Sonesta Adds Two Brands to Its Portfolio

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation hit a travel trifecta of sorts, with the addition of two diverse brands, The James and Sonesta Essential, and the launch of the “Famous Yet Nameless” advertising campaign.

Last year, Sonesta purchased the intellectual property of the James Hotel brand, which has been reimagined as The James, A Sonesta Lifestyle .

“The James is all about the modernist lifestyle traveler, while Sonesta Essential will attract the traveler that just wants to get the essentials done right,” said Vera Manoukian, chief operating officer & executive vice president at Sonesta.

“We are beyond confident that these two new brands will deliver experiences that our guests have told us they want.”

In tandem with the launch of the two brands, Sonesta unveiled the “Famous Yet Nameless” campaign, which will feature the actress Judy Greer and is designed to put a fresh perspective on the brand.

The campaign will be unveiled in four phases and run through 2024.

“The current wide-ranging campaign represents a new Sonesta and how we want to reposition ourselves in the world of hospitality while truly and authentically delivering for our travelers every single day,” said Elizabeth Harlow, Sonesta’s chief marketing and brand officer.

“We know that Sonesta has been an established hospitality brand with limited name recognition, and is embarking on a new path forward, so that drew us to the idea of veteran actors who have played many roles across genres that have maximum face recognition but minimal name recognition,” said Rony Zeidan, founder and chief creative officer of RO New York, which partnered with Sonesta to create the ad campaign.

“The ‘I know her but can’t remember her name’ is something the campaign leans into across various executions, and we felt like Judy Greer was the perfect fit to align with this concept.”

The second phase of the campaign, which will debut later this year, will feature such travel and lifestyle influencers as Hannah Ann Sluss, Mada Graviet, Luann Diez, Dayna Bolden and Mary Ralph Lawson.

“Rolling out these new brands this year will be an incredible sign to travelers and the rest of our competitors that Sonesta is offering unique experiences for travelers, while we continue to provide the same excellent service people can expect when they walk into each of our hotels,” Manoukian said.