What We Walked Into

Hilton wanted to re-package the Hampton brand for a new demographic of younger, savvier travelers, and wanted to do it in the middle of the worst economy in decades. And to make things worse, Hamptons are a franchise, so Hilton not only had to communicate complex ideas on a massive scale, they had to communicate those ideas to a workforce they didn‘t have direct control over.

What We Did

In the face of this uphill battle, the Creative Outreach team worked closely with the Hampton management team to learn the ins and outs of their company, their industry, and their leadership vision. Once we understood where the Hampton brand wanted to go, Sweeney started training Hampton general managers and sales managers and taught them how to use improvisational techniques in the sales process. Working closely with Hampton leaders, that initial training program was expanded and supported by training videos—fondly called the Manager Mike series—that demonstrated and humorously conveyed what “improvisational sales” looked like for eleven specific target markets. But we weren’t done yet. We also worked with them to ensure their national meeting was more fun, memorable, and paid off their yearlong training message.

The Payoff for Hampton

We helped Hampton owners and general managers think differently about innovation and our workshops helped them understand the importance of shifting to an “everybody sells” mindset. A 9.6 out of 10 (9 signified excellent and 10 outstanding) was the worst evaluation we got from any of our training sessions. Attendees and workshop participants felt they had increased their knowledge and skill levels because of the workshop. Suffice it to say, our work with Hampton was a resounding success.

"Thank YOU!!!! You and the BNW team are awesome partners for our team and business. Your creativity, ability to link your talents to our business messages, and to “connect” with us, our team, and our entire brand is amazing. Here’s to many more opportunities in the journey ahead!"

- Phil Cordell, Global Head Focus Service Brands, Hilton