Le Meridien Al Aqah scored a superb hat-trick last night, scooping the ‘Hotel Advertising Campaign of the Year’ award for the 3rd consecutive year at the DEPA Middle East Awards, it was announced recently.
The resort beat some stiff competition, winning the prestigious award for its stimulating and eye-catching summer advertising campaign, ‘Chill out at Al Aqah’, which was aimed at residents of the UAE, inviting them to beat the heat and head to the East Coast getaway.
“To win once is exciting, to win twice is humbling but to win three times in a row is just an unimaginable thrill. To be continually recognized for our efforts by such an esteemed panel of judges, assures us that we are on the right track to establishing Al Aqah as the region’s ideal tourist destination,” said Mr. Patrick Antaki, General Manager, Le Meridien Al Aqah.
Launched in the summer of 2005, ‘Chill out at Al Aqah’ was strategically released through mediums such as radio, direct mailers and select print advertising ensuring maximum exposure which generated spectacular occupancy rates during weekdays, a period which had a lean forecast.
From just AED 222 per person per night (a very attractive and affordable rate), guests could enjoy spectacular sea-facing rooms, buffet breakfast, lunch or dinner, complimentary non-motorized water sports, health club facilities including a gym, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, complimentary access to on-site recreation and daily animation activities, as well as access to the Penguin Club for kids. The offer had a limited availability period and was only offered on weeknights.
“Chill out at Al Aqah was a cleverly orchestrated campaign that helped avert a lean forecast. In addition to creating immediate results that positively impacted the bottom line, it also had significant long-term impact – reinforcing the resort’s recreational assets among UAE residents,” added Antaki.
“Since the summer of 2005, we have seen a moderate increase in diving and snorkeling activity as compared to the same period last year suggesting that there has been a correlating positive effect. Armed with this data, we are enthusiastic about creating another innovative and imaginative summer campaign in 2006 to fuel additional growth opportunities,” he concluded.
Celebrating its fifth year, the DEPA Middle East Hotel Awards have been designed to recognize and reward outstanding service, performance and creativity by hotels and industry personnel in a variety of carefully selected award categories. The awards play a prominent role in the development of the tourism and hospitality industry of the Middle East.
About Le Meridien
Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, with its portfolio of 120 luxury and upscale hotels in 53 countries worldwide, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. The majority of its properties are located in the world’s top cities and resorts throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. In the 2005 Luxury Brand Status Index survey Le Meridien was recognized as one of the top 15 luxury hotel brands. For more information, please visit www.lemeridien.com.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W, Le Meridien and the recently announced Aloft SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
