The Edinburgh Collection
The Edinburgh Collection
Marketing Lead
Marketing Lead
2017 - 2019
2017 - 2019
Built social media, content, and marketing strategy across five hotels; led rebranding and app development for guest experience. Stepped into leadership, managing campaigns, creative collateral, and partnerships with local businesses.
Social Media
Analytics
Graphic Design
Video Editing
Adobe Creative Suite
Building From Scratch
When I arrived, there was no content calendar, no social presence and no visual consistency across the group. I started immediately — creating individual social profiles for each hotel, building content calendars, producing photography and video, writing copy, and designing print collateral including menus, flyers and loyalty cards.
Each hotel had its own personality, from The Howard's historic luxury and butler service to Old Waverley's views directly onto Princes Street and Edinburgh Castle, so part of the challenge was developing what I'd call off-shoot brand guidelines for each — distinct enough to feel individual, consistent enough to feel like part of the same family.
Building From Scratch
When I arrived, there was no content calendar, no social presence and no visual consistency across the group. I started immediately — creating individual social profiles for each hotel, building content calendars, producing photography and video, writing copy, and designing print collateral including menus, flyers and loyalty cards.
Each hotel had its own personality, from The Howard's historic luxury and butler service to Old Waverley's views directly onto Princes Street and Edinburgh Castle, so part of the challenge was developing what I'd call off-shoot brand guidelines for each — distinct enough to feel individual, consistent enough to feel like part of the same family.
Campaign Strategy
Rather than just producing content for its own sake, I tried to think strategically about what was happening in the city and how the hotels could capitalise on it. Edinburgh has one of the richest events calendars of any city in the world, and I built campaigns around festivals, concerts and seasonal events to drive bookings and increase visibility at the right moments.
I also developed partnerships with local businesses for cross-promotional content, finding ways to add value for guests while extending the hotels' reach beyond their own channels. One example that worked particularly well was a whisky tasting experience served by a butler during Hogmanay — the kind of campaign that felt native to Edinburgh and gave people a reason to choose The Edinburgh Collection over a generic hotel booking.
Campaign Strategy
Rather than just producing content for its own sake, I tried to think strategically about what was happening in the city and how the hotels could capitalise on it. Edinburgh has one of the richest events calendars of any city in the world, and I built campaigns around festivals, concerts and seasonal events to drive bookings and increase visibility at the right moments.
I also developed partnerships with local businesses for cross-promotional content, finding ways to add value for guests while extending the hotels' reach beyond their own channels. One example that worked particularly well was a whisky tasting experience served by a butler during Hogmanay — the kind of campaign that felt native to Edinburgh and gave people a reason to choose The Edinburgh Collection over a generic hotel booking.
A Campaign Worth Highlighting: Part of History
One of my favourite campaigns from this period was a series I created for The Old Waverley, a historic Edinburgh hotel that has been welcoming guests since the 1800s.
Rather than promoting the hotel in a conventional way, I wanted to lean into its history and make that the content itself. Over a series of months I researched old advertising styles from different eras — working through Taschen books, print archives and newspaper archives to find old photos, reviews and references to the hotel — and recreated ads in the visual language of each period.
A Campaign Worth Highlighting: Part of History
One of my favourite campaigns from this period was a series I created for The Old Waverley, a historic Edinburgh hotel that has been welcoming guests since the 1800s.
Rather than promoting the hotel in a conventional way, I wanted to lean into its history and make that the content itself. Over a series of months I researched old advertising styles from different eras — working through Taschen books, print archives and newspaper archives to find old photos, reviews and references to the hotel — and recreated ads in the visual language of each period.
The earlier executions were black and white and typographically driven, emulating the formal, text-heavy style of late Victorian and Edwardian advertising. Later in the series the tone shifted, with more playful executions inspired by the bold colours and graphic styles of the 1960s and 70s. I even found old poems written about the hotel and wove those into the content.
The campaign ran under the hashtag #PartOfHistory and was one of the most enjoyable things I worked on during this period — partly because of the research involved, and partly because it gave the hotel a genuinely distinctive voice that felt rooted in something real rather than manufactured.
The earlier executions were black and white and typographically driven, emulating the formal, text-heavy style of late Victorian and Edwardian advertising. Later in the series the tone shifted, with more playful executions inspired by the bold colours and graphic styles of the 1960s and 70s. I even found old poems written about the hotel and wove those into the content.
The campaign ran under the hashtag #PartOfHistory and was one of the most enjoyable things I worked on during this period — partly because of the research involved, and partly because it gave the hotel a genuinely distinctive voice that felt rooted in something real rather than manufactured.
note: please remember that these were done a decade ago while I was learning my craft…they are not polished!
note: please remember that these were done a decade ago while I was learning my craft…they are not polished!
Branding a Newly Acquired Hotel
When the group acquired a new hotel in Haymarket, I was asked to rebrand it on a tight budget. The only fixed constraint was that the existing red circular logo had to stay — changing the signage wasn't in the budget — so the identity had to be built around it.
I developed a concept around fluid movement and connectivity, inspired by the way molecules interact — a nod to the idea of travellers passing through the city and connecting with it. Looking back it was my first major brand project and I learned a lot doing it. It wasn't perfect, but seeing my work become part of the Edinburgh skyline was a proud moment and set me on the path to the brand work I do now.
Branding a Newly Acquired Hotel
When the group acquired a new hotel in Haymarket, I was asked to rebrand it on a tight budget. The only fixed constraint was that the existing red circular logo had to stay — changing the signage wasn't in the budget — so the identity had to be built around it.
I developed a concept around fluid movement and connectivity, inspired by the way molecules interact — a nod to the idea of travellers passing through the city and connecting with it. Looking back it was my first major brand project and I learned a lot doing it. It wasn't perfect, but seeing my work become part of the Edinburgh skyline was a proud moment and set me on the path to the brand work I do now.
App Development
One of the more unusual projects during this period was a partnership with Handy, a company that provided in-room smartphones for hotel guests to use freely around the city. I led the development of a branded app for each hotel, natively installed on the Handy devices but also available on Google and Apple app stores.
The apps became part of the guest experience — city guides, navigation back to the hotel, room service, digital movie rentals, and partnerships with local brands whose promotions were built into the app as an additional revenue stream. It was an early lesson in how digital products and marketing can work together to create genuine value for users while also supporting the business.
App Development
One of the more unusual projects during this period was a partnership with Handy, a company that provided in-room smartphones for hotel guests to use freely around the city. I led the development of a branded app for each hotel, natively installed on the Handy devices but also available on Google and Apple app stores.
The apps became part of the guest experience — city guides, navigation back to the hotel, room service, digital movie rentals, and partnerships with local brands whose promotions were built into the app as an additional revenue stream. It was an early lesson in how digital products and marketing can work together to create genuine value for users while also supporting the business.
