Starting this summer, affluent travelers will start to hear quite a bit about a “new” hotel chain – Belmond – thanks to a $5 million ad campaign in the works.
What is Belmond? It’s the collection of 45 ultra-luxury hotels – such as Italy’s iconic Hotel Cipriani in Italy – and other travel options that fall under the umbrella Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. Previously, each had been marketed under their individual names.
Two months ago, however, Orient-Express Hotels CEO John Scott announced the launch of a new, single brand name – Belmond – to make it easier for his organization to market the properties and travel options to well-heeled consumers. Results so far have been good, he said in the company’s Q1 earnings statement released yesterday.
“We expect Belmond, which has been well received by guests and the luxury travel trade, to drive incremental revenue” by attracting new guests and encouraging existing guests to visit other Belmond properties, he said in the statement.
In the third quarter, the company will launch a $5 million print (that’s right, I wrote “print”) and digital ad campaign to promote the brand. Orient-Express plans to spend about $10 million over the next four years. Here’s what the statement says:
“The Company will support the introduction of Belmond with a first-year expenditure of approximately $5 million and a further approximate $10 million over the subsequent four years. The first-year investment includes enhanced promotional and marketing initiatives, including the Company’s first large-scale print and electronic advertising campaign, which will commence in the third quarter of 2014.”
Scott, who prior to Orient-Express led ultra-luxury operator Rosewood Hotels, is due to discuss the company’s earnings and overall plans with Wall Street analysts today, so watch other media outlets for finance-related coverage.
Earlier in March, Orient-Express had created some buzz about the Belmond name via PR, consumer mailings, a new website (belmond.com) and social media outreach.
Readers: What do you think about the “Belmond” brand name?
Photo, courtesy of Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. and taken by Andrea Quagliata, shows swimming pool at Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada.
