Holiday Inn Brand Returns To Television With New “Smiles Ahead” Campaign

Multimillion Dollar Advertising Campaign Brings to Life the Joy of Travel for All

Holiday Inn, an InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) hotel, today introduces its newest marketing campaign, called Smiles Ahead. The new campaign was developed following rigorous global consumer research and insights work and was created to demonstrate how the Holiday Inn brand delivers the joy of travel to all and is redefining expectations for travellers through an unparalleled service culture and the little, thoughtful touches guests can’t help but smile about.

It is the Holiday Inn brand’s priority and personal promise to go above and beyond to bring smiles to guests’ faces, making their stay even more memorable than expected. Whether guests are catching up with family, relaxing after a long day of exploring new sights or celebrating a big win while travelling for business, the Holiday Inn brand’s friendly service delivers the same result – Smiles Ahead.

“The Holiday Inn brand has been on a journey over the last few years, introducing a new guestroom design, as well as new on property experiences and food and beverage concepts, while driving even greater guest satisfaction through increased service levels, delivering a more enjoyable travel experience for all. With this ongoing evolution comes a continual opportunity to showcase to travellers the welcoming, full-service stay experience our hotels offer. We developed the Smiles Ahead campaign to bring these benefits to life and to highlight how Holiday Inn hotels go above and beyond to give our guests even more to look forward to during their stay with us. The Smiles Ahead campaign is the perfect representation of what the Holiday Inn brand stands for,” said Eric Lent, Vice President, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza Brands, Americas.

Smiles Ahead television advertising, launching today in the US, features a young girl travelling with her family and her beloved stuffed bear, which the hotel staff embrace as a special guest – putting a smile on the girl’s face throughout her stay and long after. The multimillion dollar television, digital and experiential campaign, developed in collaboration with Ogilvy & Mather, Weber Shandwick and Mindshare, will appear on network TV and cable, Spanish language cable and across the Holiday Inn brand’s various digital platforms, including the brand’s Joy of Travel blog.

The song featured in the commercial, “You’ve Got a Smile,” is written and performed by Nashville artist Daniel Ellsworth, whose band Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes was named by Esquire magazine as one of “15 Bands to Watch” following their latest album release. The song will be released in the near future via Soundcloud, Facebook, Bandcamp and YouTube as well as on Spotify and iTunes.