Blog post by GEC PR Company Director Fiona Anderson

With an estimated 700,000 hotels operating globally pre-pandemic, it’s clear that even with a large margin of error, there are a lot of hotels out there – and that all hoteliers have a lot of competition!

So, how can a hotel achieve cut-through in order to entice new clients and generate more bookings?

A broad marketing strategy is of course essential. But I’m going to narrow down the key elements of the marketing mix to focus on public relations.

Effective public relations, or PR, specifically helps a business engage with its target customers and create reasons why that potential customer should buy or book with that brand rather than opt for another.

Here are my five top reasons why hotels should be investing in PR:

  1. Great PR consultants spot the stories about your hotel that you may be too close (to your hotel brand) to see. Why do your staff stay working with you for a long time? What do your repeat visitors love? PRs can ask the questions that make for a compelling story and reasons to book.
  2. Got a great hotel story to tell? PR agencies have honed media and content creator relationships that they can call upon far quicker than an in-house hotel team ever could.
  3. PR can drive brand awareness for a fraction of the cost of above-the-line advertising: PR-driven stories create editorial content that can amplify your hotel’s unique offerings in a way that captures the interest of media and their target audiences. A strong story sent to target media and content creators can generate real interest in a hotel. A great piece of editorial content is also far more credible than an advert.
  4. PRs can sift through the many approaches good hotels will get by journalists and content creators and recommend those that can deliver on their promises. PRs can also manage the information required for reviews and features once the contacts are back on home soil too.
  5. Not sure how to position your hotel? Or reach the right audiences? A great PR agency will help you devise a strategy that will not only drive awareness of your hotel but get those target travellers to book to stay with you when they can – and shout about what a brilliant time they had at your property when they return home.

The team at GEC PR loves working with hotels, so to find out how we could help your hotel, resort or B&B generate more bookings in the UK and globally email [email protected] to arrange a free no-obligation consultation.