As post-pandemic excursions continue, travelers are looking beyond beaches and mountains and adding cultural experiences to their itineraries. According to Viator’s 2023 Travel Trends, there was a 228% increase in cultural tourism compared to 2021. And that doesn’t always mean flying off to Paris, Rome or London. Travelers are increasingly getting their share of next-level cultural experiences right where they’re spending the night.
Thompson Hotels’ newest lifestyle event series, Culture Lives Here, provides guests with a taste of what’s next from creative professionals in the film, fashion, music, visual arts and food and beverage industries. The event series is fronted by Crystal Vinisse Thomas, vp and global brand leader of Hyatt Hotels.
“Everything we do has to be in service of the culture we’re creating and the culture we’re trying to impact,” Thomas told Adweek.
With more than a decade of international experience driving brand innovation, producing distinctive guest experiences, spearheading global brand marketing campaigns and executing branded events and partnerships, Thomas’ work is seen across the Hyatt portfolio including Thompson Hotels, Alila, Andaz, Park Hyatt, Hyatt Centric and Caption by Hyatt.
We want to be able to connect guests with what is culturally relevant in that market.
—Crystal Vinisse Thomas, vp, global brand leader, Hyatt Hotels
In 2018, Thomas was the senior brand marketer for Beats by Dre at Apple Inc., overseeing their NBA partnership and all things sports. Since joining Hyatt in 2019, Thomas has played an integral role in curating culture-focused events across the portfolio.
“For me, culture means anything that’s having a positive impact or relevance to something meaningful in a location, city, environment or community,” Thomas said. “So, when you think about these creators who are musicians, stylists, architects or writers, they are impacting culture through their art or craft.”
Thomas, a veteran hotelier, alum of Cornell University’s Hotel School and recent LA transplant, carefully considers the “different personalities” of each hotel brand. She compares it to having six children demanding equal attention. “All these properties are at different growth phases. Park Hyatt is a more classic luxury, and it’s the oldest brand for Hyatt. Thompson is very design-driven and has an urban market. “Then, Andaz is a bit more playful and creative. Alila is luxury but super restorative and experientially led. Caption by Hyatt is newer to us, and I came over to help create that brand. Then, Hyatt Centric is kind of middle of the road. That’s our lifestyle brand in central locations, and it’s easy for you to navigate.”
Culture is key to the Hyatt experience
A big part of Thomas’ role is to create buzz around the Hyatt properties through culturally relevant campaigns and events, such as Culture Lives Here. The first pop-up was held in LA, followed by Austin and Atlanta and will conclude in New York on Nov. 30.
“We often talk about monopolizing and benefiting from the culture, but this isn’t about ‘the culture.’ It’s about being culturally mindful and culturally relevant and getting people to take part in it.”
The multi-city program spotlights what the company coined as “culture shifters”—individuals making a significant impact in different facets of culture, including music, art, fashion, design and gastronomy. Thus, the series provides a platform for rising trendsetters to bring their talents into the Thompson Hotels space and collaborate and share their skill sets with other inspired individuals within the local creative communities.
The Austin showcase—dubbed Rhythm & Runway—was a collaboration between Texas-based wardrobe stylist and philanthropist Loreal Sarkisian and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada, co-founder of Grammy Award-winning psychedelic soul band Black Pumas. Quesada played live during the runway show masterminded by Sarkisian—a valid marriage of two unique mediums.
“What was important to me was tapping emerging creatives and those really impacting culture in different ways because that felt like a stronger and more authentic synergy with the brand,” Thomas said. “We want to be able to connect guests with what is culturally relevant in that market.”
The inspiration behind the branding of Culture Lives Here stemmed from a conversation between Thomas and a writer friend. When asked what he felt was missing in his creative process, he mentioned collaboration with fellow creative professionals.
“So, I took that insight and said, ‘Okay, what if we can pair creatives together, assuming that others share the same challenge and opportunity?’ So, we identified a few different cities that we wanted to host the events,” said Thomas. The selection process of the culture shifters was an organic blend of enlisting individuals from within the Hyatt network, while identifying local tastemakers in each host city who would strongly align with the brand.
Catchy storytelling is a gift
“Storytelling is not an art that everybody has and can articulate what makes their story compelling or meaningful,” said Thomas, who adds that she likes to “dig beneath the surface of what a story represents,”
“It’s always like, ‘What does this mean not only to your brand but to you as a person? How is this related to the people you are engaging your story with? Is the brand’s story meaningful to them?” Therein lies the beauty of Culture Lives Here – its ability to emotionally capture the hearts and interests of hotel guests and culture shifters’ network through its activations.
Discovering her “why?”
Thomas is driven by an innate motivation to pay it forward to future Black entrepreneurs seeking C-suite positions within the hospitality space.
“As an executive in this industry, there aren’t many that look like me. So, as I continue to work within this realm, it’s important to me to do, as ADCOLOR says: ‘Rise up. Reach back,’” Thomas said. “I’m always trying to expose people to the breadth of what it means to work in hospitality and also provide opportunities from this seat to people who need it.”
