Author and chain executive Bill Duncan reads to kids at a Books For Kids location sponsored by Homewood Suites.

A lot of corporations have mascots, but few executives have gotten as involved in their companies’ symbols as has Homewood Suites’ Bill Duncan. Duncan, who is global head, brand management, for Homewood and its Home2 Suites sister brand, has authored three children’s books featuring Lewis the Duck, Homewood’s long-time mascot.

Duncan’s literary turn is part of a lengthy and continuing evolution of the duck image as Homewood’s corporate symbol and as a marketing tool to reach its core guest demographic.

“The duck is a symbol of flexibility as it’s a creature of land, water and air,” says Duncan. “At Homewood, we want to be flexible for our guests, whose needs tend to evolve the longer they stay with us.”

Lewis almost flew the coop back in the early part of the last decade. Duncan says franchisees strongly objected when chain leadership questioned whether to get rid of the symbol. “As it turned out, owners thought the duck image was unique and an effective marketing tool. In fact, many of them were using it far more than we were at the corporate level. From there, we decided to leverage its value and began to develop broader programs for its use as well as some guidelines to create more consistency.”

One of the ideas was a children’s book featuring Lewis with a message that resonates with the brand’s extended-stay guests. “One night I was reading to my son, and I realized many extended-stay travelers are like me,” he says. “At the time, they tended to be men, although now more guests are women, and often they have children at home. I thought I would take a stab at writing a story that explains why Dad is away from home on a long trip.”

The first book, Lewis the Duck And His Long Trip,” tells how Lewis went on a long business trip and spent his time at a Homewood Suites. The moral: Dad was on an important assignment and if he did well it could benefit the whole family. The brand hired syndicated cartoonist Greg Cravens to illustrate the book.

“After it was published, I got a lot of e-mails from customers saying they’ve had a hard time explaining to their kids why Daddy isn’t home and that the book got the message across in a way children can understand,” says Duncan.

Lewis the Duck has a prominent spot in the Books for Kids facilities sponsored by Homewood Suites.

Based on the success of the first book, the chain stepped up its reliance on Lewis as a marketing vehicle. It created a mascot suit, which the properties can use for book signings and other community events. The brand now has five suits available to the hotels. Next was a Lewis the Duck microsite with games and activities for kids. Soon the brand will produce Lewis-themed coloring books.

Two more books followed in which Lewis travels to Canada and then Mexico. More than 100,000 copies of the books have been published for distribution by individual Homewood properties and on the microsite.

In the Canada book, Mom goes on the extended trip, a reflection of the increase in women travelers to the brand (Duncan says it’s now about half of all guests). Her husband and kids join her on part of the journey, and they all explore the country. Duncan’s son Christian, a sophomore in high school at the time, co-wrote the Mexico book, which centers on kids planning a family vacation. A new Lewis book in the works will center on the value of reading.

Reading and literacy have long been part of the Homewood corporate culture, best personified in its partnership with Books For Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization that transforms unused rooms in Head Start and other community centers into libraries for at-risk children. To date, Homewood and its local properties have assisted in creating four of the reading centers, the latest this fall in Phoenix.

“We’ve been involved in literacy issues since 2001 so partnering with Books For Kids was a natural step for us,” says Duncan. “And combined with the Lewis the Duck books and related programs, our hotels have a natural way to engage in their communities and markets.”

Lewis became a TV star last year when Homewood mounted a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. It was the first hotel company-sponsored unit in the parade.

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