Any major tourist attraction will have dozens of hotels to choose from. Even when broken down according to their star rating, there nonetheless will always be several dozen resorts or hotels for consumers to choose from per star-category. So how is a hotel supposed to distinguish itself from its competitors? One critical strategy that can be used is retaining the services of a public relations agency. Josh Nass PR specializes in hospitality PR and helps hotels and resorts with cultivating their brands.
The ability to define perception is so incredibly important for hotels for this very reason. The industry is rife with competition; and for that reason the importance of standing out has never been greater. The way for hotels to ensure their differentiating characteristics are communicated effectively to the public at large is through a properly and strategically coordinated media relations campaign. Such campaigns can encompass and involve a variety of different facets.
Traditional media is certainly a fundamental part of any successful public relations campaign that any substantial hospitality company were to embark on. But digital and social media matters as well. For traditional media channels however, there are a variety of different formats that hotels should consider. For example, broadcast media from television and radio can serve as very effective tools for hotels and their executive teams to transmit their messages across. Securing regular placement for a hotel’s executives on major broadcast outlets is a wonderful first step in the process of cultivating a brand.
And of course, there’s print media. Although it is indeed the case that print media is a dying breed, there are still a number of print media outlets that have a dedicated and loyal readership and therefore considerable reaches and impact. In the hospitality industry especially, there are consumers who especially appreciate the idea of being able to open a newspaper or magazine to read about the latest trends in the industry.
Josh Nass PR has a growing hospitality practice that continues securing top notch earned media for its clients in the sector. These not only come in the form of traditional media placements in print outlets; but also in digital outlets. The consumer base which is mostly comprised of tourists looking for places to stay on their prospective vacations, frequent a certain amount of well-read blogs and other digital media properties.
The ability for a public relations agency to be able to identify the digital media properties that have the most dedicated audiences; and engender the type of loyalty and allegiance among their readerships that is required, is very valuable. In fact, building trust with your consumer base is the most valuable form of currency any hotel could possibly strive for, with an effective public relations program. But the importance of establishing a genuine media presence to begin with; one that allows a hotel or resort the unique opportunity to communicate with their current or prospective client bases will go a long way to achieving that level of trust that so many strive for.
There have been a number of public relations campaign that have been executed with great proficiency over time on behalf of some leading resorts. Marriott is a prime example of a hotel chain that has done a truly outstanding job at standing out among its competitors for its loyalty and dedication. They also maintain an active presence on social media for all of their hotels, that they use to communicate with their target audiences about any developments or progress taking place concerning their amenities. Hotels should be using such opportunities and media platforms to share news concerning available deals; special discounts and prices. And during the COVID-19 pandemic of course, those resorts that had these available channels were able to communicate with concerned customers who had already made bookings in advance of the pandemic and were left with the lingering doubts as to the tenability of their reservations.
Public relations needs to be valued more by companies in the hospitality industry. Josh Nass PR and other agencies are available to help. With few exceptions including the Marriott chain of hotels, many companies have simply dropped the ball when it comes to this. If there are any constructive lessons to be extrapolated from the pandemic, it’s for the hospitality industry to begin regarding public relations as a necessity, instead of as an accessory.
