The Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest made HOTELS Best of the Best (BOB) list during our 2017 Social Hotel Awards with its use of documentary-style Facebook videos.
Video made all the difference here, even more so as this was the hotel’s first real time experimenting with the medium at this level. “Budapest Now” is a series of documentary style minute-and-a-half videos, all intended to sell Budapest as the place for young people while tying that youth and excitement back to the property, Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest. One video in particular caught our eye: two ballerinas, a real-life couple, rehearsing and ultimately performing in a production at the Hungarian state opera house. And of course, to ease those weary muscles, the two end up at the spa at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham for dual massages.
The hotel’s director of marketing, Drew Clarke:
“As first time video content creators, we learned quite a lot. For example, the equipment we used was only one camera and no extra lighting, therefore we’re dependent on the weather, which of course never cooperates the way you want it to. We also learned that the best moments to capture come naturally, and since these weren’t actors, it was very important to have the camera rolling precisely when a great genuine moment was going to take place.”
The plan: Budapest is for an older generation, right? Wrong. This campaign set out to show the vibrancy and youth of the city while ultimately tying it back to the property.
The practice: It was the hotel’s first video campaign and resources were bare bones. No production company, models, or writers, or any other outsourced help, aside from videographers which the hotel paid 300€ ($US353) per video. Organization was crucial to capturing real experiences and reactions, without having to rely on cutting or reshooting.
The payoff: All of the videos received between 3K and 11K views. Videos with partners (Europe’s biggest music festival, Sziget Festival, etc…) reached a higher audience and had more tags, shares, and views. The plan to partner with local brands and events has also resulted in longer collaborations that have set the stage for future projects for the upcoming year.