Hotel Public Relations & Marketing Case Studies

Building Hotel Sales Post Natural and Manmade Crises

Situation Analysis. Our client, who owns four Velas Resorts in three destinations in Mexico, suffered from three consecutive blows to Mexican tourism.

• The impression of danger based on drug-related violence
• A weak U.S. economy, Mexicos most important source of visitors and tourism revenue
• The advent of the swine flu. To make matters even worse, the Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. and Canada advised against all non-essential travel to Mexico  [Top]

.... all of which caused the biggest drop in tourism revenue since records began in the 1980s.

The challenge
Get North Americans traveling back to Mexico and the Velas Resorts, especially individual leisure travelers, who book short term.

Strategies

• Develop marketing programs and hotel features that provided enticing value, making a trip to Mexico irresistible, without eroding the resorts average daily rate.
• Create a sense of urgency, time-limited deals, urging visitors to take advantage and book now.
• Tap into luxury travel and lifestyle trends that would resonate with affluent travelers and generate press coverage.
• Set forth an emotional appeal and message that American visitors are welcome.
• Work closely with the public relations agencies for each hotels destination to capture the largest share of the media visits and promotions, and more importantly, stretch marketing dollars.  [Top]

Tactics

• Developed a Welcome Back to Mexico promotion for all the Velas Resorts with a unique feature that no one else was offering: a double upgrade. (In a 2009 study for Leading Hotels of the World by Market Matrix, it was determined that the amenity affluent travelers most valued was the upgrade).
• Primarily targeted the family market, because even in a depressed economy, travelers make friends and family a priority. We proclaimed summer as a Family Fiesta, with enticements and special features for kids and their parents.
• Identified and targeted a new, underserved market - single parents, a hotel first for Mexico. Developed a program offering the same rate as for two in a room, with up to two kids sharing the room for free.
• Launched a series of group and individual media visits for offline and online media.
• Liaised with public relations agencies of the Mexico Tourism Board, Riviera Nayarit, Riviera Maya and Puerto Vallarta, being the first resorts to offer media hospitality, secure remote broadcasts and coordinated messaging with these agencies.  [Top]

Results

• The Welcome Back to Mexico promotion, which involved no loss of revenue or additional expenses for the resorts, became the best selling of any of their package offerings. As a result, summer bookings to the resorts call center were up as much as 40% (depending on the resort) and the promotion was extended through the fall.
• The "Single Parent promotion was so successful in generating room nights and media coverage, it will continue to be an annual low-season offering for all Velas resorts.
• Bookings generated were the solely the result of media relations efforts and email marketing, as there was no advertising support.
• Within eight weeks of the announcements, editorial coverage appeared in a whos who of media outlets, everything from the New York Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, to CNN, Travel + Leisures Hot Deals and Tribune News Services, as well as creating enormous buzz and pick-up on numerous social media sites.  [Top]

Relaunching a Hotel In a Crowded Marketplace The Clinton Hotel And Spa, Miami Beach

Situation Analysis. In a market already crowded with hip, boutique hotels and big marketing budgets, the challenge was to set the Clinton Hotel & Spa apart from its many South Beach competitors and put it on the national map with a limited marketing budget and no prior branding support.

Objectives

• Establish a strategic position to leverage the hotel’s unique design elements that would appeal most to its key market segments and create a "buzz"
• Generate inquiries and room reservations, especially mid - week and off season
• Impact niche markets , especially romance, design, gay/lesbian, and a young demographic
• Build awareness of the hotel among target markets.  [Top]

Positioning 
Located in South Beach, Florida, a U.S. fashion capital, KWE Group wanted to evoke a sense of hip style by emphasizing the fashion background of the Clinton's owner, its French interior designer, and its dramatic design elements such as corset lacing on the furniture and mirrors, transparent glass corner walls in the bathroom and room signs celebrating the female form. Our positioning was: The newly designed Clinton Hotel and Spa is a 1930’s Art Deco gem in the heart of Miami’s South Beach fashion and entertainment district. A seductive, sensual hideaway with a French twist, the 88-room one-of-a-kind playground was designed by Parisian Eric Raffy and owned by “fashionista” Simon Nemni.  [Top]

Tactics

• Develop seductive hotel package themes, facilities and services that play off the marketing positioning including a signature package, "Naughty but Nice." This unique package included a sensual minibar complete with Kama Sutra products and aphrodisiac snacks, the first ever room service lingerie menu with silk robes and teddys, and sweethearts conversation piece candies at turndown.
• Reach out to local not-for-profit organizations to develop joint marketing promotions. The most exciting were a tie-in with the Bass Museum's exhibit of Picasso's erotic works and a sponsorship of Gen Art’s international fashion design competition.
• Establish a close relationship with the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to host select events at the hotel.
• Work closely with the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau to host visiting media.
• Stage two annual media trips with press from feeder and niche markets, especially New York metro, bridal, design, and gay/lesbian media
• Develop special reader offers for magazines ranging from Marie Claire and Genre, to Travel + Leisure and Delta Sky to build off-season business.
• Give special emphasis to placements in design media whose articles could be showcased on the hotel's website.  [Top]

Results
The Clinton regularly made national and local news ranging from USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, to the New York Times, Ocean Drive, Genre, Bride's and MTV reality show, "8th and Ocean," as well as major features in Hospitality Design and the ’Home & Design’ section of the Miami Herald. Most importantly, the Clinton enjoyed occupancy and room rates that were among the highest in its market.  [Top]