Hotels.com goes for ‘bigger’ laughs in first TV spot since inking NBA partnership deal
The campaign, starring actors/comedians Sam Richardson and Ike Barinholtz, will debut during the NBA All-Star Weekend (February 17-19).
Hotels.com - the official travel partner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) – has unveiled a new ad campaign, which comically highlights some of the extra steps that hotel brands will often take to accommodate NBA athletes.
The campaign features actors and comedians Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso, Detroiters) and Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent). The duo play hotel concierge employees at an anonymous hotel.
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In the opening dialogue, Barinholtz excitedly tells Richardson that “AD” – Anthony Davis, power forward and center for the Los Angeles Lakers – recently stayed at the same hotel where they’re currently working. Barinholtz then asks, with palpable pride in his voice: “Do you know why he stayed here?” Richardson shakes his head. “The sheets,” Richardson says. A few moments later, he lists off a few more accommodations that some hotel brands offer to maximize the comfort of professional basketball players during their stays: big beds, big towels and big robes – all the standard features of a regular hotel stay, just a bit taller.
“This right here, this is AD’s perfect somewhere,” Richardson says wistfully, playing off the Hotels.com tagline, “Find your perfect somewhere,” which appears at the end of the spot.
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NBA players play 42 away games per year, making the sports organization a good fit for an online travel agency. Hotels.com and the NBA first teamed up in 2020. However, the new ad featuring Richardson and Barinholtz is Hotels.com’s first TV spot promoting itself as the official travel partner of the NBA.
“There’s this real-world truth baked into the spots in that the players we watch week in and week out spend over half their season in hotels,” said Lish Kennedy, vice president, global brand marketing for Hotels.com and Vrbo at Expedia Group.
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“Hotels.com is best at helping travelers find their perfect match and we know that ultimately, the best NBA hotel is run by the biggest NBA fans. With Sam and Ike, we were able to take on the point of view of the hotel staff to show how these properties make sure the league’s biggest stars feel like they’ve arrived at their perfect somewhere when on the road.”
After All-Star Weekend, the campaign will continue airing throughout the 2023 NBA season.
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