MatthewGain.com » England

Holiday Inn genrates PR with clever stunt

Matthew Gain — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:42:24 +0000

Holiday Inn in the UK is offering is offering a human bed warming service.

According to an article on Wired:

The Holiday Inn, which operates over 4,000 hotels worldwide, will offer a “human bed-warming service” for the next week to help keep guests stay warm inside, whilst it gets colder outside. This literally involves employees laying in your bed for five minutes before you get in.

I think it is Frank that does the PR for Holiday Inn, but it is not listed on its website. Let me know who did this if you know.

In my mind this is a clever stunt that no doubt has generated a tonne of coverage for them.

As with everything like this, it seems so simple when it has been done, but it is far from simple coming up with something like this.

A clever idea no doubt, but would you let a hotel emplyee warm your bed for you? Maybe it depends on how good looking they are?

Proof that Australians are harder workers than Brits

Matthew Gain — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:12:54 +0000

Global Working Hours

Having worked overseas, one of the questions I often get asked is where do you work harder, in The UK or Australia? The opinion if it is a Brit asking is that Aussie’s are lazing on the beach most of the time and if it is an Aussie asking, they are convinced that those lazy Brits are too busy making tea to be doing real work.

Being the diplomatic bloke that I am, I typically respond that I have met Brits and Aussies that work stupidly long hours and that likewise there are plenty on both continents that seem to do very little work at all.

Now thanks to The Organisation for Economic Co-operation I have the answer.

Even though there is only an hour in it I will be sure to give it to those lazy Brits. Though the new question now, is how the Koreans found the time to respond to this survey?

via Steve Clayton – one of those Lazy Brits…

Oxford – May Bank Holiday

Matthew Gain — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:02:00 +0000

Elizabeth and I jumped on the Oxford Tube today to visit Oxford. I had never been before, and having now a few friends who attended the uni, we figured this would be the perfect bank holiday excursion.

We left London smiling, enjoying the sun and thanking whoever it was that had finally arranged for the summer to arrive. A little over an hour later the good old English weather was punishing us for our foolish naivety as we trudged the rain swept and rather cool streets in shorts and t-shirts. Thankfully it did warm up later.

We meandered around the town both by ourselves and on a walking tour where we learnt about the colleges and the history of the university. As any good Aussie should, we visited the Turf Tavern, where Hawkey secured his place in the Guinness Book of records by drinking a yard glass of ale in 11 seconds, and also saw where Bill Clinton’s room was.

If you’re interested in learning more about Oxford Uni and the admission process – look here. Info about the colleges here.

My photography, bad at the best of times, was shocking today I am afraid. Oh well…

Having a drink in Hawkey’s honour

Bridge of Sighs

The Oxford University coat of arms – this is present on all university buildings

The New College

University College

Merton College main quad

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