Westin Hotels Takes Apprentice Task Online
Westin Hotels & Resorts is bringing fans of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart online via a new marketing campaign that further leverages its product-placement deal on the show.
Westin was the latest brand featured under a brand integration deal with NBC’s The Apprentice Martha Stewart. During last week’s show, teams had to design a two-bedroom “lifestyle suite” at the Westin New York in Times Square. The Primarius team designed a “Westin Entertains” suite, the ultimate party suite with a game cabinet, entertainment system, cocktail area and themed decorations. The Matchstick team based its concept on F.L.O.W.— Leisure Or Work, a zen-like suite that invites guests to strike a balance between work and relaxation.
Matchstick, however, ran into trouble when the couches the team ordered failed to arrive in time for the judging. Primarius won the task for the fourth week in a row.
To coincide with the Apprentice task, Westin designers debuted their own lifestyle suite product, the Renewal Suite, which includes chromotherapy, digital art and a spa bath. Nestled on the 44th floor of The Westin New York at Times Square, the 1,200-square-foot suite includes a Zen-like home gym, mini-bar and snack station, a memory foam bed, and an entertainment center complete with a Samsung LCD TV and DVDs.
Guests who stay at the Renewal Suite will be assigned their own Westin host, who acts as an ambassador to make guests’ stays more enjoyable and stress-free. Stays at the Renewal Suite cost $2,000 per night. The “concept room” will be built in Westin hotels around the world.
To move its task sponsorship beyond the small screen, Westin has rolled out an online campaign, The Westin Ultimate Renewal Experience, which lets consumers play designer for the day with the chain’s “Design Your Own Renewal Suite.” Users log on to Westin.com/apprentice to select themes from top designers, color schemes, and products to build their own Renewal Suite.
Consumers who enter the site can enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a five-night stay in the Renewal Suite in Times Square, as well as two tickets to the finale of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart on Dec. 21. One first-prize winner gets a room designed by D.B. Kim, Westin’s VP of design, including a Westin Heavenly Bed and a 42-inch Samsung flat screen TV; a second-prize winner wins a $500 Westin gift card.
Online, consumers can preview behind-the-scenes footage from Stewart’s The Apprentice episode. Users can also share their designs with their friends via an e-card and earn 20% off their next Westin hotel stay.
The sweepstakes is open to consumers 21 and older and ends Oct. 26. Online materials support. Eprize, Pleasant Ridge, MI, handles.
