Want rich people to test out your brand? How does Fairmont Hotels’ lucrative customer base (target demo: 35-55, HHI $125,000+) sound? Sony Canada is the latest marketer to partner with the hotel chain in hopes of getting its high-profile compact entertainment system, the PlayStation Portable (PSP,) into the right hands. From now until the end of August, guests at the Fairmont’s 18 Canadian locations will be able to sign out PSPs during their stay.

Some of Fairmont’s other non-traditional brand partners (as opposed to the usual hotel partners like airlines and credit card cos) include BMW, Hewlett-Packard and Holt Renfrew. ‘We decided to become more aggressive in pursuing [non-traditional] partnerships in the last few years,’ says Brian Richardson, Fairmont’s VP of brand marketing, adding that the chain pinpointed 10 specific categories, like automotive, food/beverage and technology, to actively seek partners in. ‘We’re really open to working with anyone who is targeting the same demographic.’

One of Fairmont’s most popular brand partnerships is with TaylorMade Golf, which supplies high-end golf clubs for use by members of the Fairmont President’s Club, the chain’s loyalty program. Richardson says the partnership is ideal for business travellers who don’t want to pack their own heavy clubs. It’s a value add for Fairmont, and TaylorMade gets a unique tryvertising opp.

So, how do you get in on the action? Richardson is open to pitches: ‘We’re always looking to extend our stable of partners.’