The lodging market has become increasingly competitive in recent years. Hotels have to compete with other similar outfits and short-term rentals and other rooming options. Your hotel must have an active marketing strategy. Here are some tips for using public relations campaigns to draw visitors to your establishment.
Host a community event
A great way to generate positive press coverage for your hotel is to host a community event. Many hotels, such as Marriott Providence, have ample meeting space to host different activities. You can reach out to charities or other businesses that are sponsors of past local events to offer your hotel’s room for a particular event. Another possibility is to contact some local organizations and offer meeting space. If you can get an event with a lot of publicity, your hotel will get several mentions during any news, sports or articles discussing the affair.
Hold a press conference
You can seek out publicity for your hotel by holding a press conference. The press conference should focus on an announcement related to the property. There are many possibilities for newsworthy declarations you could make about your hotel. Perhaps you want to introduce a rebranded amenity, such as a restaurant. Maybe the hotel recently invested in upgraded fitness equipment to help promote guests’ wellness. Your hotel should regularly review its services and amenity offerings to determine which are most valuable to customers and where changes are needed. You need to check all recent hotel changes from a public relations perspective to see which ones you may be able to announce to generate the most excitement.
Use a themed campaign
A themed campaign is where you tie a specific service or product to a promotion package at your hotel. The package is marketed to a target audience you determine will respond well to the campaign. You can promote the package through a variety of media outlets. You may even want to invite a reporter to try out the promotion so they can give a review. Clever promotions can include themed stays tied to a local attraction to visit. Other ideas would be to have a unique restaurant or spa offering and invite guests to try them out as part of a package. You can also develop special event packages, such as weddings or reunions with a central concept.
Hold a contest
Another way to get people talking about your hotel is to hold a contest. The better the prize, the more buzz you will create. Free rooms or upgraded rooms are great for a visitor and do not cost the hotel very much extra. You could give away free stays with restaurant credit or offerings. Many guests will spend money for sundries, alcohol and other items if they are available for sale at your hotel, further diminishing the hotel’s cost for offering a free stay. Your potential visitors are likely to pass around information about a contest for free rooms on social media. This will create a lot of free publicity for your hotel.
Present a speaker
If you are able to connect with a public speaker, you can get them to use your hotel space for their presentation. The speaker’s own publicity will include references to your hotel. There may also be other news stories about the event. Other options include offering to host a podcast or book signing for an author. Your hotel will not only get coverage in the press but will also have the opportunity to host numerous guests. The more people who are exposed to your hotel’s offerings, the greater the potential for these guests to refer friends and family to your hotel for stays. With social media, event attendees are likely to make posts about your hotel as well.
Your hotel needs a great public relations strategy to stand out from other lodging offerings. You can use these tips to further your hotel’s public relations goals.
