The five-star Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa's winter promotion with ASK Italian restaurants has been voted an overwhelming success after delivering one of the most successful and engaging competitions that the leading UK restaurant group has ever run on social media.

The deluxe Sicilian resort teamed up with ASK Italian to offer its customers the chance to win a four-night break for two worth £2,000, with the online competition delivering amazing results.

Running throughout a four-week period in January, the competition was the first that ASK Italian has run that has been mobile optimised – allowing customers to enter on their smartphones as well as at tables in restaurants – and generated around 7,500 new Facebook fans.

Excluding entrants from targeted emails to the group's database, more than 65 per cent of people entered the promotion via their smartphone, a huge 1.5 million page impressions were generated on Facebook newsfeeds throughout January – all featuring the Donnafugata brand – while engagement levels with ASK Italian as a brand through January were at their highest point compared to the previous 12 months' activity.

As part of the competition agreement, the Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa brand was showcased across all of ASK Italian's extensive digital and social channels and was backed up by strong point-of-sale branding at each table in its 110 outlets across the UK.

This included weekly e-shots to ASK Italian's extensive online database and promotion of the competition through PR channels and daily social media, plus engagement with the thousands of online contestants who 'shared' their entry on Twitter.

Guy Roberts, director of golf at Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa, said: “ASK Italian is a well-established UK brand and we were delighted to be given the chance to link up with them on this promotion.

“Donnafugata is becoming more and more popular every year across the whole of Europe and the numbers generated from this competition help illustrate how attractive the resort is to the UK market.”

The competition was held to help ASK Italian launch its 2014 winter campaign and featured an exclusive five-star trip for two people to Donnafugata including four nights' luxury bed and breakfast accommodation, two rounds of golf or two 50-minute golf lessons each, one body massage per person and complimentary entry to its award-winning spa.

To enter, diners were simply invited to go online, like ASK Italian on Facebook and fill in the entry form, with bonus entries available if they then shared the promotion with friends.

Chris Gasnier, brand manager at ASK Italian, said: “We were excited at the prospect of what the Donnafugata competition could deliver and it hasn't disappointed.

“The response we received was fantastic. There was a constant stream of entries which helped give a high level of exposure across all our platforms and ASK Italian would welcome the chance to partner with Donnafugata on a new promotion in the future.”

Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa has wasted no time in becoming one of the most sought-after golf destinations in Europe since opening in 2010 and has won widespread support and acclaim in the golf industry.

Host venue for the 2011 Sicilian Open, the resort's recent highlights have included both its courses being named in Golf World's biennial list of the 'Top 200 Courses in Continental Europe'.

Located just 20 minutes away from Comiso airport and set in the beautiful area of Donnafugata, a natural reserve and famous tourist destination known for the imposing castle which bears the same name, the resort also boasts a number of fantastic historical cities nearby. These include Val di Noto, the heart of Sicilian baroque: Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Noto and Scicli. All of them are deemed fitting of UNESCO World Heritage status.

Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa has 202 rooms, an award-winning spa and health club, swimming pools and three restaurants offering a broad selection of gastronomic delights, well accompanied by perfect Sicilian wines to enhance flavour.

For more information on Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa, its range of golf packages for 2014 or to book a stay, call 00 39 0932 914 200 or visit www.donnafugatagolfresort.com.

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Information for journalists

Press release distributed by The Azalea Group.

Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa
Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa (www.donnafugatagolfresort.com) belongs to Sotogrande. Perfect for sports, relaxing holidays and important events in exclusive surroundings, the resort is located in the heart of Sicilian baroque with pure beaches. The hotel has 202 rooms, Spa and health club, swimming pools, three restaurants, eight meeting rooms and two golf courses.

Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa, Contrada Piombo – 97100 Ragusa
Tel: +0039 0932 914 200
Fax: +0039 0932 914 222
Email: nhdonnafugata@nh-hotels.com
High-resolution images of the resort are available for download from http://goo.gl/ggxHM.

About ASK Italian
ASK Italian is one of the UK's leading casual dining restaurant brands, with 110 restaurants throughout the country, driven by a passion for authentic Italian food and culture. With the help of expert friends, Theo Randall, Carla Capalbo and Adrian Garforth MW, ASK Italian has been discovering the best of Italian life, reflected in the menus and 100 per cent Italian wine list. ASK Italian was recently named 'Best Italian Restaurant' in the 2013 Pizza and Pasta Association Awards.

For further information:

Pete Simm at The Azalea Group on +44 (0)1730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com or

NH Italia S.p.A. (NH Hoteles)
Federico Filippa
Communication, Public Affairs and Social Media Manager
Ph.: 02 575551
Mob.: 345 3791419
e-mail: f.filippa@nh-hotels.com