Bill Kaelin Marketing Heads to the Mountains with AC Hotel Asheville
Located in the heart of North Carolina’s hippest city with easy access to some of the state’s top attractions, the AC Hotel Asheville Downtown was made for the modern traveler looking for a laid-back experience while on the road. From its unforgettable mountain views to its tasteful inclusion of local art, food, and amenities, this brand new travel destination was set to share its vision with the south and sought assistance from BKM to begin the process. We curated a list of 20 top influencers and tastemakers and invited them in for an unforgettable weekend getaway highlighting the best of what the hotel and city had to offer. We:
Worked alongside hotel management to create unique experiences for influencers, including a kick-off happy hour event at Capella on 9, the hotel’s rooftop bar and restaurant
Organized personalized welcome bags for each influencer featuring local products and gifts
Coordinated a European-style breakfast and a wrap party on-site
Drafted a list of expected deliverables from influencers, communicating these requirements to all parties and overseeing fulfillment to maximize social media and website exposure • Produced a full day of off-site Asheville experiences, partnering with local businesses including the River Arts District, local art tour guides, and restaurant owners
Coordinated transportation services to ensure smooth transitions for influencers throughout the day
Created a two-for-one marketing opportunity for the hotel’s ownership company (McKibbon), setting up a group hard hat tour at developing sister property (Arras), and allowing guests to get a sneak peak while promoting the developing property to their combined following of 100,000+
Created and managed a discount code that was distributed to all attending influencers, promoting the hotel at a special rate to their followers, in turn increasing the hotel’s occupancy during their slower months (January-May)
Reached over 100,000 different Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nashville followers, creating a huge buzz around the AC Hotel Asheville name
