The Challenge

Warner Hotels is renowned for its nationwide portfolio of historic buildings, beautiful gardens, and luxurious facilities. However, the brand faced a specific objective: they wanted to expand their reach and appeal to a fresh audience who had never experienced a Warner break before.

The brief required more than just traditional advertising; it needed an immersive way to showcase the quality of the Warner experience to potential new guests. Immediate was tasked with leveraging its trusted brands to bridge the gap between Warner’s offering and a new demographic of passion-led travellers.

The Plan/Execution

This partnership marked a significant milestone for Immediate—it was the first time its BBC brands collaborated with a commercial client to stage co-branded live events.

To inspire audiences to experience the hotels first-hand, Immediate devised a series of “passion-led weekends”. These events were themed around the key interests of the magazines’ readerships—history, gardening, and entertainment—and were hosted by trusted editors and their teams.

Immediate organised and promoted eight weekends in total:

  • Three for BBC History
  • Three for BBC Gardeners’ World
  • Two for Radio Times (featuring quiz and comedy themes)

The execution was comprehensive. Immediate managed the logistics and drove ticket sales through an integrated campaign across print, digital, and social channels. Simultaneously, the editorial teams curated the itineraries, sourcing top-tier talent such as Ken Bruce, Jonathan Dimbleby, and Frances Tophill. The weekends were packed with engaging activities, ranging from Q&As, book signings, and tours to talks, quizzes, and West End-style performances.

The Results

The partnership was a resounding commercial and experiential success. Every single weekend sold out, proving the appetite for editorially curated travel experiences.

Guest Acquisition and Engagement The primary objective of attracting new customers was met with impressive figures. The proportion of guests who were “new-to-Warner” hit 42%, a significant leap compared to the 29% benchmark from the same period the previous year. Furthermore, 3% of guests enjoyed the experience so much they attended more than one weekend.

Satisfaction and Future Outlook Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with guests praising venues like Bodelwyddan Castle and Nidd Hall, as well as the engaging nature of the talent and editorial hosts. This sentiment was reflected in an average NPS score of 48 and a 100% delivery on all KPIs.

Because of this success, the partnership has been renewed. Immediate is set to deliver more events in 2025, including two BBC History Weekends headlined by top British historians Ruth Goodman and Tracy Borman.