Amal Amy Hanna

PATRONS CLUB

As part of The Surrey's $60 million renovation, the roof was transformed into a magnificent lavender rooftop garden with outdoor beverage service and a nosegay trellis to complement the sweeping views of New York City. The hotel's most intimate space, which my team branded The Private Roof Garden, was initially designed to serve hotel guests, exclusively. However, given New York City's increasing 'obsession' with private clubs, coupled with what was an emerging trend of rooftop experiences, I recognized the financial opportunity to meld the two concepts, tastefully positioning the Private Roof Garden as a Private Club with an initiation fee and annual dues.

New York City's elite were invited to become members of The Patrons Club, which was fully supported by ownership and the hotel’s other outlets - with cocktails from Bar Pleiades and bites from Cafe Boulud. We complemented this private rooftop experience with an abundance of seasonal art installations, exclusive hotel programming, and private offerings - all of which drove incremental revenue, feeding the asset’s bottom line.

Since The Private Roof Garden’s initial launch, not only has annual revenue increased exponentially with each passing year, but this distinguishing facet of the hotel’s experience as become the brand’s most photographed and socially tagged part of the hotel.

 Affinia Hotel Collection

As part of the repositioning of Affinia to leverage the brand as an authentic 'New York Experience' - where guests can live like New Yorkers, our team sought to craft a distinctively New York program that would reinforce the brand's New York centric guest experience.

Given guests were already exploring dining options once they left the property for the day, we recognized the opportunity to launch a Bagel (breakfast) program. Built into the room rate, the program not only became a distinct revenue center for the hotels, but was also used as another guest amenity to combat the TPIs and garner brand loyalty among our guests.

In addition to this being a promotional activation that aided in gaining brand loyalty, this initiative helped to further distinguish Affinia from its very cluttered competitive set ... certainly other brands offer complimentary breakfast, but none others invited guests to a 'live like locals' .

#Affiniasummer

A promotional summer campaign initially launched in 2014 with the objective being to drive brand engagement with Affinia's (social media) followers. Although initially forecasted to run for only one season, the campaign was so successful it is currently wrapping up its fourth year almost 2,000 hashtags on Instagram alone.

Affinia Junior

An on property hotel activation that drove incremental revenue, appealing to both parents and kids. Offering a fun yet educational activity kit, in addition to healthy snacks & sips all in a branded take home backpack.