PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Howard Johnson has launched a new national partnership with YMCA of the USA. Focused on encouraging families to stay active, make memories, and have fun, the partnership centers around Howard Johnson’s new national sponsorship of the 2018 YMCA National Swimming and Diving Championships and gives members the opportunity to save up to 20 percent off at HoJo hotels across the country, with 5 percent of every booking benefiting the non-profit.
“The Y is one of the most well-known and respected organizations in the world and three out of every four Howard Johnson hotels are located within just 10 miles of a local Y branch,” Cynthia Liu, brand leader and vice president of operations for Howard Johnson, says. “We want to play a bigger role in giving back to the communities where our hotels operate, so finding a partner who not only shared our family-focused values but brought the scale and reach necessary to make a meaningful impact was really important.”
The 2018 YMCA National Swimming and Diving Championships are a series of three multi-day, multi-city events, which started with the YMCA Short Course National Championship at the Greensboro Aquatic Complex in Greensboro, N.C. and continue with stops later this spring and summer at the YMCA National Diving Championship and YMCA Masters Meet in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and the YMCA Long Course Championship in College Park, Md. Combined, the three events bring together over 3,000 student athletes and more than 18,000 spectators. Additional activations between the two brands are expected later this year.
“Howard Johnson and the Y have parallels, particularly when you think about the iconic status of both brands,” Valerie Barker Waller, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, YMCA of the USA, says. “We’re proud to have their support behind one of our marquee events and know that the investment they’re making—directly through sponsorship and a donation campaign and indirectly through their member discount—will ultimately enable the Y to continue its work strengthening communities and building a better us.”
Coinciding with the partnership, Howard Johnson will launch a campaign of new creative and on-property collateral, all with the tagline: “Go Happy. Go Healthy.”
