Consumers can reserve a room and look up the Westin Hotel directory. Additionally, customers can sign in to their account and view their reservations.

“Mobile advertising and commerce bookings go hand in hand,” said Neil Strother, Kirkland, WA-based practice director at ABI Research. “We’re seeing all this commerce go on mobile.

“Companies advertising on mobile can help push commerce bookings,” he said. “It can drive commerce and it drives interest in advertising – it goes both ways.

“Mobile in itself is driving awareness.”

Mr. Strother is not affiliated with The Weather Channel, nor did he participate in the creation of the ad. He is simply a third-party commenter based on his expertise. 

Westin, The Weather Channel and Medialets did not meet this publication’s deadline.

Westin Hotels & Resorts is an upscale hotel chain owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Take me to Maui
Westin is currently running the geo-targeted ad via The Weather Channel application.

Medialets is powering the ad.

The Westin banner ads reads “Tap here to warm up.”

The Westin banner ad

After users in cold climates tap on the banner, they are redirected to another page that features an icy background with a sentence saying, “Wipe away the frost to explore where you can warm up.”

Users can swipe the screen

Users can wipe to clean the frost off the screen and view a mobile-optimized landing page that features the Westin Resort & Spa in Maui.

The landing page after users wipe the screen

Consumers have the choice of visiting the company’s site or calling the hotel via their mobile device to book a room.

Additionally, consumers can reserve a room once they click to the company’s site.

Consumers can book a room via their smartphone

“What’s happened maybe to some extent is that the end user is saying that I have this thing in my pocket and I can shop and it’s commerce-enabled,” Mr. Strother said. “I do think brands are smart if they advertise on the mobile channel.”

Final Take
Here is a demo of the ad