In three new television commercials now airing - one resurrecting Elvis Presley - the Dallas hotel company is seeking to distinguish itself from other full-service, upscale lodging brands. The chain is emphasising that it pampers visitors with personalised drinks, snacks and magazines in guest rooms every time they stay.

The commercials, which are part of a year-long, $30-million advertising campaign, were created by Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners. The ads tease the audience with visual clues as housemaids customise hotel rooms for three different iconic characters. In one spot, a maid puts out a bottle of black hair dye, replaces a picture on the wall with a framed gold record album and spreads a leopard-skin cover on the bed. Then viewers see the jewel-spangled sleeve of Elvis arriving at the check-in desk.

In another spot, a maid wraps a large pumpkin, sets the alarm clock to midnight and lays out a copy of "Overcome Sibling Rivalry" on the bedside table before a horse-drawn coach brings Cinderella to the front of the hotel. The ads conclude with a voice-over tagline: "Request the things that make your room your room. What's your request?"The new campaign comes at a crucial time for the 20-year-old Wyndham brand, which has nearly doubled its number of branded hotel properties since being taken over by Patriot American Hospitality in 1998. Renamed Wyndham International after a $1-billion capital infusion from an investor group led by New York's Apollo Real Estate Advisors in 1999, the company has struggled for Wall Street credibility.

"I don't think there was anything specific that people could recall about Wyndham," says Mr Andrew Jordan, senior vice-president in charge of marketing. "I think we got lumped into a category of Wyndham, Westin and Hyatt, and we were all interchangeable." Adds Mr Fred Kleisner, Wyndham's chief executive: "As the economy begins to slow down ... brand distinction is a key driver." Wyndham chose the Kirshenbaum Bond agency because of its brand work on behalf of Revlon, Target and Kenneth Cole.

The hotel company, which had been quietly testing "Wyndham by Request" among 60,000 existing customers last year, decided the programme was the best way to distinguish itself from its competitors. Other major hotel companies such as Marriott International, Hilton Hotels and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, operate extensive loyalty programmes whereby guests accumulate points for future stays, airline flights and other rewards.

Mr Jordan says that in market research conducted by Wyndham, guests didn't redeem 92 per cent of their points. "Customers told us they wanted instant gratification," he says.

Wyndham promises that after a guest fills out a personalised profile, which includes basic room preferences and favourite drinks and snacks, any of the company's 163 hotels will fulfill those requests. Other hotel companies try to satisfy special requests, but only from frequent travellers.

Because of Wyndham's relatively small property portfolio, says Mr Bjorn Hanson, a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York, Wyndham can't compete with industry giants such as Marriott or Hilton on its number of hotels. "A totally different plan is the right competitive approach," he says.

As an advertising hook, says Mr Richard Kirshenbaum, partner at Kirshenbaum Bond, Wyndham's programme is effective because "it happens when people stay at the hotel, not just when they are watching the 30-second commercial."Some analysts question whether Wyndham's recognition programme will ultimately lure more loyal customers. While such programmes are important to travellers who regularly stay at luxury chains such as Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons, says Mr Peter Yesawich, chief executive of Yesawich Pepperdine and Brown, a travel marketing-services firm in Orlando, Fla., "once you go below that ... if you want my business, there's a quid pro quo." Mr Yesawich says customers in the mid-to-upscale range prefer points as opposed to pampering.

Mr Jim Coleman, a computer executive who travels frequently, says he has stayed often at a Wyndham hotel in Houston. He requests - and receives - bottled water, fruit, cheese and crackers and a selection of business magazines. Although he has joined many other hotel-loyalty programmes, "I would really rather have what I have at the Wyndham."