At a handful of Hilton's this holiday season, it will be all about the Hallmark.
The Hallmark Channel began its ratings juggernaut "Countdown to Christmas" movie marathon this year even before Halloween and Hilton wants some of that holiday magic to rub off on travelers as it competes with Airbnb and other services offering homes as alternatives to hotels.
"When you feel like coming home for the holidays," Hilton said in announcing the partnership, "it matters where you stay," the tagline it has been using on ads suggesting the potential "nightmares" of staying in someone else's house.
To help sell the hominess of Hilton, the company has set up Hallmark Movie themed suites at three hotels--the "Cozy Christmas" Suite in Chicago, the "SoCal Christmas" suite in San Diego and the "Glam Christmas" Suite in Las Vegas.
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Hallmark helped Hilton decorate the suites including everything from a custom-crocheted Christmas Tree and a gingerbread hotel against a Chicago skyline to a snow cone machine in the SoCal Christmas suite to a tinsel-bedecked ceiling and a wall of sequined "holiday trees" in Vegas.
There will even be a Christmas tree lighting at 8 p.m. every night in each suite, which will also be fitted out with a collection of old and new Hallmark Movies, plus popcorn and movie snacks.
“Our goal during the holidays is to provide ways for people to enjoy the ultimate, most sensationally memorable Christmas experience, and this collaboration truly delivers,” said Hallmark chief marketing officer Lara Richardson.
