ROOM KEY DEBUTS NEW VIDEO FEATURING EMMY® AWARD-WINNING ACTOR TONY HALE TO SUPPORT ITS “STAY THE NIGHT, JOIN THE FIGHT” CAMPAIGN BENEFITTING STAND UP TO CANCERViewers Encouraged to Share Video to Help Spread Awareness
DALLAS, July 31, 2014 – Room Key®, an experience-tailored hotel search engine created by six of the world’s leading hotel companies, today unveiled a video featuring actor and SU2C Celebrity Ambassador Tony Hale to raise awareness for their Stay the Night, Join the Fight℠ campaign to benefit Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Launched in April, the campaign is well on its way to raising a minimum of $3 million over the next three years to support SU2C’s collaborative cancer research programs, with contributions to date – through both hotel stays booked and direct donations from Room Key – nearing $375,000 in just three months.
In several entertaining scenes, the video reminds travelers that they can support an important cause through their travel planning, just as summer getaways reach their peak. Through the Stay the Night, Join the Fight campaign, Room Key will donate $1 to SU2C for every hotel stay reserved through Roomkey.com, empowering guests to help accelerate groundbreaking cancer research simply by clicking “book”.
In the video, which can be viewed on Room Key’s YouTube channel and in partner hotels across the country as well as airports nationwide on the CNN Airport Network, Hale’s colorful character experiences an overwhelming sense of power as he “stands up” to cancer during his hotel stay. Viewers will be entertained by the same natural comedic expressions and exaggerated reactions that the beloved Hale brings to life in many of the roles for which he is famous, including HBO®’s Veep and famed sitcom Arrested Development. To spread the humor – and more importantly, the campaign’s impact – Room Key encourages travelers to share the video via their social networks to expand awareness of the Stay the Night, Join the Fight campaign.
“As we continue to find innovative ways to share the news about Stay the Night, Join the Fight, Room Key is thrilled to debut this fantastic video alongside SU2C and the talented, endearing fan favorite Tony Hale,” said Laura Pitlik, Senior Director, Brand Marketing & Communications, Room Key. “Our hope is that travelers enjoy watching this humorous depiction of Tony standing up to cancer and are prompted to book their next hotel stay on Roomkey.com.”
“We’re excited and so grateful to have the opportunity to work with Tony Hale. His comic genius will encourage people to make their next hotel stay a meaningful one, thanks to Room Key’s incredible generosity,” said Sue Schwartz, co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF).
In addition to sharing the video, there are many ways to support the Stay the Night, Join the Fight campaign (www.Roomkey.com/StaytheNight). One is to simply book a hotel stay through Roomkey.com. Room Key also encourages travelers to spread the word by sharing the campaign with their social networks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #StaytheNight.
About Room Key®
Room Key is an experience-tailored hotel search engine created by six of the world’s leading hotel companies. The personalized service enables travelers to quickly and easily compare value for their stay – based on specific attributes and preferences most important to individual guests – and book directly with more than 100 leading hotel brands in 159 countries around the world. With a continued focus on providing consumers the best, personalized value for their trip, Room Key also allows travelers to review properties based on the pricing and benefits associated with their respective hotel frequent guest programs – something that cannot be done on any other online travel booking site.
Through a collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), Room Key makes it easy to join the fight against cancer: for every stay booked on www.Roomkey.com, Room Key will donate $1 to SU2C through February 2017, accelerating vital research, delivering new therapies to patients and helping to save lives now. Room Key donates $1 each and every time you stay with a minimum guarantee of $500,000 annually.
Room Key was founded in 2012 by Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH), Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H), InterContinental Hotels Group (NYSE: IHG), Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) and Wyndham Hotel Group, part of the Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), or their respective affiliates.
For more information about Room Key, visit www.Roomkey.com, or for information about the campaign, visit www.Roomkey.com/StaytheNight. You can follow Room Key on their blog, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
About SU2C
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by film and media leaders who utilize the industry’s resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to increase awareness about progress being made in the fight against the disease. As SU2C’s scientific partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., conduct rigorous, competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress..
Major SU2C donors include founding donor Major League Baseball; Cancer Treatment Centers of America; Sidney Kimmel, the country’s largest individual contributor to cancer research; MasterCard; Genentech; Bloomberg Philanthropies; Cancer Research Institute; Melanoma Research Alliance; Prostate Cancer Foundation; The Safeway Foundation; Sean Parker Foundation; St. Baldrick’s Foundation; The Lustgarten Foundation; KWF; the Fox Family Cancer Research Funding Trust; Wallis Annenberg & The Annenberg Foundation; Amgen; GlaxoSmithKline; Pfizer; Oakland A’s Owner/Managing Partner Lew Wolff; Comcast; The Island Def Jam Music Group; Room Key and others.
For more information on Stand Up To Cancer visit http://www.standup2cancer.org.
Media Contact:
Marie Espinel
LAK Public Relations
mespinel@lakpr.com | 212 899 4744
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