November Nomination: The Clarendon Hotel Shows Us the Goods

Trying to increase your business’ exposure without increasing your budget? Few solutions seem as unlikely as inviting people to strip down and then throwing money at them. It may sound downright wicked, but the results were heavenly for Phoenix’s Clarendon Hotel and Suites, turning the property from a great hotel into a vacation destination for local families and travelers alike.

In a summer when gas prices rose faster than the temperature and getaways seemed impossibly expensive, Clarendon owner Ben Bethel instituted a hot summer deal: the Bikini Check-In rate. Showing up at the front desk wearing a bikini, swim trunks, or a Speedo earned guests discounts and a $20 credit toward room service, the hotel bar and restaurant, or service beside the hotel’s award-winning pool. As word of the dressed-down discount spread, the Clarendon soon became the subject of television and newspaper profiles and found its name gracing the pages of lodging and travel blogs across the Internet.

The promotion did far more than increase the property’s name recognition. The exposure translated into the Clarendon’s best summer revenues on record, outperforming nearby hotels by as much as 400%. Locals began swapping out-of-town plans with stays at the hotel, and visitors were wooed by the creative promotion and the Clarendon’s new reputation as Central Phoenix’s premier leisure hotel destination.

With ingenious marketing and barely a dent in their budget, the Clarendon increased their revenue and contributed significantly to Central Phoenix’s surge in tan lines. While you won’t find us baring it all in public – even for a sweet deal at a sheik hotspot – we are happy to unveil November’s nomination for the legendary Oddy and award it to Phoenix’s Clarendon Hotel and Suites. Do you have a hot marketing idea you think we should see? Show us your goods at www.theoddy.com.