The hotel insists its 'baby makers' promotion is just a bit of fun. Photo / Supplied
The hotel insists its 'baby makers' promotion is just a bit of fun. Photo / Supplied
A Canadian hotel with a passion for zany promotions has conceived a novel Valentine's Day deal.
The Zed Hotel chain in Victoria, British Columbia, is wanting to win a place in couples' hearts by rewarding years of free holidays for the next 18 years - providing those couples can prove they 'made a baby' in their hotel this February 14.
"I don't think we're going to convince someone who's not thinking about having a baby to have a baby. But if you're serious about expanding your family, why wouldn't you try?" said Zed CEO Mandy Farmer in an interview with CNN.
The Zed is famous for outrageous promotions and colourful retro decor. Photo / Supplied
"If you succeed, you'll win a way to celebrate your baby's conception for the next 18 years."
The "baby maker" promotion is not the only bit of creative publicity the Zed hotel chain has engaged in. For the last five years the hotels have been running the affectionately termed four-hour "Nooner" special, Canadian slang for booking a hotel for a short illicit rendezvous.
For CA$59, about NZ$69, couples can check in from 10am 'til 2pm for a bit of privacy. However this year the Zed has turned its attention from recreation to procreation, offering couples who return in nine months with a baby in their arms unlimited free stays - until said baby reaches its eighteenth birthday, that is.
Some have accused the Zed promotion of being 'tone-deaf'. Photo / Supplied
Not everyone is thrilled by the promotion. The hotel has been accused by some for being tone-deaf and crass. With some criticising Zed on social media for discriminating against couples who can't or don't want to have children.
The company which is part of the Canadian "Pride at Work" initiative says the promotion is open to anyone including the LGBT+ community. Couples can claim the promotion through surrogacy and adoption.
However, the baby maker promotion might be a hard sell. The company's colourful motel chalet blocks are targeted at an unabashedly millennial market, who are notorious for putting off having families for things. Things like travel.
Just for fun: The Zed hotels target a young, care-free market. Photo / Supplied
The Canadian birth rate is at 1.6 compared to around 1.8 in the US or New Zealand. In previous years the "Nooner" has been advertised with a picture of a hopeful grandmother-to-be listening to the room next door.
The whole thing seems to have the awkwardness of a post-Soviet baby drive, which have taken place in shrinking rural towns Ulyanovsk since 2005. The Russian "Day of Conception" was conceived to combat falling birth rates by rewarding new families with washing machines and cash prizes.
Family planning: the Nooner special is in its fifth year. Photo / Supplied
However the Zed's carefree spirit would suggest that Canada's aging population is not the concern of the promotion.
With rooms featuring funky retro décor and branches in activity-heavy locations, such as Tifino and Vancouver Island, the Nooner appears to be just a bit of fun.
