Lighting the way with a bright idea

Having a hoot with fun promo items

By Suzanne Worwood

When the annual Cowboy Mardi Gras takes over the small Texas town of Bandera, the Best Western® Bandera Suites and Saloon opens in new window is ready. The only hotel in town embraces the three-day hootenanny, offering fun promo items for staff and guests.

Joining the shindig

Upon checking into their rooms for this year’s Cowboy Mardi Gras weekend, hotel guests were much obliged to find two light-up cowboy hats. The headwear was a perfect fit for the bash in Bandera—aka the Cowboy Capital of the World®. The light-up hats were seen late into the night, on the streets, and in and around the bars and restaurants.

“People really liked the light-up hats,” said Charisse Hilchey, director of sales and marketing for Lodging Host Hotel Corp., the hotel’s management company. “They thought they were fun.”

Saddling up

The weekend included fun swag for employees as well. Each staff member was given a light-up hat to keep guests—and each other—smiling. “The staff is a hoot,” Hilchey said. After the guests and staff were outfitted, the remaining light-up hats were sold in the hotel gift shop.

Standing out from the herd

Hilchey liked the one-size-fits-all aspect of the light-up cowboy hats. She also chose colors that complemented Best Western’s branding. While she’s still putting together promotions for next year, there’s plenty of time. However, for Cowboy Mardi Gras guests, planning is already a thing of the past—the Best Western Bandera Suites and Saloon is fully booked for the February event.

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