TyC Sports helps real hotel 'La Argentina' earn a third star — two El Ojo Grands Prix

A year after Argentina's third World Cup title, every brand was publishing an anniversary film. TyC Sports, Argentina's leading sports channel, wanted something only it could own: a football story that was not another trophy montage.

Instead of a celebration montage, find the real two-star 'Hotel La Argentina' and help it earn a third star — making the country's World Cup star physical.

The team found a real two-star hotel called Hotel La Argentina in San Bernardo, then paid for the upgrades that would officially take it from two stars to three: new mattresses, duvets, air conditioners and 4K televisions. The short documentary follows the transformation, opening with an anonymous call — 'you can't be called La Argentina and still have two stars' — and never shows football.

The film drew over 44 million organic views across social media, making it TyC Sports' most-watched video ever, and the real hotel was fully booked through the 2023 high season as its phone 'didn't stop ringing'. It won two Grand Ojos at El Ojo 2024 (Sports and Content), an Oro in Film, 'Best Idea of Argentina', and New York Festivals' Best of Show.

In December 2023, one year after Argentina won its third World Cup, sports channel TyC Sports released 'Hotel La Argentina', a short film by Mercado McCann's football division Futlove. It told the story of a real two-star hotel in the seaside town of San Bernardo — a hotel literally called 'La Argentina' that was still showing only two stars.

The film opens with an anonymous call to the hotel asking how many stars it has. 'Two,' the owner answers. 'Well, you can't be called La Argentina and still have two stars — we'll take care of everything.' TyC Sports then funded the real renovation: new mattresses, duvets, air conditioners and 4K televisions arrived until the establishment officially climbed from two stars to three — the same number as the national team's badge.

The idea was anchored in football without showing any: no stadiums, no players, no trophies. Instead, the film documents a humble family business being lifted by the country's celebration, which is what made it feel different from every other anniversary spot.

The response was enormous: over 44 million organic views across social media made it the most-watched video in TyC Sports' history, and the hotel was fully booked through the 2023 high season. The work later won two Grand Ojos at El Ojo 2024 and New York Festivals' Best of Show.

The metaphor was made literal and real: a country earns a star, so a hotel actually earned one.

It was a genuine upgrade, not a staged stunt — renovations really took the hotel from two stars to three.

Leaving football out of the frame made the film stand apart from every other World Cup anniversary ad.

It gave a small family business a lasting gift — renovations and fame — instead of a fleeting message.

TyC's love of football was expressed as care for a small seaside business, which is why the story spread.

A national celebration becomes ownable when you find a small, physical manifestation of the metaphor and let real people carry it — the obvious imagery is what every other brand is using.

The film remained TyC Sports' most-watched and turned the real Hotel La Argentina into a local landmark; a year later it was still drawing tourists who came to see the three-star sign. On the award circuit it took two Grand Ojos at El Ojo 2024, an Oro in Film, 'Best Idea of Argentina', and New York Festivals' Best of Show in Branded Content, and was among McCann Latin America's Cannes entries.