ShareAs part of the 2021 Adrian Awards program, HSMAI Hospitality Recovery Heroes is honoring hospitality professionals working toward recovery at the local and front-line levels, supporting hotels, destinations, safety measures, and charitable programs that have helped make a difference for their companies and in their communities. Nominations are open.
HOSPITALITY RECOVERY HERO: Will Traywick, Vice President of Marketing, Prism Hotels and Resorts
CONTRIBUTION: Will Traywick has displayed tremendous leadership throughout his career, but over the course of the last 18 months, he has taken it to the next level. When the pandemic hit and other companies were quickly cutting their marketing budgets, he and his team took the opposite approach. Traywick realized that his team was essential to drive what little business was traveling to Prism’s hotels and they went into overdrive investing in marketing efforts, even hiring excellent digital marketing managers and other pros who were let go from their previous employers.
He identified an opportunity to push Prism’s hotels forward by taking advantage of low cost-per-click on media spend in digital marketing efforts, putting Prism properties in front of the right audiences, resulting in impressive Return on Ad Spend.
As the Prism marketing program continued to excel across the portfolio and leisure travel began to pick up, Traywick systematically supported individual properties to optimize their web presence. Leisure-focused photography became the focus for many properties, aimed at capturing the attention of the leisure traveler and speaking to their priorities during uncertain times.
Social media became the primary communication mechanism to reach leisure travelers who were dreaming of a getaway and Traywick’s team fed them content and strategically boosted it to the right audience to drive awareness and conversion.
RESULTS: The results spoke for themselves when Traywick and his team achieved outstanding market penetration numbers. Prism beat out competitors month after month, with the lion’s share of results coming on weekends, directly attributable to the efforts of Traywick and his talented team.
Less tangibly, but just as important, Traywick’s attitude throughout the pandemic remained positive, confident, and determined. He lifted the team morale around him through his brutal honesty, well-timed humor, and genuine concern for his team and for his hotels.
NOMINATED BY: Allison Handy, SVP Sales, Marketing & Revenue Optimization, Prism Hotels and Resorts
“Will’s commitment to delivering positive results is displayed in everything he does. From taking on more responsibility, at times with less resources, to giving hotels personal attention to deploy strategic marketing efforts that increase market share, Will’s approach to his work inspires us all.”
The HSMAI Adrian Awards recognize travel marketing excellence. This year’s competition will focus on capturing the great work done by hotels, destinations, and their agency partners to get the country moving again, showcase safety and security, and welcome those traveling for the first time in more than a year. The 2021 Adrian Awards competition is now open. Learn more.