HILTON: ESCAPE FOR A BETTER STAY

THE WHY: Hilton. For the Stay – the brand’s new global marketing campaign was set to debut across AMEA. A week before its rollout – during Hilton’s annual General Managers Summit – Engine Shop sought to bring the campaign to life and galvanize Managers around its rallying cry – It Matters Where You Stay.

THE WHAT: Engine Shop created a 3-part escape room that transported guests in the unsavory shortcomings of the brand’s competitors – hidden fees, disconnected rooms, amenity charges, etc. Guided by actors, guests were rudely unwelcomed into a dingy hotel room where they solved campaign-inspired clues to uncover a 7-digit code they used to call Hilton to Escape for a Better Stay. Making their escape, guests were warmly greeted with premium hospitality, unique immersive ad displays, photo vignettes, and even some pups that brought Hilton’s benefits and the For the Stay campaign to life.

THE LOBBY: Walking through beaded curtains guests entered the lobby where they would be introduced to the experience via our immersive actors playing the roles of disgruntled and unhelpful competitor hotel clerks. While they wait their turn, guests could watch Hilton For The Stay ads on an old TV, look for clues in the terribly designed brochure, or make some furry friends.

THE ROOM: Grimy, grungy and covered in stains, the room epitomized everything wrong with the competition through the scenic design, integrated actors and hidden clues that highlighted Hilton’s reasons to believe. Aghast and against the clock, participants would use their brochure’s hints and the actor’s clues to find 7 digits within the room which they would use to call Hilton for a Better Stay.

THE CLUES: Hidden throughout the room, the clues unlocked digits to call Hilton while cleverly personifying Hilton’s reason to believe. Whether it was the competitor’s hidden fees, no pet policies, destination focus, non-adjoining rooms or unsavory/unavailable food options, they all came to life for participants to explore firsthand.

A BETTER STAY: After uncovering the 7 digits to call Hilton for a Better Stay, the exit miraculously swung open to reveal a glorified Hilton reception desk. Here, participants were warmly welcomed with leis (from the TVC), custom cookies, and a short brand centric greeting. They were then free to explore our RTB wall, pose in a series of TVC inspired photo ops, and marvel at full LCD wall displaying OOH ads from our guest’s home regions.

FINAL PHOTO OP: As a fun conclusion and a clever way show our GMs that they’re truly part of the campaign and its success, we featured a green screen photo op that superimposed them into the campaign’s OOH ads for them to proudly display back home in their Hilton offices.