Hospitality PR Agency

By Sam Harris, Digital Networking Agency

A hospitality PR agency gets hotels, resorts, hospitality groups and the people who run them written about in the publications guests, investors and partners read, and makes sure that coverage is what they find when they search your name. PR for hotels gives a property a reputation before a guest ever walks through the door.

This page explains what hospitality PR involves, the stories that work, where we place hospitality clients, how to choose an agency and how the process runs.

Why press works for hospitality

Every guest decides about a hotel before they arrive. They compare photos, read reviews, check the location and search the name. Reviews tell them whether the room was clean and the breakfast was good. Press tells them what the place is for and why it is worth choosing over the one down the road.

For hospitality companies, the audience is wider than guests. Owners, investors, landlords, event planners, corporate travel buyers and future hires all search a group before they commit. A feature in a recognised publication answers the question every one of them is asking: is this a serious operator with a clear idea of what it is doing?

Press also outlasts a launch. Opening buzz fades within a season. A well-placed feature about the vision behind a property keeps appearing in search long after the ribbon is cut.

What a hospitality PR agency does

  • Finds the story. The design, the setting, the food, the founder, the reason the property exists: whatever makes it more than a place to sleep.
  • Writes it to the publication's standard. A feature that reads like the title it appears in, not a fact sheet.
  • Places it. Matching the story to luxury, lifestyle, travel, regional and business publications whose readers fit your guest or your investor, and managing it through to a live link.
  • Times it. Openings, refurbishments, new restaurants or spas, rebrands, new leadership and seasonal pushes.
  • Builds your search results. Several features across different titles, so a search for the hotel or the group shows substance beyond booking sites.

The stories that work in hospitality

  • The opening or reopening, told through the vision behind it rather than the date.
  • The people. A general manager, chef, designer or founder with a clear point of view on what hospitality should feel like.
  • Design and heritage. Restored buildings, architecture, interiors and the decisions behind them.
  • The experience. A signature restaurant, a wellness programme, an all-inclusive offer done differently, a way of welcoming guests that genuinely stands apart.
  • The business. How an independent group grows, competes with the big brands or rethinks the hotel model. Business titles like this angle.

Boutique hotels, all-inclusive resorts, serviced apartments, hospitality groups and hospitality technology companies each need a different pitch. A boutique property in a city centre and a beach resort are not chasing the same guest, and the publications should reflect that.

Where we place hospitality clients

We work across luxury, lifestyle, regional and business publications whose readers include travellers, property owners and the trade, including Haute Residence, Luxury LA Mag, High Net Worth Magazine, Dubai Weekly, Khaleej Times, Miami Wire, CEO Weekly and MSN.

Luxury properties sit best in titles read by affluent travellers. Hospitality groups raising capital or expanding often need business coverage alongside lifestyle features. For properties in specific markets, such as Dubai, London, New York, Mumbai or Sydney, our pages on PR by location explain how regional coverage works. We tell you where we are pitching and why before anything is written.

How to choose a hospitality PR agency

Ask every agency the same questions, and judge the answers:

  • Which publications, specifically? You should hear names that match your guest, not a generic list.
  • Can you reach both guests and the trade? Many hotel groups need lifestyle coverage for guests and business coverage for owners and investors.
  • Who writes the piece? Hospitality writing should make a reader feel the place. You want a writer who can do that without the usual adjectives.
  • Do I approve everything before it goes live? The answer should be yes, every time.
  • What are you promising? Be wary of guaranteed coverage at staff-written titles. Our guide on how to vet a PR agency sets out what to ask.

What hospitality PR costs

It depends on the publications, the number of features and the period you want to cover. We quote each hotel or hospitality group individually rather than selling a fixed package. For a clear picture of how agencies charge and what different models buy, see how much a PR agency costs.

How it works

Share your property or group, the guests you want and the audience you need to reach. We develop the angle, write the piece to the publication's standard and manage the placement. You review and revise until it is right, and nothing publishes without your approval.

For a new hotel, the useful moment is before opening, when guests, planners and travel writers are deciding whether to pay attention. Coverage takes weeks rather than days, so build it into the opening plan rather than adding it at the end.

Frequently asked questions

What does a hospitality PR agency do?

It finds the story in your hotel or hospitality group, writes it to the standard of the publication, places it where guests, investors and partners will see it and times coverage around openings, refurbishments and seasonal pushes.

How is PR for hotels different from managing reviews?

Reviews describe individual stays. PR describes what the property is and why it exists. Guests read both, and a strong feature gives context to everything they find on review sites.

When should a new hotel start PR?

Before it opens. People decide whether to book, visit or write about a property in the months leading up to launch, and coverage takes weeks rather than days to go live.