Hilton Garden Inn - "Long Weekend" :30 (USA)

STORY director Blair Hayes encourages weekend travelers to “connect,” “stroll,” “smile,” “cheer” and “celebrate” in an upbeat new campaign for Hilton Garden Inn and California agency DGWB.

The 15- and 30-second television spots portray the upscale hotels as a great venue for people seeking to getaway, take in the local sites and have fun. Couples and friends are shown relaxing, dining, shopping, sharing a glass of wine and partying in a club. Superimposed graphics underscore the mood. “We staged scenes ranging from sorority sisters enjoying their 15th reunion to a middle aged couple on a romantic weekend,” says Hayes. “It’s experiential, a slightly heightened reality.”

The follow-ups to an earlier flight of ads highlighting the amenities Hilton Garden Inn offers to business travelers, the new spots promote the chain as a destination for adults seeking a weekend getaway. “Hilton Garden Inns are located in places that offer a lot of things that adults enjoy,” explains DGWB executive creative director Jon Gothold. “And Blair captured that in a really nice way. It’s believable. We have people going on shopping trips and out to dinner; young women getting together. It resonates. It feels authentic. And it’s working! Weekend business at the hotels is up.”

Client: Hilton Garden Inn. Judy Christa-Cathey, Vice President Global Brand Marketing; Jason Hill, Brand Marketing Manager.
Agency: DGWB. Jon Gothold, Partner/Executive Creative Director/AD; Courtney Betley, Associate Creative Director/CW; Amy Krause, Executive Producer; Aron Orton, Editor; Brandt Weisman, Motion Graphics; Johanna Curgus, Group Account Director
Production: STORY. Blair Hayes, Director; Mark Androw and Cliff Grant, Executive Producers; MaryAnn Dezulskis, Producer.