Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Well-presented and entertaining, "The Worst Hotel in the World" is an encapsulation of some of the advertising campaigns that ad agency KesselsKramer has developed for the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel, an Amsterdam hostel devoted to setting low standards and then consistently failing to achieve them.
The Hans Brinker's claim to stomach-turning fame is simple really, offer as little as humanly possible to your "guests" and be completely honest and upfront about the lack of amenities. What you get in this book is a good sample of some of the more amusing and creative marketing campaigns that the Brinker has developed over the years.
A few of the ones that I really liked:
The "before and after" campaign that highlighted the detrimental effects of staying at the Brinker.
The "eco-friendly" campaign that positioned the hotel as being environmentally conscious because they went out of their way to offer the least in terms of facilities maintenance, like light bulbs.
The infamous flags in the dog poo. `Nuff said.
At first it all seems a bit counter-intuitive, but it does capture one's attention. It's also apparently very profitable to be this brutally honest in your advertising, as the hotel is consistently at or near capacity and has the profit figures to back it up.
I'll also admit that I found it kind of repetitive after a while. You can only get so much mileage out of bragging that you're the best at being the worst. It's obvious that this kind of campaign is aimed at a specific target audience, the bohemian youth-traveler looking to experience the seedier side of Amsterdam's notorious delights. It's cool and funny, but also a bit contrived, especially when you learn that the Brinker isn't as budget-priced as it lets on. Manager Rob Penris even admits at one point that there are 4-star hotels in Amsterdam that have more competitive pricing tiers than does the Brinker. That said, you'd have to be looking for sleazy adventure to want to put yourself through a stay at this rat-infested dive.
Still, it's an interesting book, nicely bound and printed and lavishly illustrated and photographed. The Brinker may be riding a one-joke pony, but they are certainly getting their money's worth out of KesselsKramer. It's a good representation of what they can do on a creative level, and it certainly works to get the word out to a lot of prospective clients.
Nice work. Recommended as a curiosity or even as a souvenir if you've had the bad luck to have had a stay at the Brinker.
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For 15 years, the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam has gained worldwide recognition for its daring, confrontational, and occasionally just plain offensive advertising. Through press, posters, TV, and even flags stuck in dog poop, the hotel's advertising has been picked up on CNN, MTV, and other global stations, garnering awards and press on the most miniscule of budgets.The reason for all the fuss? Honesty. By daring to tell the truth and describe the hotel as the rat-infested dive it is, the campaign connected with its target market: young, cynical, media-savvy backpackers. Since launching the campaign, the hotel's dormitories are rarely empty, not bad for a place that doesn't even guarantee toilet paper. This frank and often humorous collection of the hotel's advertising celebrates everything that's good about a very bad hotel and proves that innovative, successful marketing requires neither a jaw-dropping budget nor a sugarcoated version of the truth
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