• by Harvey Chipkin , Columnist, February 21, 2023

Why would a well-known luxury hotel brand leave off the word “hotels” from its name in a major new advertising campaign? In the case of The Peninsula Hotels, the company sees its product as extending beyond the walls of its physical properties.

So it’s always seeking to differentiate the brand as being more about the people who interact with guests and the destinations where hotels are located

Under the banner “Peninsula Perspectives,” the print and video campaign focuses on employees’ after-work activities as they explore the cities in which they work. These snapshots of personal time, the company believes, are what foster the intangible experiences brought to life by each  team member at the brand’s 12 properties.

The first phase of Peninsula Perspectives highlights team members at three locations: the flagship hotel in Hong Kong, The Peninsula Istanbul (just opened this month) and The Peninsula London (opening soon). The video spots, in which team members describe their own personal trajectories in their own voices, are supplemented by print-advertising portraits of a group that includes  front-desk team members, baggage handlers, and the designers and chefs who helped create the esthetic of the newest hotels.

This is not the first time the company has produced an employee-focused campaign. The first, “Portraits of Peninsula,” which ran between 2004 and 2011, was comprised of black-and-white photo portraits by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz showing Peninsula valets, housekeepers, and others performing their daily tasks around the world.

The next campaign, “Peninsula Moments,” which debuted in 2012, included a series of short films that explored the distinctive appeal of  destination cities -- and how Peninsula employees extend that sensibility to hotel guests.

One spot in the current campaign features Connie Lo of The Peninsula Hong Kong, a female driver in what is typically a male-dominated profession. She describes how a childhood spent exploring Hong Kong’s mountains and parks fueled her appreciation for its natural beauty -- which she now shares with guests who ride with her in one of the Peninsula’s customized Rolls-Royces.

Another campaign video profiles Pamini Hemaprabha, director of services at The Peninsula London, expressing the viewpoint of a city newcomer discovering the wonders of her adopted home. In voiceover narration, Ms. Hemaprabha recounts her decision to leave her home country of India to seek fulfillment oceans away. “I chose to rewrite my story,” Ms. Hemaprabha says. “London is a magic box…every corner a new scene, and every character free to dream.”

According to Carson Glover, Peninsula's vice president brand marketing & communications, the campaign will continue to feature team members and their stories, with the aim of featuring three new locations each year.

For years, luxury products have been saying it’s not about the expensive furniture or dishes; it’s the experience. Peninsula’s campaign aims to make that concept the brand’s core message.