Conrad Hotels Transforms Instagram and Virtual Reality Into Travel Guides


Skift Take

We can appreciate Conrad's desire to be innovative in its approach to content marketing, as well as providing both useful service and inspiration for its guests. But we question whether these attempts have any actual staying power or impact.
A little over a year ago, Conrad Hotels, like many of its luxury hotel peers, repositioned itself with a content campaign centered around "smart luxury." Called Conrad 1/3/5, it was built around the development of local travel itineraries for 1-, 3-, and 5-hour timeframes in destinations from around the world and each of those travel guides would live on a separate site, StayInspired.com. Not only would Conrad 1/3/5 be an invaluable resource for travelers and guests but its establishment would help Hilton further distinguish the brand from its other sister brand in the luxury space, Waldorf Astoria. "It's really part of a very innovative way of providing a way for hotels to be part of the journey rather than just the destination where you stay or sleep," Stuart Foster, former VP of marketing for Hilton's Luxury Brands told Skift in September. (Foster has since been appointed VP of Global Brand Marketing for the Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, and Curio – A Collection by Hilton brands.) "We're positioning Conrad as a facilitator for a much more inspired stay and it's more about your journey and experience in and around the hotel, not just when you're in the hotel." And this year, Conrad Hotels took its content from StayInspired.com translating