Temptation Cancun Resort

Relaunch and Repositioning

261M

Media and Industry Professionals Reached

$2.6

Millions

Ad Value (USD)

Journalists who visited the newly renovated property

14.3

Return on Investment

Temptation Cancun Resort, a successful adults-only resort in the Mexican Caribbean, asked Newlink to support and. As specializeaccompany the relaunch and reconstruction of its property throughout a US$ 60 million investment and 11-month closured consultants, Newlink was tasked with developing an effective communications strategy to help maximize the property’s potential, acquiring the interest of new customers and markets.

The starting point of the journey with Temptation was the Orbital Strategy session with the company’s stakeholders in late 2015 with the goal of acquiring a deeper level of understanding and defining the full range of desired outcomes. Once having the complete road map, the execution of a successful communications campaign followed that consisted of three phases: farewell (property closure and demolition), expectation-raising, and reopening.

Objetives

Increase brand recognition and position the new Temptation as a leader in the adults-only hospitality sector.
Transform the narrative of Temptation into a sensual and fun hotel, turning it into an attractive product for the international market.
Attract a higher level of clientele and preserve current customer base.
Enhance Temptation’s reputation for the domestic Mexican market
Educate consumers and members of the industry about the property’s new concept and its various entertainment offerings.
Ensure continuous top-tier media coverage for Temptation in the U.S., Canada and Mexico thus maximizing its level of exposure to key audiences

Insights

Temptation Cancun Resort, an exclusive, topless-optional resort for adults 21 years and older, was the first hotel built in Cancún more than 40 years ago.

After an 11-month renovation project and an investment of US $60 million, Temptation reopened its doors on August 15, 2017, to redefine the new vacationing style in Cancun. The remodeling was led by acclaimed Canadian designer Karim Rashid, who took his inspiration from the human body and his own “sensual minimalism” style to create a spectacular, seven-story building abounding in sensual curves and vibrant colors. For this project, Karim Rashid was recognized by the Build and Engineering Awards 2016 of the magazine Build Magazine. He was also awarded the distinction for Best Interior and Exterior Design and Best Project in North America and Hospitality.

The renovation of the property also brought with it the need to develop an innovative concept to position the hotel as a leader in adult hotels.

Among the challenges that the client faced in this new stage was to expand the current client base - keeping its loyal clientele during the renewal process - efficiently attract the female audience and connect with the Mexican audience, appealing to its avant-garde concept and to the new positioning concept.

Transformation

As part of the new strategic definition, Newlink developed the creative concept for the repositioning of Temptation: the "Playground for Grown-Ups".

Through this concept, the resort was conceptualized as a playground for adults, highlighting different areas of the resort to be part of the "playground" including the Sexy Pool, the BASH nightclub, and the aphrodisiac SHE restaurant. The hotel was positioned as a property that is open-minded and accepting, while guaranteeing absolute discretion and respect.

From this concept, Newlink successfully implemented a global marketing and communications campaign with the purpose of positioning the new Temptation as a leader in the adults-only hospitality industry worldwide, through the support of public relations, digital campaigns and social media.

Brand relaunch and repositioning actions were directed towards key audiences for the brand, including trade media, consumer media with a special focus on women’s lifestyle and with a readership of adults over 21 years of age.

The communications strategy developed by Newlink was divided into three phases: farewell, expectation-raising, and property reopening. During the first phase, the agency endeavored to produce content focused on the renovation announcement; the purpose of the second phase was to build momentum and generate high expectations ahead of the property’s grand reopening; lastly, the strategy’s third phase took place just after the hotel’s reopening and sought to reach key audiences by generating maximum media coverage.

The tools Newlink employed to successfully implement this campaign included constant media relations efforts, from coordinating press trips to arranging interviews to preparing strategic pitches and press releases with creative angles.

Over nearly two years of work, Newlink reached over 261 million impressions and generated more than US$ 2.6 million in ad value, providing a ROI of 11% for the brand through placements in top-tier outlets such as the New York Post, Thrillist, Cosmopolitan, Canadian Travel Press, Marie Claire, Caribbean Journal, Redbook, Men’s Journal, and Elite Daily.

The Newlink team coordinated the media efforts for the grand reopening of Temptation in October 2017, supported the participation in industry tradeshows and executed digital campaigns. Likewise, a virtual reality video was developed using renderings of the new hotel during the closing stage to increase the expectation and provide a visual representation of the hotel.

As a result of the campaign, Newlink positioned Temptation among the leading adult-only hotels worldwide. We also achieved a better connection between the resort and the female audience, as today the female ratio is 35% (in comparison to the 20% ratio prior to the renovation) and they visibly feel more comfortable and attracted to the new resort concept. The slogan proposed by Newlink has been fully integrated in all of Temptation’s marketing and branding materials.

In March 2018, Newlink’s efforts for Temptation were recognized with a Bronze Bulldog Award for the “Best Brand Launch” category.