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From "a bed with a view" to an "Oh-mazing experience". How we rewrote the rules of hotel marketing for OREA Hotels.

How do you defend your position as a market leader and deliver ambitious business goals when the entire industry's growth is slowing dramatically? This was the main challenge for OREA Hotels, the largest Czech hotel chain. Together, we gambled on a bold strategy: with a distinctive creative concept built on pure emotion, we entered the television landscape—a space overlooked by the competition—and surpassed all set objectives.

OREA Hotels
  • Česká republika

Challenge

With its network of 18 hotels, OREA Hotels is the largest Czech hotel brand. But this position carries immense responsibility. After the post-COVID boom in 2022, growth in the hospitality segment nearly halted the following year (slowing from 10.7% to just 2.6%). Furthermore, Czechs began rediscovering the allure of international holidays, and pressure from online platforms, which took an ever-larger cut, intensified. Add to that the strong competition from 850 four-star and 77 five-star hotels, and it becomes clear that excellent service alone is not enough.

OREA Hotels struggled with low brand awareness (only 16% spontaneous recall), an aging client base (44% of guests over 54), and a perception that didn't match its premium reality. It was time to change the strategy, bet on strengthening the brand, and find a way to become not just a hotel, but an experience.

Idea

The key to success was a radical strategic shift:

  1. From Function to Emotion: Instead of repeating functional arguments (location, price) that dominate the entire segment, communication was newly built on the joy and authentic experiences of guests.

  2. Rejuvenating the Target Audience: The campaign targeted families and couples to attract a new, younger audience and reverse the trend of an aging clientele.

  3. "Out of the Box" Media: A crucial step was to leave the media strategy comfort zone and, for the first time in the brand's history, invest massively in television. To effectively enhance brand perception in the eyes of customers, we used the cost signalling theory and invested in a high-cost, premium channel where the competition is silent. It was a bold investment in the brand with an uncertain return, instead of reinforcing predictable online channels.

Creative Solution Etnetera Motion: The "ÓÓÓ!" The entire campaign was unified under a single interjection: "ÓÓÓ!"—the sound of delight, expressing guests' amazement while cleverly referencing the OREA brand name. This distinctive audio branding became a unique element that connected all formats and ensured an immediate association with the brand. TV spots and other materials showcased situations that guests love at OREA—breathtaking views, great food, or unexpected attention from the staff.

Media Strategy For maximum reach and to introduce the new concept, television was used for the first time (achieving a total of 1082 TRPs). In offline communication, it was complemented by radio advertising, which had significant brand-building potential thanks to the strong audio branding. Visuals were placed on billboards and trams. Of course, digital also played a major role—online videos expanded on the stories from the TV spots, and social media featured active communication supported by influencers. This entire multi-channel mix, which we worked on together with the in-house team at OREA Hotels and their other partners, was focused on Q4 2024—the period before Christmas and the main season for selling vouchers for the upcoming year.

Results

A classic medium in the hands of a brave client brought unprecedented success and exceeded all goals:

  • Spontaneous brand awareness increased by 6 percentage points (target: 5 p.p.).

  • Total revenue in Q4 2024 grew by 20.3% (target: 15%).

  • Direct bookings increased by 24.2% (target: 20%).

  • For the first time in its history, OREA became the Top of Mind (TOM) leader in its category.

  • The campaign won a silver award at the prestigious Effie Awards in the Transport, Travel & Tourism category.

In Summary

The success of the OREA campaign was driven by three key elements: a bold media strategy that bet on a premium TV channel abandoned by competitors; a catchy creative that combined the brand with positive emotions; and the complete partnership and trust of the client in the recommended solution. Together, these elements created a campaign that not only comfortably met business objectives but also fundamentally shifted the perception of the brand's key attributes. Through systematic brand building, it naturally grew from the role of a "provider of a roof over one's head" into a creator of unforgettable experiences, enabling the building of a deeper and longer-lasting relationship with customers. Thanks to a significant increase in awareness, OREA became the category leader in Top of Mind, which had a major impact on business results.