With Christmas steadily approaching, which I know many people on campus are looking forward to, it’s still crunch time for many to get more shopping in. For the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber, their motive to keep people in the spirit to take that needed trip to the mall was simply the beloved D word: discount.
On Dec. 11, the A2/Y Regional Chamber, Briarwood Mall and Hilton Garden Inn all teamed up to host a special holiday shopping event for the public in Ann Arbor. Those in attendance that night were welcomed with open arms by staff members and were given the opportunity to preview two new hotels, Hilton Garden Inn and Marriott Towne Place Suites, which opened in late October, were treated to hors d’oeuvres, wine and a do-it-yourself hot cocoa station in the Hilton ballroom as well as participating in a raffle for additional prizes such as gift cards.
With an amazing first impression made, the hotel staff gifted guests with a free one night stay at both hotels to be used anytime until May 31, 2013 as a thank you.
Guests received their shopping passes to use in participating stores for exclusive deals and discounts from 6-9 p.m. and quickly scattered across the street as the clock struck 5:59 p.m.
Participating stores included Banana Republic, Bath & Body Works, California Pizza Kitchen, Coach, GAP, Pottery Barn, Williams – Sonoma, The Limited, LOFT, Coldwater Creek, Pearle Vision and Eddie Bauer. Just by showing their black wristlet to employees, guests immediately were given deals on their purchases.
When asked whether the hotel will continue the holiday shopping event in the future due to the successful turnout, Christina Bell, director of sales of the Hilton Garden Inn is ready and willing to support the idea.
“I think that any opportunity we have to partner with the mall would be awesome,” Bell said. “We’re so close to them and we already have a good relationship going that I think that it makes sense to offer as much to the community as we can with the mall.”
