Into
the wild in style The
Resort at Paws Up
May 2008
Sunset magazine,
the western regional lifestyle
publication, has the perfect
demographic for Paws Up, the
luxury ranch resort in Montana.
But the magazine was slow
to commit to a story or visit
the property. But after four
years, a new editor finally
went for the all-powerful
travel trend of “glamping.”
Sunset asked
LDPR for assistance with finding
the appropriate freelance
writer to do the piece for
Paws Up. LDPR’s matchmaking
skills proved successful when
editor Rachel Levin and freelance
writer Dina Mishev hooked
up for the story published
May 2008. Sunset readers reacted
on the spot. The feature was
linked to 165 phone inquiries
and 30 reservations, resulting
in nearly $100,000 in revenue
to date.
Circulation:
1,238,608
Ad Value: $95,625
PR Value: $286,875
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on photo to enlarge
Eden
“rocks” the luxury
market Eden
Rock, St Barths
Spring 2008
Eden Rock,
St Barths was unveiling its
newest accommodation in January
2008—the two-bedroom
Villa Nina that would start
renting in high season at
a rate of $49,000 Euros per
week—a steep price even
for the luxury market. The
challenge was finding an outlet
that reached the upper-affluent
consumer likely to rent the
villa.
LDPR targeted
Black Ink magazine, read by
holders of the invitation-only
“American Express Black
Card,” positioning the
new villa as the ultimate
getaway in the Caribbean.
The clincher for the editors
was an over-the-top quote
provided by Eden Rock owner
David Matthews that demonstrated
just how far the management
at Eden Rock is willing to
go to please their guests.
The result was a one-page
feature with gorgeous photos
and a quote from owner David
Matthews.
Swinging
your way to a better physique Grande
Lakes Orlando March
'08
At a time
when golf is not as trendy
and newsworthy as it once
was, LDPR was charged with
increasing the coverage on
Grande Lakes’ award-winning
course and Golf Club.
The head
golf professional, Kelly Sheehan,
happened to be the first and
only female head golf professional
in the Ritz-Carlton organization.
Although this was a hot button
for the client it was not
a strong enough angle to secure
a major feature placement.
So LDPR combined the concept
with another trend -- fitness.
Kelly had an exercise and
wellness background, so LDPR
worked with her to create
a number of on-course exercises
that golfers could do between
holes.
LDPR had
arranged for Sean Liphard,
editor of H2O magazine, an
Atlanta-based fitness publication,
to visit the property for
a general resort feature.
Using the golf/fitness angle,
the team leveraged this visit
to introduce the editor to
the new golf exercises. The
result: a general resort feature
in the January/February issue
followed by a four-page color
feature in the March/April
issue. The spread included
step-by-step photography of
the exercises and a full-page
color photo of The Ritz-Carlton,
Orlando, Grande Lakes.
The
circulation of H2O
is 200,000 and targets the
important Orlando feeder market
of Atlanta. The total coverage
resulted in 1.2 million media
impressions and a total PR
value of $114,000.
Dollar-based
deal
Concorde Hotels & Resorts
June 2008
Acknowledging
that the state of the economy
was in a downturn, Concorde
Hotels & Resorts created
the USD Fixed Rate Offer
for two of its premier hotels
in Paris—the Hotel
du Louvre and the Hotel
Lutetia. For the summer
months, the offer locked
in the rates in USD so it
would not be affected by
a fluctuating Euro.
LDPR aggressively
targeted the media, especially
daily newspapers, in Concorde’s
top markets. In addition
to pitching the travel angle,
the agency also pitched
it as a business-trend story.
The results were phenomenal,
with coverage online and
in print. Outlets included:
About.com; HotelChatter.com;
LA Daily News, Hotels online;
National Geographic E-newsletter;
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(business story); Boston
Globe (business section);
International Herald Tribune
(business story); Palm Beach
Post (business story); Frommers.com;
Bergen Record E-newsletter;
Naples Daily News (business
story); Bonita Daily News
(business story); Visalia
Times (business story);
New York Times; Minneapolis
Star-Tribune (print &
online/business story)
Circulation:
360,695
Ad Value: $19,198
PR Value: $57,594
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on photo to enlarge
Summer
struggles
Tourisme Montreal/Orlando
CVB
May 2008
In
the face of the weakening
US economy, Tourisme Montreal
and the Orlando Convention
and Visitors Bureau both launched
campaigns to promote the value
in their destinations and
engage consumers in the experiences
of each city.
In addition to regular media
outreach, LDPR wanted coverage
for the marketing campaigns,
showing what both destinations
were doing to respond to the
situation. The agency approached
an editor at The New York
Times Business section, and
worked to secure interviews
with spokespeople from both
Montréal and Orlando
for a feature story focusing
on “summer struggles
for visitors” and how
destinations were faring.
The New York
Times, with a circulation
of about 1.5 million, prominently
cited interviews with both
Tourisme Montréal and
Orlando CVB throughout the
feature story, a huge media
success for two clients and
the agency. Additionally,
the story was accompanied
by the lead image of Montréal’s
news ad with “value”
messaging. The feature story
also ran on The New York Times
Web site, with 2.8 million
hits per month, and highlighted
Orlando’s television
ad via video.
Circulation:
1,495,048
PR value: $265,971
Ad value: $797,913
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on photo to enlarge
Art took Eden Rock far from
the travel pages, all the
way to the Wall Street Journal March
2008 Eden
Rock, St. Barthes
The art world
is shifting its sales strategy,
selling even the big-name
art outside the usual galleries
and auction houses. Eden Rock,
the luxurious resort in St.
Barths, has been aiding this
shift with its Artists Series
that displays and sells the
work of today's leading contemporary
masters. Will Cotton, the
New York artist known for
his surreal candy landscapes,
was to stay at the hotel for
the entire month of February
and display his collection
in March.
Quick
to take advantage of this
interesting story angle, LDPR
approached the weekend edition
of The Wall Street Journal,
offering an exclusive interview
with Cotton. The result: a
placement both in the hard
copy of this national newspaper
(which included a photo of
one of Will’s paintings
for sale at Eden Rock) and
online, which featured a slideshow
of nine Will Cotton paintings
for sale at the resort. This
news item reached over 15
million readers and carried
a PR value of $137,000. Even
better, the resort received
many inquiries from interested
collectors.
The
RockResorts brand has had an
exciting year. Two new properties
opened in late 2007/early 2008
and there are four more in development.
Additionally, the brand instituted
a variety of eco-friendly programs
at each individual property.
LDPR wanted to spread the word
about RockResorts by using the
Chief Operating Officer, Stan
Brown, as a spokesperson. Stan
was not only knowledgeable about
the brand’s initiatives,
but also passionate about his
goals and the future of the
company. LDPR was able to secure
an interview with Jeff Weinstein,
the editor-in-chief from a top
trade publication.
The result was a one-page feature,
“RockResorts For All Seasons,”
in the June 2008 issue of HOTELS
Investment Outlook. The audience
was perfect—hotel owners,
investors, developers, financiers,
consultants and analysts, as
well as the top executives of
hotel chains, management companies
and independent hotels worldwide.
All of the important aspects
of the hotel brand were highlighted
in the article, including the
“eco-friendly” options
and brand positioning for the
future.
Circulation:
20,500
PR value of $32,880
Ad value: $98,640
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on photo to enlarge
Small
meetings in the great outdoors
The Resort at Paws Up
March 2008
When the
resort opened in June 2005
as the first luxury resort
in Western Montana, it was
no surprise that it would
be a smash hit with guests
and the media. With a menu
of adventure activities,
wide-open expanses and unique
luxury accommodations, the
resort also makes for a
surprisingly inspirational
setting for incentive groups.
So LDPR went to work to
position the resort as the
perfect place for some serious
Montana-style team building.
The agency
presented a detailed survey
on Paws Up’s meetings
and incentives program to
an editor at Luxury Travel
Advisor. The result? Paws
Up was prominently featured
in a March small meetings
feature that described the
resort’s accommodations,
activities, group offerings
and a leading half-page
photo of Tent City (Paws
Up’s luxury camping
accommodations). Travel
agent incentives were also
included.
Circulation:
11,000 travel agents
Ad Value: $9,413
PR Value: $28,239
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on photo to enlarge
A
marriage made in…Paris!
Concorde Hotels & Resorts
March 2008
Concorde Hotels & Resorts,
a well-known Paris-based hotel
company in Europe, was relatively
unknown in the US. The company
hired LDPR to introduce the
brand to American travel agents,
meeting planners, leisure
travelers and business executives.
When the
brand’s chief operating
officer, Marie-Béatrice
Lallemand, announced she was
coming to New York, LDPR set
up appointments so she could
meet with high-level travel
agent trade media, meetings
media and national travel
magazines and tell her story
of the growth and future of
the company.
Kerry Medina
of Vacation Agent interviewed
Ms. Lallemand and ran a two-page
feature interview story in
March. The article was an
in-depth look at Concorde
Hotels & Resorts as seen
from the eyes of Ms. Lallemand.
All important aspects of the
hotel brand were highlighted
within the story.
Circulation:
30,535
Ad Value: $27,945
PR Value: $83,835
Wall
Street style The
Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort,
Naples
July 2008
LDPR
handles the publicity for
both The Ritz-Carlton Beach
Resort and The Ritz-Carlton
Golf Resort in Naples, Florida.
As one of he brand’s
flagship properties, The Beach
Resort always receives a steady
stream of coverage, but there
have been challenges in broadening
recognition for the Golf Resort.
The media
has not been covering golf
resorts with the same tenacity
as in the past, but The Ritz-Carlton
Golf Resort, Naples, one of
the top in Florida, has a
relaxed and stylish atmosphere
and offers more than golf
with shared amenities with
the Beach Resort. When pitching
media, it was important to
deliver the message that a
stay at the resort has something
for everyone: golf, spa, the
beach, great food and an assortment
of activities throughout the
year.
Seeing is
believing, so LDPR invited
the travel columnist from
TraderDaily.com to experience
the property for himself.
This Web site reaches a very
targeted group of affluent
Wall Street traders, a niche
market for the property. The
visit was scheduled for when
the property was hosting its
“Giveback Getaway”
to the Florida Panther Refuge,
so the journalist could further
see how the resort goes “beyond
the green.”
The end result
was a story that hit on all
the key message points. The
resort’s proximity to
New York, use of the beach
and spa at the sister property
and yes, world-class golf.
Circulation:
1.8 million hits per month
Ad value: $8,990
PR value: $26,970.
click
on photo to enlarge
Words
on the Web
Peter Island Resort
May 2008
Peter Island Resort premiered
its ultra-luxury villa product,
Falcon's Nest, in May of 2007.
The spectacular villa is so
exclusive and high-end that
finding the right media with
the right audience was crucial
to help book the accommodation
and meet the marketing goals
of the villa and the resort
overall.
In
addition to consumer print
publications with affluent
readerships, LDPR wanted to
blanket all forms of media
with information about Peter
Island Resort and the villa
program, especially Falcon’s
Nest. The agency targeted
Indagare.com—a subscriber-based
luxury travel Web site that
makes vacation recommendations
to their over 1,000 members.
Indagare.com was offered an
exclusive first-hand experience
of Peter Island’s first-class
service, amenities and spa
treatments and was able to
review the resort’s
newest addition, Falcon’s
Nest.
The
result was a glowing review
on the Web site, which included
numerous photos, as well as
information on the resort,
the spa, the cuisine and the
villa rental program.
click
on photo to enlarge
The
race to become the world’s
first fully sustainable green
island Star
Island
April 2008
Star
Island came to LDPR in October
2007 with the goal of being
positioned as the world’s
first fully sustainable “green”
island destination. This eco-luxe
private island community and
boutique hotel planned to
break ground in The Bahamas
in June 2008 with an opening
date of late 2009.
Promoting
a hotel before it even breaks
ground is always challenging.
Another obstacle was that
the media was wary of "greenwashing"
and unwilling to give the
project coverage until it
proved itself. So LDPR began
pitching some creative angles,
including a race to become
the world's first green island.
Among the competitors: Leonardo
DiCaprio and Richard Branson.
LDPR
pitched this story angle to
a freelance writer from ABCNews.com,
the online home of the ABC
news network that gets more
than a million hits per month.
The result: a story titled
“Who Will Create the
First Green Island,”
which positioned our client,
David Sklar, as one of the
top three contenders against
DiCaprio’s Blackadore
Caye and Salt Cay Island in
the Turks & Caicos. This
online feature coverage accomplished
two goals for Star Island:
it elevated the project’s
status and gave it credibility
for pitching additional coverage.
The PR value was $21,990 and
the client could not have
been happier.
During a fact-finding lunch,
LDPR discovered that The Knot/The
Nest, leading sites for weddings
and newly weds, were looking
for different romantic destinations
for upcoming broadcast segments
with their “editor experts.”
The agency reacted instantly,
listing good reasons for coverage
and sending b-roll from a
selection of its clients.
As
a result, Hotel Jerome was
featured as the “eco-friendly”
option and Scotland as the
“romantic fairytale”
option in an NBC “Saturday
Today in New York” segment
on destination weddings. Not
only was this excellent coverage
in a top market for both clients,
but it also addressed RockResorts’
hot, current initiative: promoting
“green” efforts
from the property to the brand
level. Additionally, Scotland
was the only destination highlighted
in Europe for a romantic wedding
and honeymoon spot. The second
segment ran on CW-11 Morning
News featuring Snake River
Lodge as the first option
for his/her duel vacations
for a “Golf Guy and
[a] Spa Girl.”
The
Knot PR managers ultimately
expressed great appreciation
for LDPR’s product knowledge,
fast turn-around and assistance
with the segments. The relationship
with these editors is now
a stronger one and will no
doubt result in additional
broadcast coverage for other
agency clients.
Circulation:
265,457
PR value: $48,876
Ad value: $146,628
Orlando’s
Still Got The Magic in ‘08
Orlando Convention &
Visitors Bureau, Inc.
April 2008
As spring and summer family
vacation time became top of
mind, the economy was the
issue of greatest concern
for travelers. It was expected
that tourism would be affected,
but the family vacation remains
one of “life’s
necessities.” LDPR was
faced with the challenge of
securing a major national
broadcast hit to impact summer
bookings and show how Orlando
was poised for growth and
optimistic for the future
in spite of any signs of recession.
We armed ourselves with compelling
facts; a great spokesperson,
Gary Sain, President of the
Orlando CVB, and identified
the right outlet to deliver
the message that it is still
possible to visit America’s
top family playground in tough
times: Fox Business News “Money
for Breakfast.”
LDPR
worked with the Orlando CVB
to compile an extensive list
of value offers at all price
points, packaged and presented
to show how far $600 or $1,200
will stretch in Orlando. This
gave us the necessary hook
to pitch the producers of
“Money for Breakfast,”
and secure an interview for
a live segment on Fox Business
News.
The
result: On air for over five
minutes, Gary Sain was able
to cover all of the important
message points, including
value, new development and
visitor projections.
Ad
value: $5,950
PR value: $17,850
Using
Scottish fashions to introduce
Scotland Week to the public.
Tartan
Week Re-Branding
Every
year LDPR works with VisitScotland
to promote Tartan Week. The
agency's job is to drive potential
travelers to the Scottish
Village in Vanderbuilt Hall,
Grand Central Terminal, so
they can experience a taste
of Scotland. In 2008, our
challenges were three-fold:
1) Tartan Week was re-branded
Scotland Week 2) the Scottish
Village, used to anchor the
event, was canceled due to
construction in Grand Central
Terminal 3) VisitScotland
had a mandate to promote their
"Homecoming 2009"
celebrations as part of the
event in New York. Without
the Scottish Village in place
to drive traffic and connect
with the public, LDPR had
to find other ways get Scotland’s
news out to a large audience.
Coverage
on national television was
the perfect solution. On behalf
of VisitScotland, LDPR reached
out to our great contacts
at the TODAY Show and worked
with their producers to create
a Scottish fashion segment
on the “history of tartan.”
To weave in the "Homecoming
2009" message we included
a real Scottish Clan Chief
outfitted in his family tartan
and full regalia. We also
secured a place for Scottish
kilt designer, Howie Nicholsby,
to commentate on the fashions
and offer a brief history
of tartan. An LDPR staffer
was chosen as one of the models
for the different outfits.
Four minutes of air-time spotlighting
Scotland Week and the Homecoming
message on national television.
This hit reached a viewership
of 9,111,984 and had a PR
value of $1,237,500.
The
Outback Goes Mainstream
Tourism Australia
October/November '07
Australia
enjoys a fantastic reputation
among Americans as a land
of laid-back attitudes, rich
cultural history, world-class
beaches and urban, sophisticated
cities. As the PR agency for
Tourism Australia for the
past nine years, it has garnered
a tremendous amount of publicity
in travel, lifestyle and trade
publications. However, in
2007, Tourism Australia asked
us to focus our efforts on
a large, far-reaching broadcast
feature that would highlight
the best of Australia, as
well as support two of their
“hot buttons”
for the year: its World Heritage
Sites and the fact that Australia
is close enough to the US
for a week-long holiday.
We
decided that a national morning
show would be our best bet
(huge audience with national
reach). The viewers would
consist of both avid travelers
(who may have already visited
Australia and are looking
for a reason to return), as
well as potential travelers
who see Australia as an "aspirational"
destination and just need
that extra nudge to get them
on a plane.
LDPR
pitched The CBS Early Show’s
on-air weatherman Dave Price.
We knew he was a big fan of
Australia and that the show
was planning its 2007 “All-Access”
season -- a series of segments
in which one lucky winner
accompanies Dave on a trip
of a lifetime. The only catch:
the trip had to be completed,
start to finish, in four days.
Although travel to Australia
from North America takes two
days (because of the time
difference), we were convinced
we could make it work.
We
worked tirelessly with the
producers to create the perfect
itinerary that would wow their
television audience with uniquely
Australian icons and experiences
such as the Great Barrier
Reef, Uluru (Ayers Rock),
Sydney and the Opera House.
These areas also happen to
be World Heritage sites, so
we were able to work that
messaging in, as well as the
fact that the entire trip
– from the reef to the
rock to Sydney – was
done in just 2.5 days!
The
result: an eight-minute segment
with a viewership of 3,574,158
and an PR value of $966,294.
In addition, information on
planning a trip to Australia
was included on the CBS News
Web site and a special thank-you
was given to both Tourism
Australia and Qantas on air.
Working
with LDPR makes my job as a writer and
editor a lot easier and a lot more fun.
My queries, phone calls and e-mails
are promptly answered, and the press
trips are right on the mark. LDPR's
clients are top of the line and reflect
the caliber of the agency.
Gay Nagle Myers
Senior Editor/Caribbean Editor, Travel Weekly