Mason Williams was responsible for the complete overhaul and transformation of the Strand Palace, from tired and outdated hotel with negative connotations to one of London’s leading destinations for hospitality – synonymous with high quality guest experiences and exciting activations.

When we began working with the hotel, it was virtually unorganisable in design, offering and public perception. Strand Palace was either unknown or considered at the lower end of the 4*star offering in the London hotel scene. It was our job to completely re-establish the hotel and place it at the forefront of the hospitality scene.

We conceptualised and directed the comms strategy for the hotel’s complete multi-million-pound refurbishment – which saw the public spaces, restaurants & bars and bedrooms being completely transformed and refurbished. We worked together with the hotel’s central marketing and operations team to develop a unique brand DNA that represented the hotel’s place in the London hospitality scene for over 100 years. We defined a clear identity for the hotel as being part of the ‘Beating heart of London’, ‘Serving London Love’ for generations.

As part of our strategic direction, we enlisted celebrities, influencers, VIP contacts and top tier national and regional journalists from a wide span of media to review the hotel and experience the hotel’s incredible transformation. We engaged with new reviewers as well as journalists who had previously covered the hotel in a non-favourable way, we did one on one briefings at the hotel and personally toured media around the property to showcase all the features of the new renovations and reimagine their previous perceptions.

In addition to national and top consumer targets, we also pursued coverage with all the leading London lifestyle media and high reaching regional targets – many delivered double page spreads across syndicated titles.

To further develop the hotel’s new DNA and to align the hotel with synergy brands that enhanced our standing as a destination, we identified the key target sectors to engage with. These included Theatre, Entertainment, Music and Art.

We established some incredible partnerships with high profile London events including Photo London, the international photography fair based at Somerset House. The team targeted local businesses in and around Covent Garden and secured special offers and discounts, creating added value for guests of the hotel, and setting us apart from other competitor hotels in central London.

We worked with famed Photographer David Stetson and appointed him as the hotel’s ‘Photographer in Residence’. We worked closely with David and helped curate a unique exhibition within the hotel’s public spaces – helping to further establish the hotel as a destination for hospitality, creativity, and the arts.

The team also created an incredible collaboration with UAL, opening its public spaces to some of the most talented students from Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London (UAL) for a spectacular exhibition of their final degree pieces.

These students, and innovators of tomorrow in art, design, fashion, communication, media and performing arts displayed some of their best, most innovative, and exciting pieces throughout the ground floor spaces as well as the hotel’s exterior units, transforming the walkway into a breath-taking exhibition for passers-by to observe & enjoy – further establishing the hotel as an exciting trendsetter.

results
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• We completely transformed the media’s perception of the hotel. It went from zero presence or negative reviews to headlines like “A chic stay in a historic and luxurious central London hotel”, “Four Star Jewel in the West End” and “Hotel of the Week”.
• High impact features with national titles including The Telegraph, the Mirror, The Express and Red to name a few.
• Major partnerships and collaborations with brands and organisations including David Stetson, UAL, Photo London, Hotel Chocolat.
• The total advertising equivalent spend was well over one million pounds and a PR value of over two million in the first year of launch (despite the pandemic and huge restrictions on travel).
• Huge increase in bookings and website traffic.
• Strand Palace received a return of investment of 30:1 year on year.