A new portfolio of credit cards from Hilton and American Express offers perks including access to experiences related to food, travel, sports, and music. To celebrate the launch, the two brands hosted an immersive event for card members, influencers, and press on January 30 at the Conrad New York, with areas inspired by those four themes.
“With this event, we were hoping to show up in a different way and start to change perceptions about what people think when they think about American Express and Hilton, what our brands look like, and who our brands are for,” said Amy Marino, vice president of brand marketing, experiences, and partnerships at American Express. “This seemed like a great way to do it at the Conrad in New York, next door to the American Express offices.”
Designed and produced by Momentum Worldwide, the event included a travel area featuring neon installations inspired by Miami, London, and San Francisco; a neon-lit basketball court that invited guests to shoot hoops with members of the Brooklyn Nets Team Hype; a concert by Charlie Puth and the Chainsmokers; and an interactive food wall with doors that revealed mystery bites related to Hilton properties as well as food carts and a signature piña colada, which was a homage to the cocktail's origins at the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico.
Keisha Kelley Thompson, the director of sponsorships at Hilton Worldwide, explained that the goal of staging the interactive experiences was to tap into card members’ passion points of travel, sports, dining, and music—and also preview what’s in store for those who are part of the new portfolio.
To help spread the word about the event itself as well as the new portfolio, American Express tapped influencers to document their experiences on social platforms. “We really look to work with influencers who align with our brand and take advantage of the native ways they’re creating content in their channel of choice, to help us reach others who can’t physically be there—and to help reach a new set of consumers and followers,” Marino said.
Marino and Thompson added that the brands plan to work together on events in different cities throughout the year.
Here’s a look at what attendees experienced at the New York kickoff party.
