Room 121, "Sleep Seasons"

In most hotels, the rooms have the same standard look. They have similar carpeting, furniture, and pictures on the walls. In Copenhagen’s Hotel Fox, however, each room is a unique art exhibit.  

Twenty-one artists designed the hotel’s 61 rooms. Room 504, called “Boxing,” features decorative boxing gloves and trophy case. Room 121, “Sleep Seasons,” has a makeshift tent pitched over the bed and a forest mural adorning the walls.

When guests arrive, they choose which room they want to stay in based on their personality and mood. The result is a fun and individualized experience.

The hotel’s unusual theming was created as a publicity stunt by Volkswagen. In 2005, Volkswagen was in Copenhagen unveiling its new Fox model. The auto maker knew industry journalists would be visiting to cover the unveiling, so VW took over the existing Park Hotel, brought in the artists to redesign, and renamed the hotel after the Fox.

The redesign was so successful in attracting attention that after Volkswagen’s stunt was over, the hotel’s owners kept the theming and name change.

Ad for "the worst hotel in the world"

Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam doesn’t boast five-star service. It doesn’t have saunas or spa treatments. It doesn’t even guarantee toilet paper. Instead, Hans Brinker markets itself as “the worst hotel in the world.”

The hotel claims that since 1970 it has been eco-friendly — unintentionally, because light bulbs don’t work, hot water doesn’t last, and vacuum cleaners stay off. Rather than have chairs in the room, the hotel hangs pictures of chairs on the wall. HB’s website offers two air conditioning options: windows open and windows closed.

Hans Brinker, which targets young backpackers, uses humor and irony to attract guests. Its marketing takes negative aspects and talks about them honestly - even exaggeratedly - which turns them into positive differentiators. This approach has worked for 15 years.

Past campaigns promoting the slum-like qualities of the hotel include showing before and after pictures of guests who have stayed there. The after pictures show people in far worse shape than before they came, looking run-down and bleary-eyed. Another tactic included sticking small promotional flags in dog droppings on the street. The flags said, “Now even more of this at our main entrance.”

The promotions lower guest expectations and prepare them for a far worse experience than they actually get at the hotel. For young travelers, used to undesirable lodgings, staying at Hans Brinker gives them a story to tell their friends back home: We stayed at the worst hotel in the world.

(Thanks, MarketingProfs)