PR for hotels and hospitality
Hospitality PR: getting hotels and venues booked through the press
Hospitality PR fills rooms and tables by getting hotels, bars and venues into travel and lifestyle coverage. Openings, renovations, new chefs and signature experiences are the news, and photography carries the story. Relationships with local food and travel writers matter as much as national features.
Story angles that work for hotels and hospitality
Journalists do not cover companies, they cover stories. These are the angles that most often earn hotels and hospitality coverage:
- Openings and renovations with a firm date and great imagery
- A new chef, menu or signature experience
- Seasonal packages and events
- Sustainability or local community initiatives
How to run hotels and hospitality PR yourself
- Pick one story. Choose the strongest angle above and write it in one sentence. If you cannot, the story is not ready.
- Build a short list. Find the 20 to 50 reporters who have covered hotels and hospitality recently. A short list that fits beats a long list that does not.
- Write a personal pitch. Three short paragraphs: the news, why it matters to their readers, and what you can offer such as data, interviews or images.
- Follow up once. Three to five working days later, add something new rather than "just checking in".
- Track what lands. Note who replied and what they wrote about, so your next pitch is warmer.
What reporters on this beat want
- Travel features are planned months ahead. Pitch summer stories in winter.
- Lead with what is new: an opening, a route or a reopening.
- Lifestyle desks plan gift guides and seasonal features months ahead. Pitch early.
- Include price, stockists and high-resolution images in the first email.
Mistakes to avoid
- Inviting writers before the property is ready.
- Pitching without professional photography.
Who covers hotels and hospitality
InsightFuse lists 3,038 journalists, editors and producers whose role or outlet points to hotels and hospitality coverage, across 86 countries. Here is where they work and what they do.
Where they work: top outlets and employers
- Whole Foods Market
- Hyatt Hotels Corporation
- Travelzoo
- Meredith Corporation
- Pioneer Foods
- Northstar Travel Media
- Traveloka
- Tyson Foods
- Food Network
- Slow Food
- Condé Nast
- Travel Weekly
| Country | Journalists |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,222 |
| United Kingdom | 342 |
| India | 162 |
| Canada | 142 |
| Australia | 134 |
| South Africa | 126 |
| Italy | 54 |
| Indonesia | 48 |
| Role | Journalists |
|---|---|
| Writers | 1,094 |
| Editors | 1,038 |
| Producers | 267 |
| Journalists | 196 |
| Reporters | 95 |
| Editors-in-chief | 89 |
Counts come from the InsightFuse database and include only people with editorial job titles. Names and contact details are available inside the app.
Browse journalists on these beats
- Travel journalists4,014 worldwide
- Travel journalists in the United States1,429 journalists
- Travel journalists in the United Kingdom400 journalists
- Travel journalists in India255 journalists
- Lifestyle journalists9,266 worldwide
- Lifestyle journalists in the United States3,720 journalists
- Lifestyle journalists in the United Kingdom942 journalists
- Lifestyle journalists in India437 journalists
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is hospitality PR?
Hospitality PR promotes hotels, restaurants, bars and venues through media relations, press visits, events and influencer partnerships.
How do new hotels get press?
Announce the opening months ahead with images, invite writers for preview stays once the property is ready, and pitch distinctive features to travel and lifestyle editors.
Get started
Find the reporters who’ll cover you — free.
Search 799,000+ journalists by beat, outlet and country, then let the PR agent write and send the pitches. No credit card.