This Christmas, Hastings Hotels may steal the spotlight again with its heart-warming sequel to the 2019 festive viral ad, 'The Doorman and the Duck.'

Northern Ireland’s leading collection of hotels has brought one of its popular rubber ducks back to life once again, four years after the 2019 ad amassed over 3.7 million online views.

It won over audiences throughout Northern Ireland and across the world – and now Hastings Hotels is hoping for a similar response with ‘The Doorman and the Duck 2'.

The setting shifts from the iconic Europa Hotel to Hastings’ luxurious Grand Central Hotel, also in Belfast, where we follow the loveable duck in a quest to reunite a couple with their misplaced Hastings Hotels Gift Card.

As the duck searches for the owners, we see it explore the hotel's various levels, from the stylish Grand Café on the ground floor to The Observatory, Ireland's tallest cocktail bar on the 23rd floor.

The ad comes to a joyful conclusion as the duck gracefully skates through the hotel's grand lobby, ingeniously using the golden Hastings gift card to reunite the owners with their essential pass for check-in.

As a reward, the doorman rewards the duck with a personal room key, where he shares a sumptuous bubble bath in a suite with one of the iconic Hastings rubber ducks.

"The duck has been an integral part of the Hastings Hotels legacy for nearly three decades, and we couldn't be more thrilled to revive his charm again for this year's Christmas campaign,” said Matt McRoberts, Head of Marketing for Hastings Hotels.

“This new ad beautifully weaves another heartwarming tale and our hope is that, just like all in Hastings Hotels, people will wholeheartedly embrace and cherish 'The Doorman and the Duck 2', and make it a holiday hit for the ages."

The ad sequel was created by Belfast-based agency The Collective with support animation by StreetMonkey, and uses a mixture of computer animation and on-location footage.

The campaign will be fully integrated across radio, press, social and digital. Viewers can catch the festive ad in cinemas and TV in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland across UTV and Sky TV, as well as on Hastings Hotels' YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@hastingshotels
To celebrate the new ad, Hastings Hotels is offering an extra £10 voucher for every £100 spent on gift cards until the end of the month. Gift cards are redeemable across all six Hastings hotels on overnight stays, as well as dining and luxury experiences.

Hastings Hotels is the largest independent hotel group in Northern Ireland, with six luxurious properties across the province including The Europa, The Grand Central, The Culloden Estate & Spa, The Stormont Hotel, Ballygally Castle and The Everglades.

To avail of these deals, visit www.hastingshotels.com or call the Gift Hotline on 028 9047 1066.