When Rotana first partnered with health and fitness ambassador Nelly Attar, we knew it would strike a chord with our core audience on social media.
After all, as a Lebanese-Saudi Arabian mountaineer and the first Arab woman to summit the peak of K2, Nelly was already an inspiration to many.
What we didn’t anticipate was just how much a partnership with a powerhouse like Nelly would transform our entire approach to marketing and consumer engagement. By integrating Nelly’s authenticity and passion for fitness into our brand’s social-media presence, we built a deeply engaging and enthusiastic community online.
There are lessons for us all to learn. Hospitality brands must do their due diligence and select meaningful partnerships that resonate with their brand ethos. The only question I’m repeatedly asked is: “How”?
Here are three ways long-term partnerships can elevate a hospitality brand’s marketing strategy:
Enhanced brand reputation and reach
For any long-term partnership to become a truly symbiotic relationship, both parties must benefit and work closely together to bring the partnership to life.
Here, the partner’s influence enhances the brand’s credibility, while the brand provides a platform for them to engage with a broad audience.
Brands that leverage their ambassadors’ unique profiles can create a consistent and genuine brand experience, humanising their offerings and emphasising their key message distinctly. Similarly, the ambassador benefits from the brand’s planning and dedicated resources for execution.
Our collaboration with Nelly is particularly resonant with young, health-conscious travellers who value pioneering wellness experiences. This enables us to tap into a vibrant market segment eager for innovative health and fitness offerings. Since our partnership began in August 2023, Nelly’s content has helped generate over 25 million impressions across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Consistent brand experience and authentic content creation
Before forming a meaningful, long-term partnership, it is important to consider how their persona and online presence will align with your brand’s key communication pillars.
Selection is a critical step, as ambassadors must be able to cut across different interests and not be limited to a niche.
Nelly was a perfect match for Rotana’s core brand pillars, which touch on wellness, authenticity, and community engagement. She embodies a real, relatable person whose values resonate deeply with our brand ethos.
One of our most celebrated collaboration videos is ‘Staircase Fitness Challenge,’ featuring Nelly alongside our corporate and hotel teams as they scaled the 70 floors of the iconic Rose Rayhaan by Rotana, one of the tallest hotel towers in the world.
This exciting video captivated audiences, quickly surpassing seven million views within 24 hours on Instagram – more than double our typical brand videos.
The success was driven by Nelly’s dynamic and engaging approach to fitness, turning a daunting climb into a fun adventure. It also perfectly aligned with the Dubai Fitness Challenge, underscoring not only our commitment to local initiatives and promoting a spirit of health and vitality but also the importance of timely content.
Deeper audience engagement and community building
Authenticity is not just a marketing buzzword; it’s a vital element in building trust and fostering meaningful relationships with our guests. Long-term partners promote trust in the brand and have a far greater reach than many traditional advertising outlets.
Since the inception of our partnership, content featuring Nelly has consistently driven higher engagement on our social-media platforms, with a notable increase in likes, shares, and comments on average compared to other posts.
The ‘Ras Al Khaimah Hiking Series’ further boosted the partnership to new audiences as it was reposted by Visit Ras Al Khaimah social media pages.
By offering genuine content that reflects our commitment to health and well-being, guests don’t just see Rotana as a place to stay; they view us as a trusted partner in their wellness journey.
Long-term partnerships are foundational in the hospitality industry’s marketing world. They enhance brand credibility, deepen audience engagement, and create original, resonant content. Nurturing these relationships is key to sustaining growth and, ultimately, delivering guests with more “Treasured Time” opportunities.
By Amal Harb, Corporate Vice President Marketing for Rotana
