We have a hotel opening up in the Dulles Airport area of Virginia. It is a Hilton Garden Inn which is part of the Hilton Family of brands. I need creative ideas on how to show our rooms, meeting rooms, fitness center etc. Also, I am sort of stumped on the theme of this party. The Hilton Garden Inn is unique in that is caters to business travelers.
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Jay’s Answer: (I’m assuming that the party will be for local government, larger businesses, and the Chamber of Commerce)
Given you’re a Garden Inn, you could focus on business/garden. For example, in each of the rooms you’re showing, have fresh flowers everywhere (being sensitive to people with allergies!). Provide guests with a “treasure hunt” game card. On the card, ask them to identify some key aspects of the rooms on the “tour”. For example:
- How many meeting rooms do you have
- How many rowing machines
- How many sq ft was the guest room
- What was the size of the bed in the guest room
- Where were the high-speed internet cables located
- Which room had Hawaiian flowers, etc
The point is to highlight your new features by having them fill in the blanks visually. Each contest entry (with correct answers) is eligible for a weekend’s free stay at your new hotel. Grand prize might be a free weekend at any of the HGI properties.
Realize that your bigger goal is getting new guests, not throwing a party. That’s why each entry form should have not only a phone number, but full contact information so you can contact them after the event to get feedback on the property, their business travel needs, etc.