Showing Off My Company

Hospitality industry public relations work poses many challenges. You need to approach all of your PR efforts with a set of goals. Public relations firms will encourage hospitality companies to focus on these five objectives.

Brand Awareness

Most hospitality businesses operate in sectors where awareness is everything. If people don't recognize a hotel's brand, for example, the odds drop that they'll trust it enough to stay there. Even if they're willing to take that chance, they will only do so with a sizeable discount. Brand awareness drives traffic while also growing profits because the whole business is about trust and quality.

Sustaining a Reputation

Building a good brand is one thing. However, you have to sustain and grow a reputation. Hospitality public relations work requires you to provide good experiences and quickly address problems when those experiences fall short. From a PR standpoint, this means monitoring news, social media, and customer comments for signs of failure. People respect the effort to recognize and rectify problems promptly.

You also want to feed a good reputation. If you have data that reflects high customer trust and satisfaction, share it. Awards and reviews are gold.

Crisis Management

Hospitality businesses will face crises. Some of these crises aren't significantly in your control, either. While you can do something about a food poisoning outbreak, it can be tough to manage the aftermath of a natural disaster. The public is watching how you do during each crisis, though. Good public relations during a crisis can turn a negative into a positive.

Employee Satisfaction

The PR environment doesn't stop at the customer base or the media. Your employees' satisfaction affects your PR as much as anything. People hear employees' complaints. An unsatisfied group of workers can rapidly erode even the best of corporate reputations.

A bad reputation with employees can limit your hiring ability, too. You want to be a company that attracts and retains workers, especially in a tough hiring environment.

Community

Hospitality businesses need good relations with the surrounding community. Even if your business thrives on outside customers, the locals talk. Also, local customers can prop your company up during bad times. A resort hotel with a restaurant can run a profit during the slow season when the community frequents the establishment.

You want your business to be part of the community. Have a presence at parades, festivals, and other public functions. Sponsor youth sports leagues. Work with programs that hire community members.

Contact a professional to learn more about hospitality industry public relations.