Bonnet Creek in Orlando, surrounded on three side by Walt Disney World Resort, was a unique opportunity. The problems were that the actual launch was almost two years away and the facilities and amenities changed frequently as construction proceeded. We also were dealing with two completely different brands. The fun, modestly priced Hilton property and the upscale, luxury of The Waldorf Astoria brand. Connected by a vast conference center, and a Fall '09 launch date, we knew our initial focus would be on the meetings market, who typically book a year or two out. We targeted this market with four web sites, targeted direct mail with strategic offers, on and offline advertising and three brochures as fulfillment pieces. The initiative has been extremely successful; unfortunately, we cannot divulge the pre-sales figure at this time. However, we can say that amidst the poor economic conditions, the general hospitality downturn and the AIG effect, we are the force to be reckoned with in all segments. Closer to the opening, we targeted the consumer market with 4 web sites and direct marketing initiatives, both online and offline.
Even closer to the opening, we created a promotional strategy offering deals and packages to induce trial and advertised with an online campaign on various travel sites. All the while we kept the brand identity of Hilton and Waldorf Astoria intact, diluting neither at the expense of the other. Awareness is high and we look forward our first year of operations.
