Our boutique travel PR agency has found over the years that working in conjunction with tourist boards has leveraged our programs to promote hotels along with their destinations. Tourist boards must first promote their destination, and that goes hand in hand with promoting places visitors should stay.
Other methods work well, but we have been highly successful in obtaining consistent coverage for our hotels by working with tourist boards and by arranging visits for our stable of journalists who write for top-tier media.
One boutique property for which we have achieved great success over the past four years is Sublime Samana, located in the Dominican Republic. Our client here is Prohotels International, a small hotel management company based in Houston. We have created a partnership with the PR agency that represents the northern peninsula of this island, Samana.
The interest in the Samana region, which has a French background and is frequented by Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and Brits, has been booming in recent years. Thus, by promoting a variety of angles on this region as well as others around the world, we have been able to achieve a wide range of stories in A-list publications.
Media Coverage Highlights: The Right Writer for the Right Results
Islands Magazine – We secured a visit by a staff editor to visit Sublime Samana, resulting in a five-page spread recently.
Travel and Leisure – This round-up piece came as a result of our close working relationship with a particular editor at this foremost magazine who was covering the Samana region. Our property, Sublime Samana, was prominently featured in the piece.
American Spa – When the gorgeous property, Esencia, on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, introduced new treatments, we were able to secure exposure in this magazine that sits on coffee tables as regular spa-goers all over North America await their pampering.
The Conde Nast Traveler Hot List – Gaining inclusion in this coveted list is driven in large part by media exposure. The more top tier, regular coverage you get month after month to your target market, the greater the likelihood you will be considered for inclusion on this list. And since Conde Nast Traveler is considered the gold standard, it makes sense to hire an agency that has a proven track record with this publication.
The New York Times – We recently obtained inclusion in the “newspaper of record” for the eco-lodge, Pico Bonito, in Honduras, along with a handful of other boutique properties.
When we gain print coverage in these coveted and well-read media outlets, we leverage that coverage by posting the news on the hotel’s social media channels. That gets the buzz going even more and helps boost sales by linking all our social media posts directly to the hotel’s web site.