Which Hotel Brands Resided at the Top in US TV Advertising Last Year?

In order to stay competitive, American hotel brands understand they must advertise on TV. But how much are hotels spending to get guests to spend their trips staying with them? When ranking ad spend by parent company, US. Marriott International settled in at the top of the list with an estimated total TV ad spend of $47.2 million. But for a view of what individual hotel brands spent on ads for TV, iSpot.tv recently shared a list of last year’s leaders. And Skift.com shared details on which hotels took home the top spots.

Top 25 Hotels in US TV Advertising in 2015
1. Choice Hotels
2. Courtyard
3. Wyndham
4. Marriott
5. La Quinta
6. Best Western
7. Residence Inn
8. Hyatt
9. Motel
10. Fairfield Inn
11. Hampton Inn
12. Sheraton
13. Holiday Inn Express
14. Hilton Worldwide
15. Holiday Inn
16. Aria Hotel
17. Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
18. Days Inn
19. Disney Aulani
20. The Greenbrier
21. Hilton Garden Inn
22. Crowne Plaza
23. Ramada
24. Embassy Suites
25. Homewood Suites

Choice Hotels was the biggest spender with $29.9 million invested in TV ads last year. Their “Reunion” campaign used the popular Clash song, “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” to spotlight their loyalty program, savings, and direct booking on their website for their family of brands, including ChoiceHotels.com, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, and Sleep Inn brands.

The second-highest spender was Marriott’s Courtyard brand, which invested an estimated $15.1 million in US national TV airings in 2015. Its year-old “Viking Ship” ad playfully featured one of the Vikings in a silly pink outfit announcing plans to take a little dip in the sea. The ad encouraged people to make room for some fun by staying at a Courtyard property.

And rounding out the top three was Wyndham, whose “Wyzard Wedding” ad followed the popular premise of promoting their rewards programs. In the ad, a wizard magically transported a newlywed couple to a beachfront honeymoon, rather than to their less-romantic destination of Reno, thanks to the reward points the new husband had earned.

Today, hotel brands have no reservations about TV advertising because they see that it accommodates their need to reach a world of travelers.

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MDG, a full-service advertising agency with offices in Boca Raton and New York, NY, is one of Florida’s top hospitality marketing companies and branding firms. MDG’s core capabilities include advertising, branding, logo design, creative, infographic development, digital marketing, creative media planning and buying, radio and TV advertising, website design and development, email marketing, mobile marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, and SEO. To stay on top of the latest trends in hospitality marketing and advertising, contact MDG.