Ms. Lutz

Social Media & PR

Promoting a Destination and In Turn Your Hotel

By Didi Lutz, President, Didi Lutz PR

With the exception of popular metro cities that lure travelers around the clock, there are thousands of destinations that operate by the season, with some alive only for weeks out of the year. The nature of your destination affects hotel occupancy and the way you manage your business daily. Without presenting a specific town/city/island example, I would like to examine what it is like to factor into your public relations strategy the idea of destination public relations and marketing. While this is no easy task, there are ways to link the two and provide your location with the exposure it needs to become appealing to travelers. For you the goal is simple: when travelers and potential guests read about your destination they should automatically think of your hotel as the perfect place to stay. In order to do this, consider the following strategy and tweak it to fit your property's profile...

With the exception of popular metro cities that lure travelers around the clock, there are thousands of destinations that operate by the season, with some alive only for weeks out of the year. The nature of your destination affects hotel occupancy and the way you manage your business daily.

Without presenting a specific town/city/island example, I would like to examine what it is like to factor into your public relations strategy the idea of destination public relations and marketing. While this is no easy task, there are ways to link the two and provide your location with the exposure it needs to become appealing to travelers. For you the goal is simple: when travelers and potential guests read about your destination they should automatically think of your hotel as the perfect place to stay.

In order to do this, consider the following strategy and tweak it to fit your property's profile:

• Research. I mention this in every article I write and the reason is because I know that planning and preparation provide knowledge and insight. With media research, you will determine what media outlets are appropriate for your audience. If your season is only a few months out of the year on a luxurious island, obviously you need to search for outlets that cover seasonal destinations for the upscale market. Ask your public relations professional to create a media list and create relationships with those reporters.

• Work with local CVBs and Chambers of Commerce. Both are terrific sources of networking and destination information. As members, you get access to press leads, and media you wouldn't otherwise, as some reporters tend to call local tourism offices directly instead of the hotel directly. However, if your public relations manager is proactive, s/he will have created relationships with media who will often bypass the tourism offices and contact the hotel directly because they already know someone. Tourism offices can also help with creating destination packages to attract media, and can also provide additional information. Making use of these resources is worth the time and trouble, especially if you cannot afford to hire a publicist.

• Create News. Magazines, newspapers, Internet, radio and TV all feed off the same wire: news. In order to create interest, you need to craft a good message. Why should your hotel be the one chosen for this destination? Are you looking at the right publication to pitch the hotel? Is the hotel geared to the business traveler, or families? Does it offer adventure in the outdoors, or a romantic getaway for two? All these angles need to be carved out first before you start writing pitches and releases to the media. You could very well end up with a placement in the right publication if you are persistent and accurate.

• Build credibility. Credibility is a trait that obviously takes time and experience. Reporters don't enjoy communication with publicists who provide false information. Imagine what it is like to print something that proves to be untrue only to get a placement in a magazine. The reporter will never call upon you again. It is much better to take your time, and always be as accurate as possible when talking to the press. Even if they don't publish something right away, they will come back to you when your angles fit their needs.

• Factor in the Destination. Tell the media why your destination is so lucrative for tourism. Why should guests choose to visit? Point out any history, arts, culture, or anything that would stand out. Media never get tired writing about destinations, even if they covered the same one a few years ago. If you have something new going on at your destination, make sure you are at the forefront. For instance, if there is a museum exhibit, try to make a package with your hotel, but make it interesting enough for media to take the bait. Combining destination features and your hotel is a two-fold strategy. Sometimes, even though you pitch both the destination and your hotel, a writer may decide to just spotlight the destination and not include a "where to stay" section. While this sounds discouraging, it is still a success. Paired with any advertising or past pr efforts, when travelers look up places to stay after reading that destination piece, they may want to stay at your hotel.

• Be included in guidebooks. As straightforward as that sounds, I often work with hotels that are not even listed in basic guidebooks. Frommer's and Fodor's are in the top of those types of guides, and while it could take a while to get listed, or edited, it is worth it to keep up relationships with them. Since guidebooks tend to be large organizations, see if you can find someone local to your destination and develop a relationship.

• Monitor blogs. I talked about this in a previous article and stand by it as part of your checklist. Keep track of what it discussed in the online environment about the destination and your hotel. You may get feedback perhaps in way that you can't get from guest comment cards. Some comments are harsher than others, but you should be aware of all of them.

• E-Newsletters. A perfect communications tool! With e-newsletters, you can stay in touch with your guests throughout the year. One of my clients is purely seasonal, but I make sure that we send out a newsletter to past guests in order to keep them informed of news and happenings in the area, even if the hotel is closed at that time. Guests like to feel part of a destination, especially if they love it and can't be there all the time. Before you know it, they are eager to return. Keeping in touch with your guests through quick news bits about the overall destination will eventually get them to think of your hotel right away every time they travel there. And that of course is how you build loyal guests!

• Host press trips. We discussed this as a separate item last time, but sometimes press trips can be valuable in "selling" a destination. When you are looking to do this for a first time, use the resources of your tourism office or visitors bureau. They just have all the information necessary to make the trip a success. Of course, you must define the goal of the fam trip first. And sometimes it is worth it to organize one just to promote the destination, especially if it is one hard to get to, or fairly unknown. Just make sure you take the press to a full tour of your hotel and wow them with service and amenities. They will not forget the impression you make!

As always, with competition on the rise, and hotels reinventing themselves daily, it is becoming more difficult than ever to be on the cutting edge. Use your resources, craft your messages, use the destination to your advantage and, most importantly, communicate and stay in touch with guests and media alike. If you plan your public relations strategy by factoring in the destination your property is located, the more you are at the forefront, the better the exposure, the more rooms you will fill, and hopefully, the more positive the word-of-mouth.

Didi Lutz is an internationally acclaimed hospitality public relations professional specializing in boutique hotels, luxury travel, destination and tourism communications. Prior to starting her own business in February 2005, Ms. Lutz was the Director of Communications for the Hotel Commonwealth, a 150-room luxury property in Boston. Within the first year of the Hotel Commonwealth's opening, she established the media relationship that led to worldwide recognition for the property as one of Ten Best New Business Hotels by Forbes.com. Ms. Lutz can be contacted at 561-628-7422 or didi.lutz@gmail.com Extended Bio...

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