Hospitality PR Strategy: Luxury Hotels & Resorts Media

When a guest visits a luxury hotel, it is not necessarily the big lobby or the infinity pool that he or she will remember, but the sense of belonging to something unique. It is also applicable to the manner in which luxury hotels should be sold to the world. In an industry where experiences are more important than amenities, PR serves as the connection between the story of a particular property and the fantasy of the audience.

PR For Hotels & Resorts

The PR in the hospitality industry today is not about the publicity but rather the emotion. It is about creation of the sense of desire -the one that makes a traveler place a bookmark on your resort after reading one sentence in a travel magazine.

Selling Rooms Not Telling Stories.

To each luxury resort, there is a story behind the design, location and service. That is the task of a PR professional; to locate that story and make it sound. It might be an old palace, which has been refurbished to its best possible state or a current eco-retreat or a boutique hotel that is off the beaten island path, and in either case, there is something to write home about. It all depends on the storytelling which is not marketing. One of the elements that help a hotel change perception instantly is when the story of the hotel is published in the appropriate publication, whether it be Condé Nast Traveller, Travel + Leisure or Architectural Digest. Readers do not see an advertisement; they see desire.

Developing the Right Media Strategy.

The luxury travel media is enormous. PR teams must understand where to pitch and how to pitch in order to be special. All the stories do not fit in all the magazines. A resort with the sustainability as a core concept can be read in a lifestyle or eco-friendly publication, whereas a design-oriented establishment can be featured in the journals with the focus on architecture.

To develop a good media strategy, one needs to:

Finding the optimal combination of worldwide and regional travelling magazines.
Developing contacts with editors and travel writers.
Providing special events, familiarization tours, interviews with the chefs or behind-the-scenes tours that provide the journalists with something special to write.

This strategy makes the media reporting seem like a true story, as opposed to publicity.

Digital PR Role with Luxury Travel.

Nowadays, luxury consumers are not merely flipping magazines, but scrolling, watching and listening. An intelligent hospitality PR plan is a combination of a classic placement and online touchpoints. Imagine podcasts with the founder of the resort, the work with Instagram bloggers, and short videos showcasing the experience of the guests. The online and print visibility balance ensures that the brand remains relevant throughout the year because of the layers of reputation.

The Case of Consistency Creating Legacy.

In hospitality, reputation does not suddenly increase. Regular coverage, sensitive storytelling and preserving the relationships with major journalists influence the way a brand is recalled. It is not only to be featured once but be a name that when an editor is thinking about the next luxury travel feature he or she can think of them. It is more than PR in hospitality because luxury is about image control, but it is perception control. The type of visibility that evokes wanderlust and confidence simultaneously has a direct relationship with a successful media plan that helps hotels and resorts gain the proper image. At Trivium Public Relations, we assist hospitality brands to turn their individual stories into compelling media experiences, in which each word feels like an invitation to enjoy something exceptional.