HC creates hotel for Monogram Murders

HarperCollins has created a fictional hotel to promote The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah, the first ever Agatha Christie continuation novel, and will even create a real, pop-up version for the book launch.

The publisher has been working on a global launch for the book, released on 9th September, for a year, ramping up promotions in June ahead of the September release.

Marketing has centered around The Bloxham, a fictional 1920s hotel in London, with a dedicated website revealing a series of clues about the strange happenings which went on there. HarperCollins partnered with holiday review and booking sites Trivago and Secret Escapes to give fictional reviews of the hotel, while an installation at Latitude Festival in Suffolk invited festival goers to have their portrait painted, for pictures to be put up at the venue. Eventually, an advertorial in the Guardian revealed the hotel was at the centre of the The Monogram Murders, featuring Christie's Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.

On 8th September, theatre company RIFT will create an immersive launch event at the Ritz, recreating the Bloxham Hotel in real life.

As well as the hotel recreation, Hannah will take part in a series of events and interviews, including hosting a Google Hangout with Mark Lawson, and first interviews in the Mail on Sunday and a feature in the Sunday Times. Hannah will also appear in Radio Times to reach fans of the Poirot TV adaptations, and doing broadcast slots with BBC Breakfast, Simon Mayo on BBC Radio 2, and BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

Hannah will also do events during Cheltenham, Birmingham, London and Guildford literary festivals, and during Agatha Christie Week, held 14th-21st September in Torquay.

Laura Di Giuseppe, Agatha Christie brand manager at HarperCollins, said: "It’s been so exciting to see the campaign develop over the past 12 months and finally come to fruition. We wanted to make this publication a simultaneous, global event and utilise a variety of channels – experiential, digital and traditional media, to develop an interactive narrative culminating in an immersive theatre event."

She added: "Bringing the Bloxham Hotel to life – online and as a real pop-up hotel at The Ritz London the eve of publication has allowed us to target a fresh new audience and at the same time engage the core fan base from announcement in September 2013 to publication this year."