HONG KONG—Traveling is great. Traveling with friends is even better.
Rosewood Girlfriends—Rosewood Hotel Group’s new brand-wide initiative—encourages these trips with special packages, all inspired by women helping women and the importance of lifelong bonds.
Available at Rosewood properties globally, each Ultimate Girlfriend Getaway package includes spacious accommodations in multi-bedroom suites or villas, a welcome bottle of Champagne, a $250 spa credit and exclusive benefits from luxury fashion and lifestyle platform Farfetch.
“The multifaceted campaign speaks to the depth of the brand’s understanding of the Rosewood traveler,” said Thuy Tranthi Rieder, CMO of Rosewood Hotel Group. “We were inspired by the power of travel to create enduring bonds and reconnect ourselves to our most important relationships.”
These trips are also specific to the location, in keeping with Rosewood’s A Sense of Place philosophy, in which culture and destination inform the unique elements of a hotel property, Rieder said.
“Participating properties have also curated special experiences that speak to their spirits. For example, at The Carlyle in New York City, guests will meet with the creative directors of New York-based Veronica Beard for a behind-the-scenes look at their upcoming collection, followed by a private shopping and styling session with the Veronicas,” she said.
Other featured trips available include a beach vacation in Riviera Maya in Mexico; a shopping excursion in Dallas; an outdoor adventure in Santa Fe, NM; a wellness escape in Phuket, Thailand; and a cultural and culinary tour in Paris.
“It’s a very exciting time for both the industry and for Rosewood. As people grow more curious and more adventurous, we’re excited to create new opportunities for Rosewood guests to experience new destinations,” Rieder said.
Guests are changing in this respect, including what they expect from both the locations they’re traveling to and from the trip itself. These travelers are beginning to seek out a more sophisticated, upscale experience, without losing that sense of authenticity.
“It’s a mindset that is reverberating throughout the upper-tier of the market,” Rieder said. “Consumers of all ages—from millennials to baby boomers—are increasingly looking to spend their disposable income on experiences, rather than material goods.”
One way of targeting these guests is through a multilayered campaign like this one, allowing for interaction and social engagement.
Launched last year, Rosewood Conversations—Rosewood’s digital content hub—offers getaway destination guides for travelers, with tips for creating the best itinerary possible based on location.
“We sought to create an online community for Rosewood travelers to dive deeper into the travel lifestyle topics that intrigue them, start conversations and share experiences from their own illuminating journeys. Rather than being driven by the Rosewood properties themselves, the content on Rosewood Conversations focuses on the authentic elements of the destinations where the properties are located,” Rieder said.
Connecting with others is vital, especially in today’s digitally obsessed climate, and particularly among groups of friends. Rosewood encourages social media followers to share photos, video and memories of the girlfriend getaways with hashtags #RosewoodGirlfriends and #RosewoodCelebrations. Rosewood then shares some of this fan-generated content on its own media channels, making the reach that much more powerful.
“Beyond our owned content, user-generated content is becoming increasingly important on social media. Recommendations from peers have influenced the process of booking travel as today’s travelers are focused on finding unique and exciting experiences that they can share on their social media channels. These posts help increase brand awareness organically and also reach a new audience that may not respond to traditional media,” Rieder said.
“The evolution of social media has brought about major changes within the travel industry, especially with regard to travelers’ online research, planning and booking, and emphasizes the importance of connecting with travelers throughout every stage of their journey,” she said.
Rieder said that Rosewood has also engaged social media influencers—social media users with a large following—hoping to inspire women across the globe to celebrate female friendships and create trips and memories of their own.
“It’s no longer the case that a guest’s journey begins when they arrive at the property. Rosewood devotes considerable effort to our digital presence, whether that be the content on our website, our booking engine, or our social media, which we curate to serve as a guidebook of sorts for the guests to reference when planning a visit or even while on property,” she said.
The digital landscape may be evolving, and the marketplace may have changing demands, but Rosewood has kept its “sense of place” mindset strong throughout, while also paying careful attention to these changes.
“Whether growing our global footprint, introducing a new initiative, or creating a multifaceted campaign such as Rosewood Girlfriends, we are extremely thoughtful in our approach so as to stay true to this philosophy. With this campaign, we sought to reimagine this philosophy and showcase how Rosewood empowers girlfriends to celebrate their friendships and create their own ‘sense of place’ with us,” Rieder said.
“Many luxury companies—not just those in the hospitality industry—discuss creating experiences for their audience. Rosewood builds upon this through this campaign by enabling guests to enrich their lives through travel and supporting them as they embark on these journeys,” she concluded. HB
