DUBAI It is probably safe to say that many Americans were introduced to the Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts brand for the first time last weekend.
Jumeirah, which has just one U.S. property—New York City’s Essex House—has earned itself tremendous new name recognition thanks to its sponsorship of Rory McIlroy, the 22-year-old golfer who won last weekend’s U.S. Open golf tournament with shocking ease.
The Northern Ireland-born McIlroy has worn a baseball cap bearing the Jumeirah name and logo on the golf course for four years, but never has the Dubai-based company’s sponsorship been so prominent.
“Rory is truly an inspiration,” Jumeirah’s executive chairman, Gerald Lawless, says in a statement celebrating McIlroy’s U.S. Open win. “Since his win at Quail Hollow in the U.S. last year and indeed his victory in the Dubai Desert Classic in 2009, he has continued to impress and inspire golf enthusiasts around the world, and we are immensely proud that he carries the Jumeirah brand.”
Jumeirah Group has sponsored McIlroy since he turned professional in 2007. The luxury hotel group’s connection with the golfing prodigy originated from his hometown of Holywood in Northern Ireland, which also happens to be home to Jumeirah Chief Financial Officer Alaister Murray.
McIlroy is under contract with Jumeirah through 2013. Exact terms of his contract with the hotel company are not public, but it is estimated he makes US$10 million per year from his three primary sponsorships, which also include golf manufacturer Titleist and fashion brand Oakley.
Nevertheless, some marketing experts expect the young star-in-the-making to sign on with more well-known brands in the near future. “I think he’s got every advantage in front of him right now,” Matt Heinz, president of Seattle-based Heinz Marketing, tells MarketWatch. “He and his agent, they could turn it around in his next tournament and he could get whatever he wants.”