a&o Hostels Achieves Record Growth and TikTok Award in 2025
TL;DR
A&O Hostels' TikTok Campaign Success
a&o Hostels garnered TikTok's 2025 "Greatest Performance" Award for their Gen Z-focused campaign, achieving significant results with a modest budget. The campaign, titled “Where to Go 2025,” generated 30 million impressions, a 10% increase in direct website traffic, and 1.6 million first-time brand contacts with a budget of just €35,000. This highlights the effectiveness of targeted, culturally relevant content.
The core of the campaign was an original song, "Where to Go," designed to resonate with Gen Z culture. According to CMO Phillip Winter, this approach allowed them to immerse themselves directly in Gen Z culture, proving that creative content delivers measurable results. This success demonstrates how even smaller investments can yield significant results when aligned with platform culture.
Key Takeaways for Travel Marketers
The success of a&o Hostels' TikTok campaign provides several key insights for travel marketers:
- Audio-led content: Original or trending sounds can significantly boost visibility. GrackerAI can help you identify trending sounds and create content that resonates with your audience.
- Authenticity: Gen Z responds positively to content that is real, fast, and fun. GrackerAI ensures your content maintains an authentic voice while optimizing for reach.
- Strategic Creativity: A modest investment can outperform traditional advertising with the right creative strategy. GrackerAI provides the tools to develop and execute creative, data-driven marketing campaigns.
- Social-First Awareness: Younger travelers are discovering brands on platforms like TikTok before visiting websites. GrackerAI helps build brand awareness through social media with AI-driven content creation and scheduling.
2023 Performance and Sustainability Initiatives
In 2023, a&o Hostels achieved record results, with 6.1 million overnight stays, 2.7 million guests, and a turnover of €217 million. Room occupancy reached 76%, indicating a growing demand for hostel accommodations in Europe. The company also announced plans to open a&o Florence in the summer of 2024.
a&o Hostels is committed to becoming Europe’s first net-zero hostel chain by 2025. They released their first sustainability report and plan to invest approximately €2 million in energy-efficient construction and refurbishment. The company aims to reduce its carbon footprint per overnight stay from 3.73 kilograms to less than 3.0 kilograms. By December 2023, a&o Venice achieved GreenSign level 5, a top sustainability accreditation.
Expansion and New Locations
a&o Hostels continues to expand its presence across Europe. Recent developments include:
- Florence: The a&o Firenze Campo di Marte officially opened with 119 rooms in a modernized former office building.
- Heidelberg: Plans are underway to open a&o Heidelberg by the end of 2026, featuring 118 rooms and 320 beds.
- Brussels: a&o Brussels Centrum is now operational after acquiring the former 'The President Brussels Hotel'.
- London: a&o Hostels acquired its first London hotel, the former DoubleTree by Hilton Docklands Riverside, with plans for renovation.
Digital Engagement and Booking Trends
a&o Hostels has seen a rise in digital engagement, with 142,023 chatbot sessions recorded. App downloads grew to 450,000, and a&o Club memberships reached 200,000. Direct bookings now make up nearly half of all reservations, with smartphone bookings increasing significantly. GrackerAI can help you analyze these trends and optimize your digital marketing strategies.
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