05.05.14

Marcus® Hotels & Resorts Receives Prestigious Interactive Media Award

Milwaukee, Wis., May 2, 2014. . . . . Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), today announced that it won two web design awards from the Horizon Interactive Awards, a leading international interactive media awards competition that recognizes the year’s “best of the best” in interactive media production.

The Grand Geneva Resort & Spa website, www.grandgeneva.com, won a gold award in the travel and tourism category and the InterContinental Milwaukee’s premier restaurant, Kil@Wat, won a bronze award for its website, www.kilawatcuisine.com, in the restaurant and food industry category. Both websites were developed and created by the Marcus Hotels & Resorts development team. Entries were judged on solution creativity and originality; graphic design, appearance and user experience; communication of message; technical merit and effectiveness solution.

“Our internal development team manages nearly 100 websites for our hotels, resorts, restaurants, spas and loyalty program. This award recognizes their creative talent and outstanding work in providing an exceptional digital user experience for our customers,” said Christine Beuchert, senior director, marketing and ecommerce strategy for Marcus Hotels & Resorts.

“One of the challenges we faced with Kil@Wat’s website was to attract locals and raise awareness of the restaurant and its location, as the hotel restaurant lacks an easily visible street level entrance. We achieved our goal of drawing locals in to dine along with hotel guests by having a responsive design that works on all mobile devices and tablets, and an SEO strategy during the rebuild of the website. As a result of these efforts, we achieved a 44% increase in the percentage of local visitors to the website and achieved a 944% increase in website traffic,” said Jessica McCoy, web project coordinator, Marcus Hotels & Resorts.

The 12th annual international competition saw over 1,600 entries from over 24 countries around the world and nearly all 50 states in the U.S. An international panel of judges, consisting of industry professionals with diverse backgrounds, as well as an end-user panel evaluated categories ranging from online advertising to mobile applications. The 2013 winning entries showcase the industry’s best interactive media solutions including web sites, mobile applications, print media, interactive displays, public exhibits, online advertising, video, email and more.

“The 2013 competition is undoubtedly one of the best showcases of outstanding interactive media in our long competition history,” said Mike Sauce, founder of the Horizon Interactive Awards. “The continued trend of the convergence of multiple forms of digital media into a single interactive experience has yielded a new level of interactivity with technology and blended artistry. Entries have pushed the boundaries of traditional thinking in terms of expanded features, blended media, and integration of multiple marketing and technology channels. Winners in this year’s competition highlight the best blend of technology, cutting-edge thinking, outstanding user-experience and overall aesthetics.”

For more information visit the Horizon Interactive Awards online: www.horizoninteractiveawards.com.

To download the complete PDF release: [wpdm_file id=58]

About the Horizon Interactive Awards

In its 12th year, the Horizon Interactive Awards was created to recognize excellence in interactive media production worldwide. Since 2001, the competition has received tens of thousands of entries from countries around the world and nearly all 50 U.S. states. Each year, those entries are narrowed down to the “best of the best” to be recognized and promoted on an international stage for their excellence. For more information, visit www.horizoninteractiveawards.com

About Marcus Hotels & Resorts

Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), owns and/or manages 18 hotels, resorts and other properties in 10 states. A force in the hospitality industry, Marcus Hotels & Resorts provides expertise in management, development and historic renovations. The company’s portfolio includes a wide variety of properties including city-center meeting hotels, upscale resorts and branded first-class hotels. For more information on the latest news and updates, please visit: https://media.marcushotels.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter (@MarcusHotels).

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