From the Drawing Board to the Hotel Room - the journey of a Hastings Duck!

If you have stayed in any of our hotels you will undoubtedly be familiar with the smiling face of the Hastings Duck, greeting you in your room on arrival.  But have you ever wondered how they got there? Our ducks have actually had quite the journey before they find their way to your hotel room. 

The lives of our famous friends begin on the drawing board at Bluestep Solutions, a marketing and design agency in the heart of the English countryside. Here, the creative team put pen to paper and design an outline of the duck. 

Once the drawing has been approved by the team at Hastings Hotels, a mud sample is created based on the design. As the name suggests, a mud sample is a mould of the duck made entirely from mud. This is to ensure a high level of detail can be achieved in the later stages of the design process. 

When the mould is set, PVC is added under high temperatures and this is where we really see the ducks take shape. The finer details including beaks, eyes and the Hastings Hotels logo are added through a process of spray painting. When the ducks are suitably dressed with the appropriate colours and designs they are shipped to Hastings Hotels HQ before being distributed to each of our seven hotels. 

Our current collection includes Butler Ducks and Seahorse Ducks which are exclusive to guests staying at the Grand Central Hotel, while the Duck of Thrones inspired by the hit series is a treat for guests enjoying a Game of Thrones-themed stay at Ballygally Castle.

Which of our ducks have you got in your collection? Send us your pictures to marketing@hastingshotels.com and if we share your image you could win an exclusive Seahorse Duck or Duck of Thrones to add to your collection. 

Thank you to Harry from Bluestep Solutions for providing us with the details and some of the photography for this feature.