Name, image and likeness (NIL) brand deals are taking the world by storm, and Hyatt is one of the first hotel brands to lean into it alongside a burgeoning football star.
In a news release shared with ESSENCE, it was recently announced that Hyatt entered into a new NIL agreement with University of Tennessee football star Jalin Hyatt. The wide receiver recently made national headlines after he broke the single-season receiving touchdown record, subsequently becoming a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top wide receiver.
The deal will include a bundle of gift cards provided to each of Hyatt’s teammates’ families to help offset the cost of expensive hotel rooms for the upcoming bowl game in Miami, Florida. The hotel brand is also going to help celebrate the talented players by providing him the opportunity to visit Hyatt properties once the season wraps.
“We have been admiring Jalin’s talent and want him to experience the Hyatt way of travel as well as help the families of every teammate have a place to stay at the bowl game, so they feel cared for as they cheer their loved ones on from the sidelines,” said Mark Vondrasek, chief commercial officer, Hyatt in the news release. “World of Hyatt is excited to team up with an exceptional student athlete, and we look forward to the upcoming bowl game!”
“This Hyatt-Hyatt collaboration is more than a natural fit and it brings us all together when it really matters,” said Jalin Hyatt, wide receiver for The University of Tennessee Volunteers in the news release. “The World of Hyatt team gave me the ability to create a deal that benefited my teammates and our families. That’s real, as those are the people I care about the most. Knowing my teammates’ families will all have help to be at the game, and that they are being cared for on the road is amazing.”
Hyatt joins other college athletes striking NIL deals with large brands.
In an earlier ESSENCE report, it was recently announced that Candace Parker teamed up with Adidas for a special mentorship and NIL opportunity for school-based athletes. This comes on the heels of the Jordan Brand’s tapping of UCLA freshman basketball phenom Kiki Rice for a NIL partnership as well.