October 6, 2014
Mandarin Oriental New York view
Mandarin Oriental New York is providing guests a specialized guide to New York that highlights fashion designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s perspective of the city.
The Mulleavy sisters own the clothing and accessory brand Rodarte and have compiled a guide with Mandarin Oriental that provides visualization to the duo’s New York experiences. Famous landmarks along with more personal locations will offer guests a unique look into the city and the guide will double as a piece of art for guests to bring home after their stay.
"Mandarin Oriental is an experience-driven brand," said Taylor Rains, managing partner of Flugel Consulting, Charleston, SC.
"The hotel group has also always maintained a strong relationship with the art and design communities," he said. "Development of a Rodarte guide to New York City through the eyes of two prominent designers marries these two elements perfectly."
Mr. Rains is not affiliated with Mandarin Oriental, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Mandarin Oriental was unable to respond by press deadline.
New York, New York
"Rodarte New York City Guide" is a compilation of Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s New York experiences. They chose Mandarin Oriental because it is their favorite New York hotel.
The destinations selected are other meaningful places in the Mulleavy’s lives. For instance, Bergdorf Goodman, Dashwood Books and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are all included.
The map is also a collectable art piece designed by artist Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic and creative director Phil Chang. The piece reflects the craftsmanship of Rodarte and Mandarin Oriental New York.
Mandarin Oriental New York's Facebook post
Each guest will receive the guide, but those who are unable to visit the hotel will have the chance to win one of 10 Rodarte New York City Guides signed by the Mulleavy sisters. A social media sweepstakes started on Sept. 25 and will continue until Oct. 25.
Interested fans will have chances to win the sweepstakes through the hotel’s social media. For instance, on Oct. 2 followers were asked to share their favorite place in New York by the end of the day to potentially win one map.
Mandarin Oriental New York's Central Park view room
There will be a grand prize winner who will receive a two-night stay in a room with a Central Park view.
Location-based contests
Other hotels have decided to use specific locations as the basis for social media contests.
For example, Four Seasons Hotel New York advocated for high spirits this summer with an Instagram contest asking fans to show their love for the city.
The hotel teamed with a global vacation photography company, Flytographer, to launch the #FSNYSummerLove photo contest. Hotel guests and New York locals were encouraged to return to Four Seasons Hotel New York’s social media pages to discover the weekly contest theme all summer long (see story).
Also, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts teamed up with camera manufacturer GoPro to invite fans to take videos of their favorite places through Sept. 14 for a chance to win a number of trips.
The “Destination GoPro Heroes” initiative presented 42 initial trip packages for prizes and an additional grand prize. Although asking for videos is a riskier proposition than asking for photos, simply because of the effort required, the broad prize pool likely attracted submissions if the contest is well advertised on social media (see story).
Social contests allow people to engage with hotel brands outside of the physical location of the hotel.
"Incorporating a social element to the partnership takes it off property and exposes it to a wider audience," Mr. Rains said. "The contest incentivizes participation and engagement among followers, driving more awareness of the brand and its unique offering."
Final Take
Nancy Buckley, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
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