Highgate Hotels

Who is Highgate Hotels? 

Highgate Hotels is the industry-leading hotel management, investment, technology and development firm, with a diverse portfolio of hotels across North America, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe.

With a 200+ person corporate team, and more than 500 properties, Highgate Hotels needed a central solution for its asset organization and distribution, instead they found software that improved efficiencies and improved the customer experience.

Darren McDaniel

Regional Marketing Manager, Highgate Hotels

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With a massive, global brand to support, Darren and his team had identified a significant challenge in efficiently distributing digital assets across the organization. There was a reliance on “the good old Dropbox application” that was creating inefficiencies and inhibiting the organization’s ability to scale.

Without metadata and unlimited users, there was an inability to efficiently distribute and manage digital content like images and rich media, and it was becoming a huge roadblock in scaling their digital asset library, and ultimately, connecting with the guest experience.

They needed a dedicated digital asset management system, so they turned to MediaValet.

Today, MediaValet is an integral tool for the marketing team at Highgate. It has allowed for a more effective way to manage and distribute digital content, including images and rich media, that surpasses the functionality they previously experienced with Dropbox.

Scaling the Digital Library

As the organization has been adding properties to its catalogue (5 – 6 in just the past year), it’s been crucial to have a system in place that can segment uploads and ensure they reach the right stakeholders quickly.

Improving Asset Quality

Darren’s team uses the DAM for organizing assets by property, sharing content with stakeholders, and leveraging user groups and permissions for better asset management.

The team has also made swifter decisions around asset quality and is using the system to enforce quality control on the assets being published.

Enabling External Access

Highgate Hotels is leveraging user groups to enable temporary users like influencers and photographers to upload content directly to the DAM – rather than using “twenty different applications to download and upload again”, the

It’s been innovative for content collaboration with influencers. By enabling direct asset uploads to the DAM system, the team can manage and quality control content with ease.

So far, the team at Highgate has achieved massive ROI from the following features:

Branded Portals

Branded Portals have been a significant part of theHighgate DAM strategy. Allowing for the creation of customized, branded mini libraries where specific assets can be shared with external partners has made it easier to distribute assets in a controlled and professional manner.

User Groups and Permissions

The use of user groups and permissions is a key feature for internal asset management and allows Highgate Hotels to segment asset access based on departmental or team needs, ensuring that users have access to relevant assets without being overwhelmed by unrelated content.

Direct Upload Capabilities for Influencers

When it comes to collaborating with influencers and photographers, Darren’s team has enabled them to upload assets directly to the DAM, streamlining the content collection process and improving the efficiency of acquiring high-quality assets for marketing purposes.

Darren’s team has used MediaValet to mediate their distribution inefficiencies and enable better collaboration and content collection with external contributors. But how has this impacted the business?

The adoption of MediaValet by Highgate Hotels has led to transformative results, fundamentally changing the way the organization manages and distributes its digital assets, with impactful improvements in operational efficiency and marketing strategies

Streamlined Asset Distribution
One of the most significant results has been the dramatic improvement in the efficiency of asset distribution. With MediaValet, Highgate Hotels has moved beyond the limitations of Dropbox to a more sophisticated and effective system.

“The biggest draw for MediaValet was in the efficiencies we found,” Darren said. “We were grappling with the limitations of traditional file sharing solutions,” so this efficiency has facilitated faster, more reliable access to assets across the organization, enabling quicker responses to marketing and operational needs.

Enhanced Collaboration and Productivity

MediaValet has fostered better collaboration within teams and with external partners. Branded Portals and direct upload capabilities have been particularly beneficial, allowing Highgate Hotels to work seamlessly with influencers, photographers, and other content creators.

This collaborative approach has streamlined the content collection process, reducing the time and effort required to manage incoming assets. Darren highlighted how this feature “allows us to get those assets in there really quickly,” underscoring the productivity gains achieved.

Scalability and Growth Support

As Highgate Hotels continues to grow, MediaValet has proven to be a scalable solution that supports the organization’s expanding needs. The addition of new properties and the corresponding increase in digital assets have been seamlessly accommodated by the DAM.

Darren’s account of the system’s role in “growing the database” and “distributing content more efficiently” speaks to MediaValet’s capacity to support Highgate Hotels’ dynamic growth trajectory.

Enhanced Guest Experience Through Rich Media

Ultimately, the use of MediaValet has enabled Highgate Hotels to connect more effectively with its guests through rich media content.

By efficiently managing and distributing high-quality images, videos, and other digital assets, Highgate has been able to enhance its marketing campaigns, providing a more engaging and immersive experience for potential guests. “It’s been an elevated experience for us,” Darren shared.

The DAM system enabled Highgate to scale rapidly, manage a growing digital asset library, and distribute content more efficiently. The use of portals and user groups has streamlined the asset management process, making it easier for internal and external teams to access and use digital content.

This efficiency has directly supported Highgate Hotels’ goals of enhancing the guest experience and expanding their market reach.