I love working in hospitality — travel is something that many people enjoy and look forward to . It is certainly different than other industries since there is a family of brands that cater to different customers and stay occasions . Our goal is that people think of us first when planning their travel . We have several specific target customer segments , but they all have similar things in common . We call them “ Authentic Achievers ,” they are real , self-sufficient and quietly confident individuals . They know their preferences and seek hotels where they can be themselves , unaffected by trends or fads . They believe in taking action , actively seeking out experiences and planning with purpose and confidence . They are smart with their money and understand the difference between price and value .
HOTELS : How do new technology and tools enhance the way you market Choice ’ s brands ? Abdalla : Choice operates at the intersection of hospitality , franchising and technology . We ’ ve been leveraging AI and the cloud in our development and franchise-facing tools for more than a decade . In fact , we were the first hotel company to develop an app for iOS back in 2009 . For marketing , we leverage advanced technology to personalize the customer journey . For example , the cloud enables us to pull data points together to customize what guests see on our site when they are searching for hotels . If you are a Choice Privileges rewards member , and we know where you ’ ve stayed with us before , we can make sure to surface hotels in a particular order , near your search location , that match Choice brands you have stayed at before or that you are likely to prefer . We are also leveraging technology and tools to help with identity resolution across the customer journey and create look-a-like audiences to attract new customers .
HOTELS : What makes for a strong media campaign ? Abdalla : Having clear goals , knowing your audience and developing breakthrough creative are key for a successful marketing campaign . The goal of our latest marketing campaign , starring Keegan-Michael Key , is to drive awareness of Choice and its portfolio of brands , as well as drive direct traffic and bookings on Choicehotels . com . Our campaign target audiences are the value-conscious family , young professional , adventurous couple and business traveler , and we are reaching them directly with our targeted media buy on broadcast , cable , streaming TV , SiriusXM , Spotify , social and digital platforms , including Facebook , Instagram , Snapchat , TikTok , and Keegan-Michael Key ’ s own social media channels .
HOTELS : The new media campaign highlights some of the many reasons people travel with the tagline of “ A Stay for Any You .” How did you come up with that concept ? Abdalla : Through customer research , we uncovered that there are different versions of ‘ You ’— the version of you on a friends trip , a family vacation , a work trip , a romantic getaway — and all of those different occasions need different things . There are so many options out there for where to stay and our target customer wants to feel good about where they choose to stay . That ’ s where Choice ’ s portfolio of brands comes in — we have a brand for every type of stay or occasion , budget and location . The “ Stay for Any You ” concept communicates the versatility of our portfolio . Through testing , we know that the “ Any You ” character played by Keegan resonates strongly with our audience .
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