Hilton’s 2024 Grammy Ad Spotlights Rewards Program and Icelandic Musician Laufey

Hilton is continuing a more than three-decade tradition of running TV ads during the Grammy Awards: On Sunday, it released spots touting why music lovers and concert-goers should pick its brands when booking hotels.

One ad shows Grammy-nominee Laufey (Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir, a singer-songwriter from Iceland) performing at the Conrad Los Angeles. The clip captures moments from a mini-concert that Laufey performed for a group of fans. Travelers had redeemed points they had earned in Hilton’s loyalty program to see the show.

Laufey has been nominated in the “Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album” category for her release, Bewitched. She is slated to perform during the awards show.

The Laufey ad touts that Hilton’s Honors program occasionally offers concerts like these as redemption opportunities. The hotel company also lets guests redeem Hilton Honors points toward live concerts and sports matches sold online by Ticketmaster.

The Laufey ad also notes that Hilton enables guests to book two rooms that are connected with an internal door — an amenity that especially appeals to families and other group travelers. Hilton is one of the rare hotel companies to let guests have confirmed bookings of adjoining rooms online.

A Second Ad: “For the Fans”

It’s not surprising that a hotel company would want to associate itself with live music. The past year’s powerhouse stadium tours by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have reminded hoteliers of the surges in demand that can come from concertgoers.

Hilton is running a second ad during Sunday’s Grammy’s that aims to pay homage to the fans who generate sold-out stadium tours and celebrate the world’s top musical artists. Set to a soft soundtrack of ambient noise, the Hilton ad strives to woo concertgoers to consider booking a room at one of their properties to see their next live event.

To amplify reach, Hilton has released a similar version of the Laufey ad in vertical format on platforms like TikTok. Recutting and remixing ads to reach different audiences where they are is a key strategy, according to Hilton’s chief marketing officer, Mark Weinstein.