How PR Sells
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by Michael G. Frenkel
February, 2001

The industry is in tough times.

Travelers are not traveling. Hotels are having a difficult time selling rooms, and that means owners and brands are suffering. When revenues dry up, so do marketing budgets. 

That, in turn, makes it harder to sell rooms. 

The cycle persists . . .  and worsens.

Enter the stepchild of the marketing process, public relations. 

Why �stepchild?� Because for years, public relations has got the rump of the marketing budget, sandwiched somewhere between advertising, promotions and event marketing. The rationale is as follows: PR is less quantifiable than other forms of marketing, such as advertising or direct mail; therefore, it is a less measurable investment. Put the marketing dollars where they stand the best chance of selling room nights. And that is not PR � or so says conventional wisdom.

But conventional wisdom has it wrong. For those who use it effectively, public relations can actually increase occupancy and ADR, in addition to doing other things it does well (building brand or property awareness, enhancing image and communicating with key publics).

�Selling� Your Assets

Here is an example of effective hotel public relations at work. In the tense and tragic days immediately following 9-11, more than one hotel searched for creative ways to reassure travelers and offer packages that fit the spirit of the times, without seeming opportunistic or insensitive.

The Lenox Hotel and The Copley Square Hotel, owned by Boston�s Saunders Hotel Group, seized the moment. A �Celebrate the Spirit of Historic Boston� package was introduced, offering driving-distance guests the opportunity to visit one of America�s most historic cities. The package included two nights at one of the hotels, dinner at the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in America, and admittance to historic museums, the Freedom Trail and other patriotic venues.

The package was not advertised. Instead, it was encapsulated into a catchy press release which was pitched to the media and appeared in major newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The response was tremendous. Calls came in from throughout the east coast - including one tour operator who was dismayed to find that there were no rooms available under the package. . . . all had sold out!

Of course, �selling through PR� is not just about packages. And it�s not limited to press releases.

They key is looking at your property or brand as whole, keying into those �unique selling propositions� that distinguish your hotel � or city, or venue or destination � from any competitor anywhere, and then translating your competitive advantage into compelling copy and news - worthy communications.

A PR firm can help you craft such communications, but you can also do it yourself. Some of the most original, creative and effective PR work originates in-house.

In a time of limited resources and angst about everything from international terrorism to domestic economic trends, appropriately framed and clearly targeted PR communications can be the best friend a travel provider ever had.

The marketing �stepchild� has grown up. And savvy hotel professionals everywhere are realizing that public relations not only tells � it sells.


M FRENKEL COMMUNICATIONS (MFC) provides strategic communications and public relations for
companies in travel and hospitality, real estate, retail and consumer brands, and the not-for-profit arenas.  We have counseled Fortune 500 companies and start-ups, and built some of the world�s most prestigious and well-known brands, with one goal: differentiating our client�s business from the competition, in today�s noisy, crowded marketplace � to achieve competitive advantage in your market.

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Contact:

Michael G. Frenkel 
President 
MFC PR 
230 Park Avenue, Suite 1000 
New York, NY 10169 
 212-808-6556 
[email protected]
http://www.mfcpr.com

 
Also See The Time to Prepare for a Crisis is Now / Michael G. Frenkel / October, 2001 
No Hotel? No Problem! NYC Travel PR Firm Drives Business for 'Undiscovered' Destinations, Properties / Aug 2001 

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