• New York Times, Friday, April 20, 2012 9:30 AM

Renaissance Hotel, part of Marriott International, and Revel, a new resort and casino in Atlantic City, are running lifestyle campaigns intended to attract hipsters. The agencies involved specialize in lifestyle advertising.

Renaissance hired New York-based Anomaly instead of the New York office of McGarryBowen, an agency that is part of Dentsu and employed by most other Marriott brands. Revel hired Mother New York, which has worked with Stella Artois, Tanqueray and Target, because it wanted “someone not tied to hospitality, gaming, who would bring a fresh approach,” said Sid Yu, Revel’s SVP for brand and revenue.

Marriott, which bought Renaissance in 1997, has done no major advertising for the brand, even though Renaissance now includes 151 four- and five-star hotels in 34 countries — about 8% of all hotel rooms offered by Marriott International’s 17 brands. 

According to Dan Vinh, Renaissance’s vice president of marketing, Renaissance hotels aim to offer “a noncookie-cutter, unique experience, targeting travelers who are looking for more than a place to be productive or get work done. They are stimulated by their environment. They want to experience things.”

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