Danelle successfully led the brand, marketing and communications functions for the pre-opening of QT Newcastle.

This involved managing the following aspects: Hotel, Restaurant, and Rooftop Bar Visual Identity Development; Pre-Opening Launch Campaign and Activations; Partnerships; Uniform Curation, and the Hotel Launch Event.

See launch video here

Danelle was tasked with launching a major brand campaign for QT Hotels post-Covid, with the key objective of driving earned media reach and talkability.

As campaign lead, Danelle managed all aspects of the campaign from end-to-end, including agency management, creative input, internal communications, operational SOP roll-out, and owned channel strategy (website, social, app, influencer activity, email marketing, print and OOH media).

See campaign video here.

Danelle also led the secondary phases of the campaign, the charity auction for the Lamps of Chaos and the production of the Curious Currencies book.

The campaign generated 600 entries and 75 pieces of earned media coverage across print, radio and digital, resulting in $1.5M ASR and a reach of 29 million customers across Australia and NZ with 100% positive sentiment.

The campaign also took home the GOLD Award in the Promotional Activity category at the PR Awards Asia 2023, and a BRONZE Spike in Brand Experience & Activation at the Spikes Asia 2023 awards.

Danelle proposed a collaboration between QT and technology game-changer Dyson, presenting an end-to-end plan to implement this across the QT Hotels portfolio of 10 hotels.

After 12 months of negotiations and planning, ‘Engineered for Chaos’ was launched – an iconic partnership between QT and Dyson that elevated the QT guest experience and made QT a market leader in in-room hair styling tools.

This partnership achieved extraordinary earned-media coverage, with a reach of over six million customers across Australia and NZ and 100% positive sentiment.

Over the three years that Danelle was brand guardian for QT Hotels, she championed a content-led approach to seasonal campaign activity and key occasion campaigns.

This brand led approach saw the development of rich video content, based on a story-telling approach.

The success of this strategy showed not only in the increased reach and engagement across owned channels, but also delivered year-on-year campaign revenue growth.

The following video-led campaigns were executed during Danelle’s tenure:

• Room Service by QT

• You Live Here Now

• Never Going Home

• Stay Your Way

• Indulgence, Served.

• House of QT: Partners of Pop

• Merry Everything

• Down to Party

The following PR-led Valentine's Day campaigns were also executed during this time:

• Love is Blind

• You, Plus Two

• Get a Room!

qtQT is an urban rooftop oasis with unique cabin accommodation situated at QT Gold Coast. This was the first sub-brand created for QT Hotels & Resorts.

Danelle led the brand development, visual identity development and roll-out, and also oversaw the website build, the photography and videography, and the marketing and communications launch campaign activity.

This launch generated exceptional earned media coverage across print and digital, resulting in a reach of over ten million customers across Australia and NZ with 100% positive sentiment.

QT partnered with the award-winning Four Pillars distillery to produce a bespoke collab gin.

Danelle oversaw all aspects of the production and launch, from the crafting of the gin at the Four Pillars distillery, the naming of the gin, the design of the label and the owned and earned campaign strategy and the partnership launch.

This launch resulted in a reach of over one million customers across Australia and NZ with 100% positive sentiment.

In Danelle’s role as Head of Brand & Marketing for QT Hotels & Resorts, she had a team of twelve located across Australia and New Zealand.

Danelle planned and implemented a two day ‘Brandcamp’ to bring this group together in Sydney for team building and professional development activities. It was the first time that this wider team had all been brought together in person for an event like this.

This initiative resulted in building a team culture that was tight-knit, focused, passionate and determined to succeed.

A post 'Brandcamp' survey showed 100% positive employee sentiment from the team with regard to the event and the outcomes.

In 2020, with the added challenge of Covid and lockdowns, Danelle project managed the brand and marketing of the pre-opening of QT Auckland.

This involved managing numerous aspects, including (but not limited to): Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Visual Identity Development; Partnerships; Brand Activations; Uniform Curation; FF&E; Staff Recruitment; and Staff Onboarding Activity.

Danelle project managed the brand and marketing aspects of the pre-opening of Atura Wellington.

This involved managing the following aspects: Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Visual Identity Development; Content and Asset Development; Local Partnerships; Uniform Curation; and Pre-Opening Launch Activations.

‘Your Art. Our Rooms’ was an initiative to support local Wellington and New Zealand artists in a nationwide competition to find artists to create bespoke artworks for the walls of 25 new guest rooms at QT Wellington.

Danelle was the project lead on this venture, managing all aspects from initial conception to final completion and launch. This involved liaising with arts advisors, the arts community, the building developers, interior designers, hotel operations, right through to developing the website competition entry mechanism, the marketing and PR, and the launch party.

See launch event video here

Danelle also worked on the completion of the final book draft: ‘Your Art. Our Rooms’

Gallery 4 (as it was to be named) also won the Excellence in Marketing and Best Redeveloped Hotel awards at the Hospitality NZ Awards in 2019.

Danelle project managed the Sales & Marketing functions for the pre-opening of QT Queenstown.

This involved a six-month lead-in time, project managing all aspects of the Sales and Marketing launch requirements, from Photography; to Brand Assets; Sales Collateral; Website Design; Visual Identity Development; Market Research; Sales Pipelines; Partnerships; Distribution; and the Opening Launch Event.

See launch event video here

Danelle created, planned and executed the first EVENT Hospitality & Entertainment New Zealand Showcase.

This was a major event for 80 of EVT New Zealand's top clients and PCO’s. It incorporated The Embassy Theatre, Rydges Wellington and QT Wellington as event locations on the night. The evening was shrouded in secrecy, with guests meeting at Te Papa, experiencing a random ‘flash mob’ welcome, then being transported by a big red London bus to each location to delight in surprise activities at each venue.

The Rydges Wellington event was a take on the ‘Seven Days’ television game show concept, which was renamed ‘Rydges Seven Stays’ and featured the actual stars from the real show.

Post-event saw a large number of conference and event leads generated from the attendees (some attendees still comment that it was ‘the best hotel event they have ever attended’!).

Danelle was responsible for the conception, project management and execution of this ground breaking technology (at the time in 2016), and worked alongside Lisa to roll this out across the group.

The custom-built virtual reality app showcased to the user a virtual experience of the entire hotel - from public areas, event spaces, accommodation rooms, to the restaurant and bar and leisure centre.

The app was launched at the MEETINGS NZ Tradeshow, where Rydges New Zealand won Best Stand (out of over 350 exhibitors). The judges commented that the app and how it was being used as a sales tool was ‘game changing’ for the industry.

Danelle won ‘Marketing & Communications Associate of the Year’ at the 2025 HM Awards Aotearoa Pacific.

‘Yours Always’ for Hotel Indigo Auckland won ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’ at the 2025 HM Awards Aotearoa Pacific.

Danelle is also a five times winner of the ‘Excellence in Marketing’ award category at the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence.