Embassy Suites Hotels will appear on The Apprentice next week for its first-ever task sponsorship by giving competing teams a chance to create a new look for hotel employees.
On Monday, Apprentice teams will be tasked with designing a new uniform for 30,000 Embassy Suites employees. Teams will partner with a top fashion firm to create Embassy Suites’ new look. Embassy Suites will roll out the winning team’s design to the entire chain in the U.S., Colombia, Venezuela, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and in Mexico this year. The Apprentice airs Monday at 9 p.m. on NBC.
“As a hotel brand, we continually strive for innovation, comfort and high quality for our guests,” said John Lee, VP-brand marketing & communications, Embassy Suites Hotels, in a statement. “But our team members are at the heart of everything we do. So, we decided to arrange the task to focus on them.”
Embassy is one of a handful of brands featured on the show that is rolling out a product based on an Apprentice task. Last April, Staples sold the “Desk Apprentice” desk caddy after its show sponsorship based on an Apprentice task (Xtra, April 26, 2005).
To further boost its show sponsorship, Embassy Suites will offer an Embassy Suites-inspired omelet at its hotels through May 29. The “Domelet”, (short for the Donald Trump omelet) includes ham, cheese and peppers topped with salsa and sour cream, will be featured at the hotel’s complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast each morning. In addition, Embassy Suites will serve vodka-based cocktails named after the Apprentice teams Gold Rush and Synergy at its two-hour complimentary evening manager’s reception through May 29.
Reality shows like The Apprentice give marketers a big boost when it comes to brand awareness. Brands on The Apprentice averaged 21 minutes and 15 seconds of brand appearances during the hour-long show compared to three minutes and seven seconds for scripted programs in the fourth quarter of 2005, per TNS Media Intelligence.
Embassy Suites is part of the Hilton Hotels Corp., which operates nearly 2,800 hotels worldwide.
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