Skift CMO Interviews: Red Roof Inn CMO on Being Brilliant With the Basics
Skift Take
Staying at an economy hotel used to mean that every aspect of the stay was "economical." Red Roof Inn looked at its product and saw that while guests expected rates to be low they still wanted modern rooms with fast Wi-Fi, for example. Recent brand-wide renovations also led to a facelift with its content marketing which it's seeing successful results from.
Editor's Note: Following our previous CEO interview series in online travel, hospitality, and destinations, Skift has launched a new series, this time focused on Chief Marketing Officers.
To better understand the big marketing challenges facing travel brands in an age when consumers are in control, Skift's What Keeps CMOs Up at Night will talk with the leading voices in global marketing from across all the industry's sectors.
These interviews with leaders of hotels, airlines, tourism boards, digital players, agents, tour operators and more will explore both shared and unique challenges they are facing, where they get insights, and how they best leverage digital insights to make smarter decisions.
This is the latest interview in the series.
Travelers often feel they sacrifice comfort for price point when staying at economy brand hotels, a trade-off Red Roof Inn wants to eliminate while still keeping rates low but amenities better than expected.
The hotel knows its guests--those with cars who want to save money on accommodations--and also understands that its guests have standards just like those of mid and upscale hotels. Red Roof ripped up rugs because guests said they didn't appreciate mildew smells and it redecorated to appeal to millennials, creating the Red Roof Plus designation at some properties.
Marina McDonald, Red Roof Inn's chief marketing officer, told Skift how 2016 will be a "scrappy year" for the brand as it hums its "brilliant with the basics" mantra, which McDonald says is pivotal to her team's philosophy. We talked about how content marketing for economy brands can exceed guest's expectations and how it parallels what more expensive brands are doing. We also discussed
