Public Relations Team & Hotel Marketing
Anyone who is working or has worked in a hotel, and has to be involved in hotel marketing, can probably say that hotels’ Public Relations teams and their functions have not
changed much over the past decades. Some think that being part of a PR team is fun and glamorous while some tend to feel that PR does not require any ‘real’ abilities and, as a career, maybe considered borderline “bimbo-ish”.
However, there are still others who may feel that Public Relations functions are there solely to generate awareness and exposure for the hotels via relevant and cost-effective channels.
Most important asset for Public Relations
Thus, there’s no question that the most important asset for any PR professionals would be their ‘media database’ and their relationships with those whose names are on it. They wine and dine the media, they visit them with fancy gifts, they remember the media friends’ birthday and publications’ anniversaries closer to their hearts than their own and they find any occasion possible to meet with media at any cost. Public Relations pros have been taking this approach over and over for years and years. Does it work? For some, yes. For others, far from it.
Where some Public Relations professionals go wrong with Hotel Marketing
We mustn’t confuse ‘frequent’ with ‘recognition’ or ‘friendship’. They are great at utilizing their database, but they call the media on the phone too frequently or re-send unanswered emails one too many times with hopes that the media will publish every news releases they send out. Hello…the world does not revolve only around you and your Public Relations reports.
The simple ‘quid pro quo’
Media relations are good, there’s no doubt about it. But within that relationship lies a win-win philosophy. The media is not out looking for freebies nor free meals. They are working professionals who have to do their jobs right, too. That means they want relevant information and content with substance. If some Public Relations professionals would just open their hearts and put themselves in the media’s shoes, we could have saved millions of dollars in media visit gifts.
News with substance
You don’t ‘just’ create a piece of news and add substance to it. This requires a well-planned PR strategy and a solid
timeline. PR works more effectively when integrated with other marketing activities to capture the awareness generated from Public Relations exposure. There are several Public Relations agencies in Thailand, be sure to talk to the ones who really understand the hotel industry and can plan your PR work so that it is in line with the hotel’s marketing strategy.