- Ritz-Carlton is celebrating its win of a Gold Lion in the Luxury category at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for its “Late Checkout: A Ritz-Carlton Story” marketing campaign.
- The effort, which involved a collaboration with fashion brand Late Checkout, included a Ritz-Carlton-inspired capsule collection from the brand, a four-minute short film, an extensive social media advertising campaign and a public relations effort that included placements in Esquire, The Hollywood Reporter and WWD.
- The campaign was selected for the Gold Lion honors from among 181 entries that included brands such as Prada, Tiffany and Loewe.
At the center of the campaign was a four-minute short film featuring actor Josh Hutcherson portraying a Ritz-Carlton desk agent assisting a frazzled guest who is under pressure to finish a first draft of his novel by the next day. As the agent, Hutcherson walks the guest through the amenities of the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, including its indoor pool, spa, restaurant and exercise equipment and arranges care of the guest’s children, so the author can get to work. By the next day, the author has completed his work and is much more relaxed.
“To be recognized with a Gold Lion at Cannes, among such visionary brands, is a true privilege,” said Jamie Kerr, Global Brand & Marketing Leader, The Ritz-Carlton, in a statement. “What made this campaign special was the way it brought our legacy of service to life through a fictional character who embodied the true spirit of The Ritz-Carlton hospitality. I’m incredibly proud of our team and deeply grateful to our partners for bringing this story to life with such creativity and a rollout that was both thoughtful and culturally resonant.”
The film was distributed across paid and owned channels and was supported through a social campaign across TikTok, Meta and LinkedIn that was tailored to high-engagement luxury consumers. Coupled with story placements in The Hollywood Reporter, Esquire and WWD (as well as shopping page placements in publications such as GQ, Forbes, Town & Country and Travel + Leisure), the campaign garnered more than 15 million impressions, 40,000 link clicks and 34% above-benchmark view-through rate. It was also the most-shared content across Marriott International’s Luxury Group.
