We’ve found over the years there are distinct advantages in reaching out to tourist boards when conducting hotel PR. A recent case in point is a group of press, mainly bloggers in this case, the Dominican Tourist Board assembled. Having already established a relationship with them at the beginning of the year, and reviewing the properties we represent, they asked us to host a group on behalf of our hotel management client, Prohotel International.
The press needed to spend a few nights in Santa Domingo, the capital. This enabled us to offer five rooms at our luxury boutique property, Casas XIV. A struggle for all hotels is the cost involved in getting a group of media to their property, as their budgets for airfare are tight. All travel PR agencies face this challenge. This is one of the big pluses in having strong ties with tourist boards. In many cases, the government provides an annual allotment of airline tickets to their agency for qualified press.
Travel PR Benefits From the Synergy in Collaboration
When we meet with the tourist boards of the countries in which the hotels our NYC boutique travel PR firm represents, we discuss our parameters in working together to promote synergy. After all, they need us as much as we need them, and most are located just near the United Nations. The tourist boards are obligated to expose the press to a cross-section of properties. And, in the case of the Dominican Republic, we promote quite a few, among them are city hotels, like the one in Santa Domingo, as well as a number of resorts.
In addition to hosting groups, the tourist boards often have individual press traveling who need accommodations. As with all journalists we evaluate, they must have firm assignments from their editors for stories. After all, we are asking the hotel to dedicate a room they could potentially be selling. So it has to be worthwhile. This is a decision we make, of course, with our client, who is looking for our recommendation based on past experience.
In the case of bloggers that cover travel – and there are new ones popping up every day – we are often more scrupulous than the tourist board in terms of evaluating them. We look for those with followings of 50,000 or more, and though we are not always able to reach that threshold when working with partners, they often have dedicated followings making it worthwhile. So it’s a matter of flexibility on our part. Since the tourist board does the legwork, and provides the airfare in this case, we will go ahead and accommodate the bloggers. We do review their work carefully to make sure it’s compatible with the image of the hotel before running the request by our client for approval.
Itinerary Preparation is Key
In preparation for the press trips, we play a major role in generating the itinerary, insuring the property gets its fair share of time and exposure. While both parties want to show off the sites and attractions in the area, a full site inspection and meal in the hotel with the general manager is a must. That way, we are assured the press knows what the hotel’s highpoints are, and can feature them in the articles. Also critical is providing the journalists with hi-resolution photography.
Follow up with the press after the trip is vital to make sure they have all the information they require, and determine when the story will run. There’s always fact checking as they near their deadline, and we are eager to facilitate that so the story is accurate.