Reimagining millennial travel

Despite improved facilities in recent years, hostels still had a reputation for being dirt-cheap, and dirty. To challenge this perception, we partnered with Hostelworld to create the world’s first Sand Hostel on the Gold Coast of Australia.

What dreams are made of

To appeal to global millennial travellers and international media, we knew we needed to bring to life a big and bold idea. And to convince them of the modern hostel offering, we had to let them try it out for themselves. So we teamed up with master sand sculptor Denis Masoud and film production designer Jon Dowding (of Mad Max fame) to create the world’s first pop-up beach hostel made of sand.

Making a splash

Featuring a luxury private room and a tastefully-furnished 10-bed dorm, the property was so much more than just a place to rest your head. A packed programme of surfing, yoga and DJ sets kept lucky guests entertained well into the night. As well as shifting 24 tonnes of sand, the campaign helped to shift Hostelworld’s brand perception to appeal to a more discerning audience.