Stripping Bartenders & Deer Widows: A Hilarious Hotel Marketing Misfire
Every hotelier has a story about a marketing idea that looked great on paper—until reality crashed the party. But few tales reach the comic heights of the time a certain Director of Sales tried to fill a banquet hall with “deer widows,” male strippers, and a dream. Spoiler alert: the only thing that came off was the plan.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a sales director tries to out-party the local dive bar, or you just want a cautionary tale for your next brainstorm session, buckle up. This is the legend of the Stripping Bartenders: a classic from the late ‘90s that proves sometimes, the only thing you can sell is a story.
When Deer Hunting Season Meets Hotel Sales Ambition
Up in the North, November is sacred—if you’re a deer hunter or know someone who is. As the guys vanish to the woods with enough booze and bullets to arm a small nation, local bars had a revelation: why not throw a party for the “deer widows” left behind? With drink specials, live bands, and yes, male strippers, they turned empty bars into rollicking oases of sisterhood and shenanigans.
Enter our hero: the Director of Sales (DoS) who saw this rural revelry and thought, “Why should the corner dive have all the fun? Let’s upscale this!” With a 130-room hotel, a banquet hall for 200, and a phonebook full of questionable connections, she unleashed her magnum opus: the Deer Widows Weekend Extravaganza—two nights’ stay, a dinner, drinks, and a show featuring strippers bussed in from the next town over.
It was a marketing masterstroke… in theory.
The Best-Laid Plans (And Packages) of Mice and Marketers
Back in the era when “marketing” meant flyers, faxes, and frantic phone calls, the front desk became ground zero for selling this spectacle. There was just one problem: no one was buying.
See, that post-Thanksgiving weekend is prime time for families, not fun-seeking single ladies. The calls trickled in. The packages barely moved. Staff braced for an onslaught that never materialized. By showtime, the “crowd” was a hearty dozen women ready for a good time, undeterred by their modest numbers. With four scheduled dancers, the ratio was—let’s just say—intimate.
The Vanishing Act: When Strippers Ghost the Hotel
Cue disaster. As the clock ticked closer to curtain, the DoS paced and called: “Have the dancers checked in? Where are they? Call me when they get here!” Finally, news arrived—the van broke down. The strippers were stuck, and the show was dead in the water.
Now, the only thing more daunting than angry guests is angry guests with unlimited access to free liquor. As the night wore on and the spirits flowed, management scrambled. Refunds? Riots? Would the evening end with a bang—or a whimper?
The Improvised (Almost) Magic Mike Moment
Desperate times call for desperate measures. “We have three bartenders,” proposed the DoS, eyeing the staff. “Two can jump on the bar and dance!” The Assistant Front Office Manager hesitated: “But… they’ll have to take their clothes off.” A long pause. “No.”
If you’ve worked in hospitality, you know the golden rule: never make your staff do anything you wouldn’t do yourself—especially if it involves stripping for tips. In this case, cooler heads prevailed. Instead of a surprise strip show, the DoS did what she did best: she spun a new package on the fly.
Ten minutes later, the mood had shifted from near-mutiny to celebration. With a little quick thinking and a lot of quarters, the guests were whisked off to the local casino, first $20 on the house, and all was forgiven. The bartenders kept their clothes on (barely), and the legend of the almost-stripping staff lived to see another day.
Lessons in Marketing (and Mischief)
So what can we learn from this slice of hotel history? First: know your audience (and your off-season). Second: always, always have a backup plan. And finally, never underestimate the power of quick thinking—or the lure of a free casino voucher.
As for the staff? One bartender was a mystery man. Another, a Tom Selleck lookalike, might have been game. The third, a twink-ish local, could have been convinced after a few rounds. Thankfully, it never came to that.
Have you ever had a marketing plan go hilariously sideways? Or lived through a hotel event that became legend? Share your best (or worst) hospitality stories in the comments!
Because in hospitality, if you can’t laugh, you’ll cry… and maybe even strip.
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Original Reddit Post: Great Moments In Marketing History: 'Stripping Bartenders'