Whether it was a guest who made a scene in the lobby, a random falling ladder by the elevator, noisy construction episodes bothering the community, a room fire or a property flood, or any act of terrorism, your hotel needs a plan to respond and handle the situation. Crisis management is the process that identifies, analyzes and suggests resolutions to real potential scenarios that can affect your hotel. Your PR agency and/or professional should be part of this process and must be involved at an Executive Committee level. Until a couple of years ago, traditional approaches to crises worked well. Now, everything has changed. With the economy on the way to recovery, the dynamics, and the communications vehicles have changed. We've officially entered the Era of Social Networking and there's no turning back. READ MORE

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... READ MORE

Stop! If you are reading this and thinking about cutting back on your Marketing budget, reconsider. If public relations is part of this budget, think again if you should cut it. Because once it is gone, PR is very hard to ramp up again and recoup for lost time. In tough economic times, as the one we are currently going through, we all know it's important to cut corners and switch into survival mode until things look better. But, just because you are slimming down costs right now, this doesn't guarantee you save time and money in the long run. Read my column to find out why investing in media relations is sensible for your property, especially during a downturn. READ MORE

There is one thing every hotel has in common: to satisfy the guest's request no matter how odd, peculiar or demanding. If you're a luxury hotel, the number of requests increase and their nature becomes even more complex. And they need to be fulfilled at the speed of light. In the midst of daily operations - preparation for arrivals, room inspections, hosting private events, and countless other details - there is a small department that devotes its efforts solely in establishing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships between the hotel and all its publics. The term "publics" generally refers to any group attempting to influence an organization, and within hospitality, examples of publics include of course guests, VIPs, unions, activists, government, community leaders, and employees only to name a few. The public relations team leverages the hotel's mission and goals to reflect its interests to these publics and acts as a communications liaison. But the public that occupies a communication manager's time the most are the all-powerful, the invincible, the almighty Media. READ MORE

Press fam trips typically take a lot of time to be properly organized and planned. Consider them as an investment for the future, since the stories generated from this effort will help your property's positive word of mouth. And as most carefully researched investments, the efforts from the fam trip will grow over time into an invaluable return: your organization's success! Here are some tips to ensure you provide the most effective fam trip for your property... READ MORE

So many times I have heard from clients that previous pr campaigns have totally missed the mark on what the hotel was trying to accomplish, whether it was showcasing a renovation, introducing a new image, expanding audiences or recovering from a crisis. Public relations campaigns can be damaging as much as they can be successful if they aren't planned to the last detail. By details, I don't necessarily mean holding countless of fruitless meetings that last for hours with the hotel management, but rather using time productively by taking what was said in a meeting to produce pure public relations results that will align with the overall objectives of the hotel. I have put together some pointers and suggestions about creating a public relations plan that will prove to be successful! READ MORE

The impact of social responsibility on any business is enormous. While you are creating programs to benefit your community, for instance, supporting a charitable organization, taking measures to go green, funding children's initiatives or anything else, your credibility increases greatly as a business. You may think, "We're in the hospitality business, why should we care about building a playground in another part of town?" The answer is, your hotel is part of the community and the world. We are all responsible. Practicing social responsibility in your business can also help you from a public relations standpoint. Here are some suggestions as to how to start becoming involved. READ MORE

Let's face it, boutique hotels have their work cut out for them when they start out, rebrand or renovate. As we've explored in the past, a big part of a boutique hotel's success is left in Marketing and Public Relations. And while both are mutually exclusive disciplines, they often times work well together to provide a more integrated approach for overall success. We all know that in the first six to eighteen months of a hotel's opening, the buzz that is created helps feed news, media curiosity and guests who decide to stay a night or two by taking advantage of your promotional introductory rate. But what are the key elements in play that make your boutique hotel more distinguished -- a description that will last over time? How do we sustain the almighty Word of Mouth? READ MORE

Have you heard the term embrace the highs and the lows in business cycles? The highs offer us for prosperity, success, recognition and a bright future. The lows, on the other hand, can prepare us to work better under pressure, change our approach and challenge our creativity. We're in a definite low point in the cycles of business, and the idea of recession marketing is becoming more mainstream. The purpose of recession marketing is to tackle the economic challenges with a customized, fast-action plan that will work for your property. READ MORE

There was once a time where a company could develop a product, advertise the product in newspapers, on television and on the radio, and build a successful brand worth millions and perhaps billions of dollars. Proctor and Gamble followed that strategy for decades. However, today's consumer is not as easily swayed by a clever jingle or celebrity spokesperson. READ MORE

Asking if you need public relations for your hotel or hospitality business is kind of like asking if you want more business. Do you want your property to be more widely known? Do you want to increase revenue and profits? Do you want to ensure the business you have is not lost to the competition? If you answered YES to any or all of those questions (and I hope it was all three) then you need public relations or PR. READ MORE

In today's marketing tool box, public relations continues to grow in importance. The reason for this is simple. The strategy of talking at consumers through advertising alone is no longer a successful one. Now, consumers respond to dialogue, relationships, interactions, and honest communications. The strategies and tactics to best accomplish this fall under the public relations umbrella. After all, PR has always been about building and maintaining relationships with multiple audiences. With many tactics falling under the PR umbrella, many hotels find their PR budgets growing. However, those budgets are not limitless. How can you accomplish it all? One strategy is to take advantage of the opportunities available by partnering with your local convention and visitors bureau, tourism development council, chamber of commerce, or state tourism office. By partnering with these organizations, a hotel can pursue opportunities they may not be able budget for on their own, such as reaching international markets. READ MORE

Highlight specific parts of the room that are especially important to travelers and therefore have special FF&E needs ... like the bathroom, work space, and sitting area. A hotel stay doesn't begin when your guests walk into their hotel room - it begins with the design of your d'ecor and the purchase of your FF&E elements. That's why designers and hotel owners are collaborating more closely than ever with their purchasing company. So what are the current "hot" trends in hotel room design? READ MORE

Every hotelier is familiar with the "furniture, fixtures and equipment" process but not every hotelier approaches it the same way. Some people are more structured in handling FF&E while others are more casual. Regardless of your approach, remember that FF&E is one of the largest categories of expenses, behind only the real estate your hotel sits on and the "bricks and mortar" used to build it. Unfortunately, when certain aspects of design and purchasing get overlooked, both your budget and your property suffer. READ MORE

Many hoteliers are busy tweaking their properties with such basics as better beds, better check-in/check-out procedures, and better staff service. So now is certainly a good time to upgrade another important facet of the hotel experience - public space. The irony is that while lobbies, hallways, and elevators are among the areas most "seen" by hotel guests, their design impact and importance is too often overlooked by hotel owners. But if you give the following public space ideas your attention, you'll get the attention - and repeat business - of your guests. The following includes some of the most affective methods in 'wowing' your hotel gusests... READ MORE