Dive Brief:
- Accor’s luxury hotel brand Sofitel launched a video series, “Sofitel Encounters,” to showcase the guest experience at what the brand calls “the world’s most luxurious hotels” to Gen Z and millennial travelers, according to a Thursday release.
- To be released in separate parts, the three episodes will star a lineup of hotel guest and employee characters that depict “unforgettable” stays at Sofitel properties, including an “eccentric bestselling author who entertains the hotel staff with his imaginative story ideas,” the brand detailed. The videos, a collaboration with luxury creative and digital agency Publicis Luxe, will roll out across Sofitel’s global Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channels, as well as TikTok.
- The campaign marks Sofitel’s TikTok debut as it works to connect with a new generation of travelers who prioritize video-first content, the hotel brand shared. Choice Hotels International and Hilton have also recently used TikTok to reach new audiences.
Dive Insight:
The “Sofitel Encounters” series, pulling inspiration from the brand’s French roots, shows the “inner-workings” of the Sofitel hotel experience through humorous skits, including chefs debating the art of croissant-making and a silent standoff between guests who refuse to give up their Sofitel MyBed mattress, the company detailed.
The campaign marks a new era for the brand’s social media presence as it moves toward “more snackable and relatable storytelling that reaches its ever-increasing Zillenial audience,” according to the release.
The campaign “marks a bold step in elevating the Sofitel brand through fresh and dynamic content that appeals to a younger and increasingly important audience for our brand,” Sofitel Chief Marketing Office Xavier Royaux said in a statement.
Sofitel joins other hotel players targeting younger audiences through TikTok, as travelers increasingly belong to millennial and Gen Z generations.
Last year, Choice Hotels launched its first-ever TikTok marketing campaign to engage both millennial and Gen Z demographics, among whom TikTok is “widely popular,” according to Choice CMO Noha Abdalla. Hilton, meanwhile, debuted on TikTok in 2023 with a 10-minute video starring Paris Hilton.
While TikTok has become a popular way for hotel companies to reach the growing number of younger travelers, the possibility of a ban in the U.S. has pushed hotel marketers to focus on a diverse range of social platforms, hospitality pros told Hotel Dive last year.
