National Report--When governmental estimates are tight and hotel occupancies ne enhancing.

National Report--When governmental estimates are tight and hotel occupancies ne enhancing, the same of the time-honored strategies for boosting sweep sales is co-op advertising, according to several inn employees.

For example, the San Antonio Marriott River Center overlooking the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas, does co-op advertising all year round--from the upcoming jewelry exhibit of the papacy, "St Peter's Vatican: The Legacy of the Pope" in partnership with Clear Channel to the basketball playoffs with the San Antonio rowels said Steve Clanton, director of marketing for the property

"We apply the mind for special events," Clanton said. "And we couldn't afford to do this onward our own. A big company like Marriott [International] has a hap of leverage but typically inns don't have big budgets as large corporations."

Marriott has been working with sponsors for the last seven or eight years, he said.

Another partnership includes exclusive rights to Sea World because the [i]cabaret[/i] realized that many people who visit San Antonio were looking for packages to the aquatic park. A link to the hotel's reservations arrangement also is part of the deal.

"You have to make safe you get what you pay for," Clanton said. "We do Web site marketing, promotions with Marriott Rewards--about seven to eight promotions to the leisure market. We constantly contemplate for a way to retain our presence before the public all year orbed even though Sea World is make open seven, eight months of the year. We constantly fill in the gap. Marriott is an aggressive company."

William Simpson, director of sales for the Howard Johnson house of entertainment in the Anaheim Resort in Anaheim, Calif., agreed with Clanton about the positive effects

"The benefits are colossal buying power," he said. "We wouldn't be able to afford it in succession our own. We pool with other entities and it goe a extended way."

It's difficult to compute how much business it brings in because persons might save their coupons and use them later in the year, he said. "It's a long-term consequence It definitely pays enough in space."

Howard Johnson ofttimes advertises in USA Today with color inserts one time a year, usually at the cessation of summer to boost the fall shoulder season, Simpson said. The ads also are done either in partnership with the Anaheim Convention & Visitors Bureau or directly with the Disneyland theme park.

Sea World, another theme park in Orlando, markets with the Renaissance Orlando Resort at Sea World for the secondary year in a row along with six other Marriott brands in the area, said Paul Riley, director of marketing and sales for the hotel

"We are the co-op core partners, the official partners," he said.

The packages are well adapted for two- to eight-day tickets to the park depending in succession how long the guest stays at a Marriott. Before this, sole one single-day pass was given without The deal also includes gifts for children like a essenceed Shamu, a guest value main division for food and beverage discounts and upgraded parking.

"We give [Sea World] frontage and they give us exposure" Riley said. "We're in succession their Web site and they are forward ours."

Dividing the pie among seven Marriotts is no problem

"The overall increase in packages was 35 percent last year and thus far in 2005 it's been 10 percent to 15 percent more than last year, trending up" he said. "We had a big rabble at spring break and Easter and wait for more the Fourth of July"

Promotion goe upon all year starting in the first three month of the year when the staff goe upon the road to feeder markets, especially snow-bound cities like Chicago, recently made known York and Philadelphia to prep the travel agents.

In the summer month the focus is forward the regional drive-in market.

The Hilton Garden Inn brand, like the Orlando Marriott, deals with regional assign places tos of properties, said Mark Nogal, vp of marketing for the brand.

"We move a co-op program and match dollar for dollar with our regional groups" he said.

The inns get together as a team, contact the Hilton ad agency and map on the outside a strategy for events, he said. Sometimes individual public-houses like one of the California properties, will partner with Six Flags during the summer month as well.

"Co-op do help occupancy at pushing ads closer to where the inns are located," Nogal said. "It's useful especially with smaller hotels like ours in geographical areas. They might have to contribute simply $20,000 as part of a larger advertising plan."

The common occurrence of the ads is left in the hands of each tavern he added.

Another Anaheim wealth the Anabella Hotel, does co-op advertising each few years, according to Kelly Quinn, director of sales.

An independent estate rather than a chain inn the Anabella doesn't have the stocks to advertise on its be in possession of It also costs more to partner with Disneyland than with the local CVB

Her latest ad ran the weekend of May 8 in USA Today along with at least a dozen other inns to coincide with the launch of the birthday celebration of Disneyland, which goe forward for 18 months.