Hotel chain lines up £2m ad overhaul

Corus & Regal Hotels is reviewing its £2m advertising business following the appointment of a sales and marketing director.

Corus & Regal Hotels is reviewing its &£2m advertising business following the appointment of a sales and marketing director.

Phillip Moston joins the group from Choice Hotels Europe, where he was sales and marketing director. He will be looking at all agency arrangements and may want to find a branding consultancy to help with the hotel group’s brand positioning.

Corus & Regal Hotels is the mid-market division of Regal Hotel Group and has 80 UK properties. Advertising is handled by Zest Two with media planning and buying by Interaction.

The company has been without a sales and marketing director since John Smith left to pursue other interests in December. Moston reports to director of operations Peter Kir-schner and has overall responsibility for the 75-strong sales and marketing team.

Regal Hotel Group was founded in 1993 and bought by the consortium London Vista, a subsidiary of Malayan United Industries (MUI), for &£88.5m in July 2000. MUI also owns Laura Ashley Holdings.

The Corus brand was launched in 1998 and properties are being rebranded on an ongoing basis.

Choice Hotels Europe has just awarded its &£2m advertising business to Redman Jones & Partners. The incumbent was Senior King Communications group.