Communication in the hotel sector has traditionally been linked to destinations, facilities and accommodation services. But Zel Hotels, the brand created by Meliá Hotels International and former tennis player Rafa Nadal, has wanted to move away from conventions and explore brand entertainment as a way to connect with its audience, consolidate its positioning and open up to new markets.
The result is “We Dare You”, a documentary miniseries that conveys, through real stories, its philosophy of active well-being and the role that the hotel can play in the lives of guests.

Since last June, the campaign has proposed a content strategy based on real stories of improvement and aimed at connecting with those travelers interested in sport in its most fun, experiential and social aspects.
Through four long-form episodes, it follows the day-to-day life of two of its ambassadors as they achieve their personal challenges. The campaign has been worked on together with Estudio Brillante, the production company Bruma and the media agency WPP.

Sports challenges with Zel Hotels

In its international aspect, the campaign stars the American athlete Ian Fonz and addresses his preparation process for the Chicago Marathon, with part of the content filmed in Zel Punta Cana and another in the city during the sporting event. The narrative shows both the training sessions and the recovery exercises, but also the Fonz’s moments of disconnection with his team and friends, as well as his personal reflections regarding his career or the sport.

In episode 1, titled “Strength, Speed ​​and Rythm,” Fonz can be seen using the hotel gym to train, as well as enjoying the surroundings of the lodge to run or swim.

In the second installment, titled “Recovery”, the campaign focuses on the psychological and emotional aspect of the challenge and shows how the athlete prepares through yoga exercises or meditation sessions.

The last episode starring Ian Fonz represents the completion of the challenge and, in this sense, follows in the athlete’s footsteps during his participation in the Chicago marathon.

The campaign also seeks to connect with the national public and, therefore, has dedicated a chapter to the challenge posed by the brand to Miguel Bernardeau, known for his love of surfing and water sports. In this case, share the experience of crossing wing foil the 3.5 kilometers that separate Fuerteventura from Lobos Island. The actor, who had not previously practiced this discipline, faces several days of training around Zel Fuerteventura before attempting to complete the route. The piece collects his learnings, the difficulties that arose along the way and the challenge of facing an unknown sport.

Entertainment to generate engagement

Both stories present similar codes: a protagonist that the viewer can recognize, a sporting challenge and a destiny linked to the Zel universe.
The formula allows the company, on the one hand, to inspire the members of its community to achieve the best version of themselves and, on the other, to highlight the possibilities of its establishments. In this sense, the chain’s hotels are part of the stories as spaces for training, rest and recovery, so that the brand presence is integrated into the protagonists’ journey without necessarily occupying the center of the narrative.

“Zel was born four years ago with a very Mediterranean DNA and linked to active and social well-being. We express this in our daily life with activities in our accommodations and with our communication, but we needed to go one step further.“explains Sofía Muntaner, Senior Brand Manager at Zel, in a conversation with reason.Why. “We Dare You takes our philosophy to the extreme and shows how we can support our clients, both in the most functional and most emotional aspects.”.

The campaign represents Zel’s foray into brand entertainment and the long-form documentary format, a storytelling strategy that, according to the brand manager, allows it to better develop its territory and convey its values ​​by connecting them with real stories capable of generating interest in themselves and, at the same time, associating them with the experiences offered by its hotels.

“The marketing industry has already moved beyond the volume phase and now we must focus on quality, both of the content and the audience. We don’t want many followers, we want a community aligned with our brand, and these types of formats are interesting because they help build quality engagement”says Muntaner. “In addition, the campaign has an inspirational part and provides knowledge that goes beyond entertainment or showing the hotels.”

It refers to the sports advice and learning that viewers can extract from watching the four episodes, available on YouTube, but also to the additional and complementary content that the brand has shared through social networks.
During the months of execution of the campaign, Zel’s profiles have offered exclusive images of the filming, videos with the making of the chapters, behind-the-scenes moments or tips and suggestions for practicing sports.

In this sense, “We Dare You” has also represented an evolution in Zel’s communication strategy. “The usual thing is to create a long piece and break it up into very similar content that was disseminated on different platforms. But now the ecosystem is much more complex“, affirms the Senior Brand Manager of Zel to this medium. “For me, going with the same piece cross-platform is not a good approach, because I don’t reach the audience in the way I want to reach. Adapted content and the diversity of formats allow you to expand the nuances of the message and provide credibility”.

Zel Hotels sponsors the Chicago Marathon

“We Dare You”, has also crossed the screens and has found expression in the physical and experiential field within the framework of Zel Hotels’ sponsorship of the Chicago Marathon, held on October 11. The brand was present with different activations at the Abbott Health Fitness Expo before the race, and during it with a presence at specific points along the route. And, taking advantage of the context, he has promoted the upcoming opening of Zel Cozumel, in Mexico, scheduled for this month of November.

With this, the brand has connected the narrative of its campaign with the experience itself, has become part of a reference meeting for its target community and has become known in a key market for its strategy. “These types of initiatives help us make the positioning a reality. We cannot bring our product, the hotel in this case, to consumers, but we can bring the experience closer to them.“, assures Sofía Muntaner. “Direct connection with people is essential to leave the digital world and gain notoriety in a new market”.

Original post by Zel Hotels on Instagram

Zel Hotels’ connection with the Chicago Marathon responds to the brand’s positioning in active well-being, but also to its history in the field of sporting events. In addition to the activities and sessions that it offers in its accommodation on a recurring basis, for two years the company has held the Zel Sport Fest Mallorca, a festival focused on the active lifestyle and which is establishing itself as a meeting point between professional and amateur athletes, and brands such as On, Isdin or Hyrox. The appointment represents a materialization of the company’s proposal, philosophy and values.

Overall, the strategy deployed with “We Dare You” has already borne fruit.
From Zel Hotels they assure that it has improved engagement ratios and that it has helped connect with new audiences and enter a new market, a very competitive one such as the United States, in a more qualitative way.
What’s more, they anticipate the possible adaptation to other destinations, such as Madrid. “We are constantly innovating and evolving, and we believe that both the idea and the brand philosophy can fit very well in urban environments.“says Muntaner.