The Prince Edward Hotel

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ADVERTISING: How the Prince Edward Hotel was promoted

The Prince Edward Hotel at 100

By: Grant Hamilton

Saturday, Jun. 16, 2012 at 12:00 AM | Comments: 0

After the T and A Hotels syndicate acquired the Prince Edward Hotel from the CNR, advertising really ramped up.

The hotel began spending money on more ads, more often -- and bigger, splashier campaigns, as well.

In the final years, some of the advertising tended towards the gimmicky. Here are a few of the ads that ran in the Brandon Sun from the final couple of decades of the hotel.

Starting in the mid-50s, the hotel's advertising got marketly larger. Here is an ad for the hotel's meal service from Oct. 3, 1959. Click here for a larger size.

Whether it's a family dinner or an adult party, the Prince Edward Hotel can accommodate you. This ad ran Feb. 6, 1960, and that woman's shoulders will probably be cold if that's what she's wearing in February. At least she's got gloves.

Not all of the hotel's advertising was heavy on the graphics or photography. This ad ran on Dec. 3, 1960.

Just $2 per couple for a dance at the house of hospitality. This ad ran Jan. 29, 1961.

Holiday dinners were always special at the Prince Edward Hotel -- but so were Sundays. This ad ran Nov. 10, 1962.

Advertising in support of the Prince Edward Hotel's 50th anniversary, celebrated on Nov. 10, 1962 (about five months late).

Nearly every activity during this Kinsmen and Kinettes convention weekend took place at the Prince Edward Hotel. This ad ran on May 16, 1963. Click here for a much larger version.

The Prince Edward switched, in its marketing, to referring to itself as a motel hotel, but it kept its focu on excellent food and service, as well as being "The Home Of All Service Clubs." This ad, which ran March 28, 1967, was dedicated to farmers.

Were you the "Smiler"? The Prince Edward (Motor) Hotel carried on their "Smile" brand for a few years, during and after this promotion. This ad ran on Feb. 16, 1968.

Are you the "Smiler"? Here is another ad from that Prince Edward Hotel campaign, which ran Jan. 28, 1968.

Even if you weren't the Smiler, you could get a pretty decent brunch price, according to this ad, from July 4, 1967. The price would be the same as a $9.50 brunch today.

Along with tracking down the "Smiler", the Prince Edward experimented with other ad gimmicks -- including this unusual shape. This would have been ambitious in the pre-computer layout age. It ran on Dec. 17, 1969. Click here for a much larger version.

This ad, from the 1972 Henderson Directory, shows the continuation of the "Smile" brand. It's also interesting to note that the phone number has changed from "PA-0521" to "727-0521" over the past decade. In the early '20s, it was just four digits -- but a different four: 2301. It kept those four digits until at least the Henderson Directory in 1955.

An ad for the "Senior Swingers" ... at a "T and A Hotel" establishment? It would have a totally different meaning today, but it was perfectly above-board when this ad ran, on May 11, 1974.

This ad appeared in the Brandon Sun the day before the Prince Edward Hotel closed for good. The meeting, unfortunately, was scheduled for an hour an a half after the doors were to be locked for the last time.

However, the manager, John McFarlane, took pity on the Liberals, and allowed them in for one last meeting. They would be the final paying occupants in the empty hotel.

Continuous sale of the furnishings in the Prince Edward Hotel commenced almost immediately after its doors closed. This ad ran on March 13, 1975.

An auction sale ensured that the building would soon be an empty shell of its former self. This ad ran several times during March 1975.

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