Take a walk on the Wilde side at the Cadogan Hotel

#940 in the Project comes from across the pond:

Guests in Room 118 of London’s Cadogan Hotel, the site of Oscar Wilde’s arrest for gross indecency, will find a complimentary replica of the writer’s smoking jacket available to wear — epigrams not included.

Here’s an account from Sebastian Lander from the Mail Online:

It was here at The Cadogan Hotel in London’s Knightsbridge that the infamous author was arrested in 1895, charged with ‘committing acts of gross indecency’. One floor down from me, in Room 118, a reputedly half-drunken Wilde sat waiting for the police to arrive after refusing to flee, and ended up with two years’ hard labour at Reading jail.

The Cadogan’s package includes a three-course evening meal which features more Perrier-Jouet and unlimited wine in Langtry’s Restaurant, part of the hotel that was once home to Wilde’s friend, the actress Lillie.

To mark this turning point in Wilde’s fortunes, the hotel has created the ‘Green Carnation’ package, named after the dyed buttonhole Wilde was fond of wearing. Guests can stay in Room 118, which contains items such as a replica of his smoking jacket, and enjoy a bottle of his favourite pink Perrier-Jouet. There is also a menu dedicated to some of his gastronomic preferences – hock and seltzer (wine and soda), absinthe and, rather incongruously, Victoria sandwich sponge cake.

Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: Leverage history and tradition to create a signature extra that’s worth talking about.

Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra thrown in for good measure) – A little backstory on the arrest courtesy of a poem by John Betjeman:

How do you stand out in the sea of sameness like the Cadogan? How do you win repeat customers and influence word of mouth? Are you Giving Little Unexpected Extras?

What’s Your Smoking Jacket?

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