As part of our public relations program, we often advise our clients’ individual and group press trips are an effective marketing tool for journalists to experience hotels, attractions, and destinations and ultimately, tell your story.
I recently led an adventure-oriented press trip to the Lodge and Spa at Pico Bonito nestled at the base of the Pico Bonito National Park in Honduras. This group press trip offered many unexpected treasures — luxurious cabanas, fine gourmet food, a brand new organic spa, and of course, an endless array of tropical animals roaming freely in the wild.
In planning any group press trip, it is important to work at least four to six months in advance to secure qualified reporters with confirmed letters of assignments. On this trip, I had a diverse mix of travel writers from key outlets such as Entrepreneur magazine, Mommy Poppins, New York Daily News, Organic Spa, Trip Films, Slant News, and Viator.
Our boutique travel PR firm works with our clients to create an unusual and compelling itinerary to inspire prolific journalists to secure multiple assignments. And, our itinerary did just that.
Interactive Experiences Help Tell Our Clients Stories
Instead of building in the usual hotel site inspection with a sales manager showcasing different room categories, the press trip itinerary engaged reporters from the onset with encounters ranging from day and night hikes, spa rituals, bird watching, and of course, savoring a fusion of European and Mesoamerican fare.
Our itinerary offered multiple story angles for journalists starting with the new spa and Temazcal ritual, also known as a sweat lodge, to cleanse the mind, body, and spirt. The new spa showcases the expansion on the property. The spa also fits in with an emerging global trend where consumers are looking for authentic experiences and organic spa rituals to soothe the senses.
The itinerary spotlighted the adventure and family-oriented story angles through the invigorating hike to Unbelievable Falls. Other story angles included snorkeling near Cayos Cochinos for some of the most unspoiled coral reefs in the Caribbean, as well as touring Cuero and Salado Wildlife refuge to see howling monkeys, bats, tropical birds, manatees, and crocodiles.
The eco-lodge’s cuisine also presented another story angle for press trip participants. Reporters experienced an unusual burst of flavors through the pairing of Honduran ingredients with traditional European flavors. Our taste buds are still salivating from memories of the Catracho breakfast, traditional baleadas, chicken tostadas, nachos with refried beans and melted cheese, fettucine alfredo, lobster, and shrimp.
With a carefully planned group press trip itinerary, travel journalists can produce multiple credible third-party stories to inspire consumers to experience your clients’ hotel, product, and service.