Fairmont offers rides and tunes

June 8, 2009 by Emily Wexler

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is offering more than just a place to lay your head – now guests can download music and take a ride on a BMW bike.

When times get tough, piling on value-added partnerships that up the experience ante helps. The hotel chain has launched its own music store at Fairmontmusicstore.com, where guests can buy songs, albums and Fairmont playlists from EMI artists like Coldplay, Lily Allen and Katy Perry.

‘Part of our strategy is to engage our partnership [with EMI] in promotions to Fairmont President’s Club members,’ says Alexandra Blum, director of global brand partnerships at Fairmont.

President’s Club members (of which there are 1.2 million worldwide) will get additional benefits like 15% off on music, ticketing privileges for special events and concerts and early access to new music and artists. The program is currently running in North America with plans to push it out globally in the near future.

Also starting this spring, guests at Fairmont’s 21 Canadian properties are able to borrow BMW Cruise bikes. ‘BMW has been our exclusive car partner in Canada for almost five years, so this was a natural extension of our existing partnership,’ says Blum. It’s also an extension of the Fairmont Fit program, which already has the hotel chain partnered with Adidas, delivering workout gear to guestrooms (guests may return the gear or purchase it after use).

Fairmont is getting the word out about these programs with the help of Toronto-based agency Up Inc. through on-property promotions such as check-in slips, DM and email communications with President’s Club members, and in Fairmont magazine.