A HOTEL’S quirky Christmas advert featuring a magical mermaid’s journey from the Thames Estuary into Southend has been hailed as “even better” than the John Lewis Christmas ad. 

The Roslin Beach Hotel enlisted the help of Southend production company DMB films to create a fitting Christmas advert ahead of the festive period and it has proved a huge hit on social media. 

Echo: The mermaid is welcomed into the hotel and treated to a drink at the bar.The mermaid is welcomed into the hotel and treated to a drink at the bar. (Image: Roslin Beach Hotel / DMB Films)

It tells the story of a mermaid who emerges from the estuary opposite the hotel, transforming into a women, and deciding to explore the Roslin. 

Once in the hotel, the mermaid is shown to an ocean-themed room. She then dives into a vibrant selection of cakes at the restaurant, before being pampered with a spa treatment. 

The mermaid returns to the restaurant for a mouth-watering dinner, paired with a cocktail, before heading back to her room to enjoy a night time sea view from her balcony.

Managing director Jacqui Dallimore, 60, said: “We’ve had comments saying it’s better than the John Lewis advert. One guest told me their two-year-old daughter keeps asking to watch it.”

Conference and banqueting manager Amy Brown, 40, says the advert was “a risk that paid off”.

She said: “The kids who stay here know the hotel so well that they recognised it in the advert. They keep asking ‘where’s the mermaid?’

“It’s so hard to put into words and pictures how it feels to be here. A video does a much better job.”

This year’s John Lewis advert, in which a young boy befriends a Venus fly trap, has drawn criticism for its unusual storyline. 

Meanwhile, the Roslin’s advert has been praised for its warmth and positive festive feel after being viewed more than 6,000 times online. 

Jacqui added: “This is the first year we’ve done a story. We’ve made videos in the past but wanted to make one a bit more magical this year.

“It worked because we now get children coming in looking for mermaids. People keep telling us how fantastic they thought it was.”

The advert has attracted a warm reaction on social media, with one resident commenting: “This definitely beats the John Lewis advert this year!”