Most travelers make booking decisions long before they arrive at a hotel website. Often, they’re influenced by stories they’ve read, content they’ve seen, or experiences shared by people they trust. Public relations creates these moments of influence, shaping perception well before guests begin comparing rates.
A hotel’s reputation can influence booking decisions as much as its location or amenities and a well-executed PR strategy helps hotels stand out by crafting stories that resonate with target audiences. When these narratives reach the right publications, platforms, and influencers, they generate more than awareness – they drive curiosity, build confidence, and lead travelers to choose one hotel over another.
Shape Guest Perception and Reduce Dependence on OTAs
Increasing direct bookings is a priority for many hotels. While OTAs provide valuable exposure, they also come with high commissions and limit direct relationships with guests. Public relations helps reduce reliance on these platforms by shaping guest perception and providing compelling reasons to book directly.
When travelers encounter a hotel featured in reputable travel publications, social media feeds, and influencer content, it builds familiarity and trust. This exposure encourages them to visit the hotel’s website, where personalized messaging and direct-booking incentives strengthen their decision.
Research from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) highlights that travelers often begin their journey on OTAs, using them for initial research before booking directly with a hotel once they feel confident in their choice. Dr. Chris Anderson, a professor at Cornell University, examined this behavior in his study on the “billboard effect,” finding that 75% of travelers who book directly first visit an OTA. As referenced by HSMAI, his research underscores the importance of maintaining strong visibility across multiple touchpoints, including PR placements, to guide travelers toward direct bookings.
Build Hotel Visibility Through Influencer Marketing, Guest Content, and Earned Media
Influencer collaborations and guest-generated content are essential components of a well-rounded PR strategy for hotels because of their continued success at shaping guest perception and booking decisions.
Travelers increasingly turn to social media for destination inspiration, and 60% trust influencer recommendations as much as personal recommendations from friends and family, demonstrating the direct correlation between PR-led influencer collaborations and booking decisions. By selecting influencers whose audience aligns with the hotel’s ideal guest profile, PR teams help create authentic, experience-driven content that brings the property to life and builds credibility long before travelers visit the hotel’s website.
Guest-generated content also plays a critical role in modern PR strategies. Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to content created directly by brands. When travelers see real photos, videos, and testimonials from previous guests, it reinforces the hotel’s reputation and helps potential visitors feel confident in their decisions.
These influencer and guest-generated efforts complement traditional earned media, such as placements in respected travel publications and online magazines. Studies have consistently shown that earned media is significantly more trusted than paid advertising, particularly in the travel space where reassurance matters. By securing placements in trusted outlets and encouraging organic social sharing, PR helps hotels build credibility with potential guests long before they arrive at the booking decision.
Measure PR ROI and Connect Media Coverage to Hotel Bookings
Public relations isn’t a brand-building exercise with abstract results. Its return on investment (ROI) can be measured, even though it works differently than paid campaigns with clear cost-per-click tracking. When hotels invest in PR as an ongoing strategy instead of a one-time publicity push, the long-term financial benefits become easier to measure, with data showing its clear impact:
- Public relations is a vital tool for hospitality brands, helping hotels build trust, enhance reputation, and directly contribute to long-term revenue growth.
- Influencer and social media placements secured through PR directly influence traveler decisions, with one in three U.S. travelers using social platforms for trip ideas and 52% relying on them to plan.
- Email campaigns infused with PR content deliver an average return of $36 for every $1 spent, making them one of the most cost-effective tools for driving direct bookings.
To track how well PR campaigns contribute to that success, hotels can rely on a range of performance indicators that help connect media coverage to tangible business outcomes.
These key performance indicators (KPIs) include:
- Website traffic spikes following media coverage.
- Increased direct bookings after a hotel is featured in major publications.
- Social media engagement metrics, including shares, comments, and follower growth during or after PR campaigns.
- Promo codes or exclusive booking links tied to specific press coverage or influencer collaborations.
- Sentiment analysis and media impressions that measure how a hotel’s reputation is evolving in the public eye.
- Guest surveys asking whether coverage, influencer content, or press mentions played a role in their decision to book.
Beyond direct bookings, consistent PR efforts build something equally valuable: brand equity. Stronger brand equity improves the performance of future campaigns, strengthens word-of-mouth recommendations, and keeps hotels top-of-mind for returning guests and new travelers exploring their options.
Case Study: How Discover Puerto Rico Used PR to Drive $66 Million in Bookings
One of the most compelling examples of PR’s direct impact on hotel bookings comes from Discover Puerto Rico’s “Have We Met Yet?” campaign, launched in 2019 to restore the island’s tourism economy after Hurricane Maria.
The campaign used vibrant visuals, cultural storytelling, and coordinated outreach across digital platforms, traditional media, and social media channels to spotlight Puerto Rico’s unique culture, scenic beauty, and welcoming hospitality.
Within just three months, the PR-driven campaign directly contributed to over $66 million in tracked hotel bookings. Travelers influenced by the campaign booked rooms at an average daily rate (ADR) 11% higher than the island’s standard ADR at the time, demonstrating how strategic PR not only boosts bookings but attracts higher-value guests.
The campaign’s impact extended beyond leisure travel. Meeting and event bookings surged, with a 41% increase in meeting reservations and a 34% rise in total room nights associated with group events. These results underscore how effective PR can deliver both immediate and long-term returns across multiple revenue streams.
Protect Hotel Reputation and Long-Term Revenue With Proactive Crisis Communication
No hotel is immune to unexpected challenges, whether it’s a viral negative review, a natural disaster, or an industry-wide crisis. How a hotel communicates during these moments directly influences its long-term reputation and future bookings.
Public relations plays a central role in crisis management by ensuring responses are timely, transparent, and aligned with the hotel’s core values. Proactive communication, supported by experienced PR professionals, helps protect guest trust and minimizes the risk of long-term revenue loss.
A study from Indiana University found that guests were significantly more likely to book with hotels that used empathetic, emotionally aware messaging during crises compared to hotels that relied on cold, fact-based responses. Hotels that work with PR teams who understand how to balance transparency with reassurance are better equipped to recover from crises while preserving their reputation and guest confidence.
Strengthen Paid Marketing Performance by Building Guest Trust With PR
Public relations does far more than generate visibility. It shapes how travelers perceive a hotel, builds credibility, and influences decisions at every stage of the booking journey. While paid advertising can create quick bursts of awareness, PR builds the underlying trust that makes all other marketing, including paid campaigns, more effective.
When hotels consistently secure credible media coverage, collaborate with trusted influencers, and cultivate guest-generated content, they create the kind of long-term reputation that encourages travelers to book with confidence. That trust ensures paid ads reinforce a positive impression, rather than trying to create one from scratch
By partnering with experienced hospitality PR professionals like True Story PR, hotels can align PR with broader marketing efforts to turn visibility into direct bookings, stronger guest relationships, and sustained revenue growth.
