Renaissance Hotels Awards Modern 'Play To Stay' Business Travelers, Welsh Indie Band "Neck Deep," With $10,000

BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Renaissance Hotels and Bandsintown joined forces to create the Play to Stay contest, offering touring emerging artists, who are modern business travelers, a chance to stay at Renaissance hotels for free in exchange for recording a video of an impromptu song or jam session on location. Welsh favorite "Neck Deep" is the winner after creating the video that organically reached the most views (nearly 25,000) earning a $10,000 Renaissance Hotels gift card.

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Recorded videos by 12 participating artists/bands – which range from bathtub tunes, a serenade to the kitchen staff and a lobby takeover – were viewed and voted on by the public. In addition to the Renaissance Hotels gift card worth $10,000 (which can be used at one of over 160 Renaissance Hotels worldwide or at one of Marriott International's other 18 brands and 4,300 hotels), Neck Deep will also receive coverage across Marriott International and Renaissance Hotels' social and digital channels, and exposure on Billboard's social, digital and editorial channels. All videos can be viewed at http://renho.tl/Play2Stay.

Neck Deep, an UK indie band signed to Hopeless Records, recorded an acoustic performance of their song "Lime Street" at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Tennessee, earning more than 24,000 YouTube views over the course of the two week voting period (each view counting as 1 vote).

Renaissance Hotels are open for business unusual. A Renaissance Hotel stay injects a bit of serendipity into business travel, providing unconventional experiences and new opportunities to discover something new and make the most of any business trip. From opportunities to record music videos in exchange for free stays, chances to enjoy live-music performances by top artists like AWOLNATION in the most unexpected of places (like an elevator) or unusual culinary adventures featuring Andrew Zimmern, chef and host of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods, all the way to discovering the local neighborhoods recommended by the hotel's Navigator (lifestyle concierge), whenever guests stay at Renaissance Hotels, It's Business Unusual.

"We want to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurial business travelers who crave the unexpected and provide them with experiences worth sharing," explains Dan Vinh, Vice President Marketing, Renaissance Hotels. "Their experience at a Renaissance Hotel may give them a new perspective, help them do their jobs better or give them a fun story they can take home or to their next meeting."

Access to Exclusive Content:

Recognizing that today's busy business travelers may not always have the chance to get out and experience something worth sharing, Renaissance brings established and emerging artists right to them on property, in elevators and even in guestrooms.

Watch A-Trak transform routine room service at Renaissance Long Beach Hotel into his own personalized DJ booth.

Watch AWOLNATION turn traditional elevator music on its head with an exclusive acoustic performance of "Holy Roller," shot on location inside Renaissance Dallas Hotel's elevator.

Watch The Lone Bellow perform an exclusive Happy Hour acoustic rendition of "Cold As It Is" at Renaissance Washington D.C. Dupont Circle Hotel.

At Renaissance Hotels, a guest's trip is about much more than the 9 to 5 – it's about making time for the #5to9, with a world of local beverage and food discoveries. At the bar, guests can enjoy craft cocktails, mixology classes and a social Punch Bowl Bar Ritual daily.

More Ways for Travelers to Get Involved:

Renaissance Hotels' second season of "The Navigator Live" TV series is a live event program and television show produced in collaboration with AEG and aired on AXS TV, (powered by Billboard). The series invites guests and viewers to explore new cities through the eyes of the ultimate business traveler – musicians. The series, featuring AWOLNATION, A-Trak, The Lone Bellow and Cut Copy, premiered October 21, 2015 on AXS TV, www.youtube.com/renhotels, www.facebook.com/renhotels and in-room at Renaissance Hotels. "The Navigator Live" is produced in collaboration with AEG. For more information about the series visit http://renho.tl/navlive.

Guests can book a stay and check out the full lineup of performances and events planned throughout the year at Renaissance Hotels by visiting www.renhotels.com, www.facebook.com/renhotels and AXS.com. Guests of the hotel who are enrolled in Marriott Rewards^®, the brand's award-winning guest loyalty program, are able to earn points during their hotel stays that can be redeemed for free holidays, flights, hotel rooms and merchandise.

RENAISSANCE HOTELS:

Renaissance Hotels believes in defying business travel conventions for guests who crave unexpected experiences. At Renaissance Hotels, It's Business Unusual. Each of the brand's 160 hotels, located in over 35 countries around the world, is unique and every stay offers unconventional programs that help business travelers discover rich, local experiences. We promise to feed the curiosity, fuel the imagination and excite the senses of our guests, who see their business trip as an exciting opportunity for new, interesting and sharable experiences. We understand their desire to make the most out of every moment and we offer signature events in our lobbies, bars and lounges designed to showcase emerging talent in music, the arts, mixology, gastronomy and more. Renaissance Navigators are neighborhood experts who are ready to assist guests in discovering true local flavors and activities. R.E.N. Meetings offers groups an experience beyond a traditional meeting, rooted in creative sensory meeting design and custom-curated local Navigator excursions and networking events. At Renaissance Hotels, we work to ensure that every trip is transformed into an eye-opening, unforgettable journey. To discover more visit www.renhotels.com. For upcoming events visit www.renhotels.com/events.

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ABOUT BANDSINTOWN GROUP:

Bandsintown is a digital media company powered by music. With over 18 million registered concertgoers, a global audience of 120 million music fans and over 300K touring artists connected to the Bandsintown community, we are the premiere destination where artists and fans connect. To learn what we do for fans, click here. For artists, click here. For promoters, click here, and for brands, click here.

ABOUT BILLBOARD:

Billboard is the world's most influential music brand, built on the most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From the iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com which is the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry's most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music – the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike. Billboard was recently named the leading U.S. brand on Twitter, surpassing the NFL, ESPN, BuzzFeed and MTV, with 6.1 million engaged actions in Q3. Billboard has a total social following numbering more than 14.6 million across platforms, including 5 million Facebook followers. Billboard magazine has scored major news-generating covers recently including Lana del Rey, Lady Gaga and Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Florence Welch and Selena Gomez.

ABOUT AEG

AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or is affiliated with a collection of companies including over 100 of the world's preeminent facilities such as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), StubHub Center (Carson, CA), PlayStation Theater (Times Square, New York), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), Allphones Arena (Sydney, Australia), Brisbane Convention and Entertainment Center and The O2 arena and entertainment district (London, England). Assets of AEG Sports include franchises such as the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo and the Amgen Tour of California cycling stage race. Along with AEG Facilities, other global divisions include AEG Live, the world's second largest concert promotion and touring companies comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions and AEG Global Partnerships, responsible for worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships, naming rights and other strategic partnerships.  In 2010, AEG launched its AEG 1EARTH environmental program featuring the industry's first sustainability report while in 2011, AEG introduced AXS a comprehensive entertainment platform serving as the company's primary consumer brand including AXS Ticketing which provides fans the opportunity to purchase tickets directly from their favorite venues via a user-friendly ticketing interface, Examiner.com and the AXS TV network. For additional information, visit www.aegworldwide.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Victoria Hart
[email protected]

Dara Toulch
[email protected]

Billboard: Kaitlyn Kurosky
[email protected]

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SOURCE Renaissance Hotels

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