As COVID-19 lockdowns gripped the world, QT Auckland faced a unique challenge – no tourists or open borders in sight for their hotly anticipated hotel launch. The solution? Get the attention of locals so that when borders opened back up, QT was the hotel that locals in-the-know recommend.
The best way to make QT Auckland the talk of the town was to have locals experience it for themselves. To achieve this, we launched a creative brand stunt- "New Zealand’s Biggest Staycation" - giving away the entire hotel to locals, with a twist!
We gamified the experience, transforming Auckland into a giant treasure hunt for a golden QT Auckland room key. Across the city, 70 poster doors were installed with 150 custom-made keys up for grabs - each one unlocking a free night's stay at the hotel. Clues hidden on the QT website were required to crack the codes that opened lockboxes containing the coveted keys.
The campaign generated a buzz unlike anything Auckland had seen, with people queuing in the cold before sunrise to get their hands on a key. News of the treasure hunt spread across earned media placements, social media influencers, and a strategic radio partnership to promote the stunt.