Bad Hospitality PR

Public Relations is important in the hospitality sector in order to maintain a good image. This is done firstly by providing good service and experience for  your customers. Bad or lack of PR services in the hospitality sector can change a busy venue to an empty restaurant. This blog will look at how Amy's Baking Company gets rid of its customers by not using PR advice. 

This video shows clips from a hospitality PR adviser Gordon Ramsey's kitchen nightmares in the episode where he tried and failed to help Amy's Baking Company with both their dining and PR issues.

It is clear that the owners of this restaurant go against all established PR advice and rules. These owners do not empathize with their customers and do not own up to their mistakes by at least apologising and doing something about their customers' complains.

Bad reviews and customer complains are issues one can deal with. It is feedback that you can put to good use, both by apologising and offering to do something about the bad meal or service.

Knowing the importance of PR in organisations and looking at the above video, do you think the hospitality industry would be a success if it did not apply or integrate PR in its practice? Will the restaurant owners in the video be able to continue with business successfully if they continue with their bad services and do not consider integrating PR?

The Digital Age

Public Relations and Hospitality go hand and hand but many hospitality industries have not seen how they should integrate PR in their brands. PR is how an organization presents itself to the publics, it is a process of communication. With the introduction of digital media PR has changed how it is practiced. This article will look at how the Sun International brand has used digital media to promote their brand and increase brand equity.

 

 

Sun International together with their digital agency filmed a series of short films targeted at the African based consumers. The films follow the experiences of the secret agent who is on the search for Sun International Million Thrills. The key is a metaphor for the group's online booking engine. They used an interactive YouTube video to execute their concept.

 

 The series include four short films filmed at Sun City Resort in North West, The Real Living Hotel in Zambia, Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town and The Federal Palace in Nigeria. It follows the experience of the secret agent, a cast of fictional characters and real life staff members, providing the user with an imaginative and thrilling experiences.

The objective of the digital campaign is to increase brand equity and increase reservations. The campaign looks at new ways for Sun International to interact with their consumers while showcasing their resorts. They find a way of making their consumers not feel obliged by giving them a choice of discontinuing the experience. The video is a virtual tour providing the user with the thrill and a journey of discovery.

What are your views on the Sun International digital campaign?