Elves surprise airport travelers this holiday season; Emoji-powered sweepstakes launches across U.S. and Canada locations

Global restaurateur HMSHost is spreading holiday spirit, good cheer, and fun gifts during the busy holiday travel season with the Holly Jolly Holiday Takeover. This multi-component campaign features a series of exciting elf events at various U.S. airports and a text-emoji-to-win promotion across the U.S. and Canada.

Beginning December 1, HMSHost Holiday Elves and their magical sleigh will visit a number of major U.S. airports handing out electronics, fun gag gifts, holiday collectibles, and travel accessories to select lucky travelers and passersby. HMSHost Holiday Elves will entice travelers with a family-friendly naughty-or-nice game incorporated into the gift-giving part of the event.

Travelers can spin the prize wheel to see if they have been naughty or nice this year. The prize wheel lands on “naughty” if they sampled some of Santa’s cookies or peeked at their presents. They are “nice” if they sang with carolers or offered to switch airplane seats so a family could sit together. Both naughty and nice travelers receive a fun corresponding gift. Live entertainment with carolers or comedic talent will accompany the elves at select airports.

All are encouraged to follow the holiday elves’ travel journey and share a photo of themselves during their holiday travels tagging @HMSHost with #HMSHostElf #Contest for a chance to win a $100 digital retailer gift card. Photos will be picked based on creativity and relevance to the holiday travel season. Visit http://hmshost.tumblr.com/hmshostelf2016 for rules and details.

In addition to the elves events, travelers in the U.S. and Canada can join in on the fun with an HMSHost and     Coca-Cola text-emoji-to-win promotion. The Holiday Emoji Instant Win offers the chance to instantly win one of many digital retailer gift cards. To enter, travelers who make a purchase at participating HMSHost airport and motorway locations across the U.S. and Canada will receive a receipt with a store ID on it. They can then text the store ID along with a snowflake emoji if in the U.S. or snowman emoji if in Canada to 30364. For additional details on eligibility and to enter without making a purchase or text messaging during the Promotion Period, participants may visit http://www.cokeplaytowin.com/hmshostholiday and follow the links and instructions to complete and submit the registration form.

“Giving travelers a break from the hectic holidays with our elf events and instant win promotion is a great way to keep up spirits, and create an engaging, memorable experience,” said HMSHost Vice President of Marketing Atousa Ghoreichi.

The HMSHost Holiday Elves will be traveling from December 1 through 8, spreading cheer wherever they go. The Holiday Emoji Instant Win runs through December 31, 2016.

HMSHost Leading the Industry

HMSHost has been recognized by the industry as the top provider of travel dining with awards such as 2016 Best Overall Food & Beverage Operator (for the ninth consecutive year) and Food Operator with the Highest

Regard for Customer Service (for the seventh year) by Airport Revenue News. HMSHost has also been recognized by Airports Council International-North America, receiving First Place for Best New Food and Beverage (Full-Service Concept) for 1897 Market at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and First Place for Best Innovative Consumer Experience Concept for its Channel Your Inner Chef live culinary contest at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

About HMSHost

Global restaurateur HMSHost is a world leader in creating dining for travel venues. HMSHost operates in more than 120 airports around the globe, including 44 of the 50 busiest airports in North America. The Company has annual sales in excess of $2.8 billion and employs more than 37,000 sales associates worldwide. HMSHost is a part of Autogrill Group, the world’s leading provider of food & beverage services for people on the move. With sales of around €4.3 billion in 2015, the Group operates in 31 countries and employs over 57,000 people. It manages approximately 4,200 stores in over 1,000 locations worldwide. Visit www.HMSHost.com for more information. We can also be found on Facebook at fb.com/HMSHost and on Twitter at @HMSHost.