DoubleTree by Hilton Vientiane: A New Benchmark for Lao Hospitality

Vientiane is a relatively under-the-radar destination for regional travellers, and a new international hotel there faces a double task: selling the city as well as the property. DoubleTree by Hilton Vientiane wanted to move beyond conventional hotel marketing and position itself as both a top-tier hospitality destination and an immersive cultural gateway to Laos.

The perception shift had to happen in the markets that send travellers: Vietnam and Thailand. That meant earning the attention of discerning regional media and giving them a reason to write about Vientiane, with the hotel's authentic local experience as the story.

Ruder Finn Era's Vietnam team curated an exclusive media familiarisation trip for top-tier outlets from Vietnam and Thailand. The itinerary was designed to fuse comfort with cultural depth, with each experience chosen to show the hotel as more than accommodation: a base from which to reach the culture, history and community of Laos.

The strategic frame gave journalists a bigger story than a hotel review. Coverage across high-impact Vietnamese and Thai publications emphasised the premium service and the hotel's role in connecting travellers with the cultural fabric of Laos, repositioning the property as a cultural ambassador and elevating Vientiane's status as an emerging Southeast Asian travel hub.