Strategic Hotel Capital Uses New Ads To Rally Industry

CHICAGO— Strategic Hotel Capital (SHC), a private hotel investment company with assets valued at approximately $3 billion, has launched a new advertising campaign to help rally the hotel industry to more quickly rebound from the tragic events of September 11.    The first ad in the series already has been cited in a special edition of Finest Hour, a quarterly publication dedicated to preserving the history of Winston Churchill.  Designated an “Immortal Advert,” the ad is the first ever to be cited by the publication, which is produced by The Churchill Center, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. The dramatic, black and white ad features a photo of the well-known British statesman, accompanied by the following Churchill quote:  “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  The short copy that followed said:  “Sure, business looks lousy this year, but we choose to look on the bright side.  Here’s to the inevitable success of our industry.”  A second in the series has been created for the ALIS Conference program book. “We originally created the ad to provide encouragement to the hotel industry, which was in the midst of feeling the effects of an economic slowdown,” said Laurence Geller, CEO of SHC. “Like much of what Sir Winston voiced, however, the enduring quote lent itself equally well to the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.” Geller noted that following the recent horrific events, Churchill’s words were quoted more frequently and served as the greatest source of inspiration for a wide array of political figures, including President George W. Bush and New York Mayor Rudolph Guliani. Geller said that response to the ad from the hotel industry had been overwhelmingly positive, which has led Strategic Hotel Capital to expand the series. “We intend to periodically invoke the sage words of Sir Winston in future advertising to provide additional encouragement and inspiration for the hotel industry.”  Geller is an avid reader of history and a student of the life and works of Winston S. Churchill, as well as a Trustee of the Churchill Center.   Daly Gray, a Herndon, Va.-based communications firm, produced the black and white ad.