WEST POINT, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Historic Thayer Hotel at West Point has been awarded an Empire Market Grant through I LOVE NY, New York State’s Division of Tourism with Market NY. Part of the Regional Economic Development Council awards, the hotel is expanding current marketing efforts with the goal of driving tourism in the Hudson Valley. The campaign positions The Thayer Hotel as an ideal destination, and Hudson Valley hub, for leisure trips, corporate meetings, and Hudson Valley weddings.
Carlys Lemler, General Manager and graduate of United States Military Academy, shared, “Our ‘hub and spoke’ concept starts with guests checking in at our historic hotel, and then branching out to the various and wonderful offerings in the Hudson River Valley. When corporate groups or leisure travelers of The Thayer Hotel extend their stay, they spend more time exploring the region’s surrounding businesses and points of interest.”
Over the past five years, the hotel has created strong regional marketing partnerships with Boscobel House and Gardens, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, the Thayer Leader Development Group, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and the West Point Golf Course. “Our goal is to use our grant to strengthen our current marketing partnerships and to encourage corporate meetings, weddings, and travelers to spend time with us in the Hudson Valley,” Lemler added.
Highlights of The Historic Thayer Hotel’s Plan:
- Extensive out of home advertising campaign to include billboards in the tri-state area, platform advertising on the Harlem and Hudson lines of Metro North, and advertising on the Hudson River ferry crossings.
- Increased, and more robust, digital presence through the use of TravelClick’s Video Solutions tool, a rich media tool using video to make the Hotel’s website and location more compelling; an enhanced 12-month Google AdWords campaign, and a TripAdvisor Business Listing.
- A series of sales missions and tradeshows with tourism marketing consulting firm, ALON Marketing Group, to forge partnerships with domestic and international tour operators, FIT companies, and Destination Management Companies.
In addition to partnering with ALON Marketing Group, the Hotel worked closely with The Byne Group, a full-service strategic branding and integrated marketing agency based in Suffern, NY, to create messaging for the out of home advertising. The campaign features photography by Chris Ramirez, Michelle Lange, and Diane Hu. Support for this project provided by Market NY through Empire State Development’s I LOVE NEW YORK program as a part of the Regional Economic Development Council awards.
About The Historic Thayer Hotel
Seated on a hilltop in Upstate New York, with commanding views of the Hudson River and the United States Military Academy, The Historic Thayer Hotel at West Point is a national historic treasure. Visited by past U.S. Presidents, international leaders and celebrities alike, this hotel is like no other in the world. Visitors discover a captivating blend of over 200 years of military history combined with a full array of modern comforts and amenities.
The Thayer Hotel has received the Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor in 2014, 2015 and 2016, as well as Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Awards in 2016, and The Knot BEST OF WEDDINGS for 2017.
Market New York is a grant program that supports regionally themed marketing projects that promote tourism destinations, attractions and special events, as well as tourism facility capital improvement projects.
