Hotel EMC2, Autograph Collection
Autograph collection hotel focused on art and science had a successful launch, awarded Marriott’s Autograph Collection’s Hotel Opening of the Year in 2017.
Launch Results
Hotel EMC2, Autograph Collection’s successful launch, pre-pandemic growth and rebuilding from the pandemic. Results from within the Marriott Plus platform.
Hotel Launch
We designed, built, and currently manage Hotel EMC2’s website, which focuses on the intersection of art and science throughout the property. The website uses strategic SEO planning in tandem with their Marriott website, advertising campaigns and marketing goals to secure direct bookings and drive traffic to generate private events leads.
The website’s design plays with intersections of bold photography and function to reflect Hotel EMC2’s convergence of art and science
Navigating the Pandemic
The travel industry was turned upside down during the pandemic. To support the property, we initially paused all of our ongoing marketing services outside of the website. We later built back up by strategically prioritizing campaigns which were most likely to have a high return on investment. We also started to make more meaningful updates to their marketing campaigns.
“97 Switch works really hard to get a firm understanding of what your goals are and what you are looking to achieve. I have always felt that is probably one of their biggest strengths. They are incredibly creative, and they give you a lot of different options to look at, and they really make you feel like you are a part of the process. I have been incredibly satisfied with the relationship.”
– VP of Talent and Culture, SMASHotels
Tools
Wordpress
Google Analytics
Google Ads
Marriot Plus
OTAs
Facebook & Instagram
Services
Web Design
Digital Marketing
Strategy
About this Project
Hotel EMC2, Autograph Collection is a boutique hotel in downtown Chicago offering contemporary design at the intersection of art and science. It exemplifies the Autograph Collection’s campaign of being Exactly Like Nothing Else, carefully crafted to leave a lasting imprint. The innovative hotel and their creative restaurant, the Albert, needed a launch that was just as spectacular as their design, service, and hotel capabilities. They came to 97 Switch to help tell their story digitally.
We began the project with a discovery to get collective buy in and direction, taking that information to work on building out their websites. For the hotel website, we decided that it should feature large portrait-like photos of the unique details at the heart of every visit, and display the intersection of art and sciences portrayed in each layer of the hotel. The Hotel EMC2 marketing campaigns were planned to showcase the hotel’s essence that permeated each aspect. The launch of the hotel called for a variety of digital campaigns that worked with their content to capture the experience.
Our partnership with Hotel EMC2 included discovery, web development, content creation, Google and Facebook ads, other digital ads, management of online listings, strategy and reporting, social media management, blogging, and video support.
Following the hotel launch, Hotel EMC2 was awarded Marriott’s Autograph Collection’s Hotel Opening of the Year in 2017.
A couple years after the launch, the global pandemic of COVID-19 turned the travel industry upside down.
97 Switch helped the hotel and restaurant rebuild. Through strong communication and being flexible partners, we were able to begin with digital ads and then strategically build into other services. Hotel EMC2 is now above their pre-pandemic revenue, and the Albert has been reopened and serves imaginative dishes once more. We continue to work with Hotel EMC2 and the Albert in different ways and look forward to our continued collaboration to support their needs.
