Super 8 Debuts Concept Car Inspired By Newly-Designed Rooms

Super 8 continues its “Road Trip” marketing theme with a concept car designed to match the hotel’s new guestroom decor.

At the New York International Auto Show on Friday, Super 8 debuted a concept car called ROADM8. Created from a 2017 Jeep Wrangler, ROADM8 is painted red and yellow to match the Super 8 signage and features a number of designs that match the hotel chain’s newly-remodeled rooms.

Under the hood, for example, is a black and white mountain landscape photo of South Dakota—a nod to wall-sized photography prints that double as headboards in the chain’s hotel rooms. The seats have been upholstered to match the bedspreads and the coffee maker has been installed in the console, along with a mini-fridge.

Super 8 invested more than $100 million in renovations in its North American locations last year. This year marks the hotel chain’s 45th anniversary and the brand wants to spread awareness around its recent facelift.

“While some might be surprised to see us at the New York International Auto Show, for us, we think it’s the ideal spot to show off the new look and feel of Super 8,” Mike Mueller, Super 8 brand senior vice president said in the official press release.

Creating a hotel concept car ties nicely into Super 8’s ongoing “Road Trip” campaign. Last year, the brand released a series of video ads that made light of road trips gone wrong with the tagline, “At least tonight can be Super.”

The activation is being received well on Instagram, without visible negative feedback; ROADM8 posts prompted several comments about wanting to own the car. A 360-degree tour of the car is also available on Super 8’s Facebook page, where it has also received positive feedback.

Deloitte predicts that the hotel industry will experience strong five-to-six percent growth in 2018, reaching a record-breaking $170 billion in gross bookings.

“Throughout the year, hoteliers will be looking for an opportunity in strategic places, including a revisit of the midscale experience, traveler-facing tech, health and wellness and loyalty,” said Deloitte.