Presentation as part of the PR module at the University of Hull. MSc Advertising and Marketing

1. PUBLIC RELATIONS
IN THE HOTEL
INDUSTRY
Group D

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES
• To understand how PR agencies and organisation leverage
PR in the hotel industry
• To understand the complexity of communication
2

3. 3
 Introduction
 CLASS ACTIVITY
 Part 1: Theories
 Part 2: Practice
 CLASS ACTIVITY
 Part 3: Critique
 Conclusion

4. 4
INTRODUCTION
Overview of the industry
570 billion dollars

5. 5
INTRODUCTION
Overview of the industry
Changing
consumer
behaviour
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPmSFrGAl50

6. 6
INTRODUCTION
Role of PR in the hotel industry
Relationship
Awareness
Synergy
Reputation
Strategy
Marketing

7. 7
INTRODUCTION
Definitions of PR
Public Relations is the discipline which builds and maintains reputation, with the aim of
earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the
planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding
between an organization and its publics. "
the UK’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)
"Public Relations is the attempt, by information, persuasion and adjustment, to engineer
public support for an activity, cause, movement or institution."
(Edward,1955)

8. INTRODUCTION
Definition of PR Campaign
"a planned set of communication activities, each with a specific defined purpose, continued
over a set period of time and intended to meet communication goals and objectives relating
to a nominated issue: for example, a campaign to increase industrial safety."
Harrison (2011:324)
8

9. INTRODUCTION
Definitions of Communication
"Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more
persons."
(Newman & Summer, 1977)
"Communication is the process of passing information and understanding – from one
person to another."
(Davis, 1981)
"Communication is the process by which information is transmitted between individuals
or organizations so that an understanding response results."
(Little, 1977)
9

10. CLASSACTIVITY
BLINDDRAWINGGAME
Round 1
10

11. 
ROUND 1
You can:
give
direction like
shapes and
forms
11
You can’t:
use related
words or
say what
the item is
3 minutes

12. What problems did you encounter during the game?
Any noise?
How well did you communicate?
12

13. PART 1: THEORIES
Communication Process Model
• It is a process of transmitting and receiving messages, both verbal and non-verbal.
• It refers the exchange of information (a message) between two or more people.
13

14. PART 1: THEORIES
Communication Process Model
14
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6u0AVn-
NUM&fbclid=IwAR2BfAH7lEtgUt3_ohLoKFrF8oqnXQyhFLzASajIgBbAvTVoZhZc09FXyUk

15. PART 1: THEORIES
Communication Process Model
Five Steps in Communication Process Model
1. Set the objectives
2. Identify the receivers
3. Choose the communication method
4. Consider the receivers
5. Feedback
15

16. PART 1: THEORIES
Communication Process Model
NOISE?
(refers the anything that gets in the way of communication)
• Physical: external interference such as loud party at the neighbors.
• Psychological: feelings and personality affects such as defensive feelings.
• Physiological: barriers within the sender or receiver such as talking too fast or slow.
• Semantic: different meaning systems of the speaker and listener.
16

17. PART 1: THEORIES
Communication Accommodation Theory
Howard Giles
17
Accommodation
“constant movement toward and
away from others, by changing one’s
communicative behavior”
(Giles et al, 2007:295)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY-jqjWjEC8

18. PART 1: THEORIES
Communication Accommodation Theory
Convergence VS Divergence
18

19. PART 1: THEORIES
Communication Accommodation Theory
What influences communication?
19
Immediate
context
Social-
historical
context
Initial
orientations

20. PART 1: THEORIES
Communication Accommodation Theory
Why is it relevant?
Effective communication
is essential in the hotel
industry
20
Briefing the staff
Talking to customers

21. PART 1: THEORIES
Contingency Theory of Accommodation
21
Pure
accommodation
Pure
advocacy
Adapted from Cameron (2008)
Litigation
Competition Negociation
CollaboratingCompromising
Capitulation
Compromise
Cooperation

22. PART 1: THEORIES
Excellence Theory
• It specifies how PR make organizations more effective, how it is organized and managed
their organizational effectiveness and their environments.
• The two-way symmetrical model of PR as also described in Grunig's Excellence Theory.
• Organizations must behave in ways that solve the problems and satisfy the goals of
stakeholders and the management.
• To behave in socially acceptable way, organizations have to scan their environment to
identify
22

23. PART 2: PRACTICE
Trolls on the Loose Anti-aGin
23

24. PART 2: PRACTICE
Trolls on the Loose Campaign
24

25. PART 2: PRACTICE
Trolls on the Loose Campaign
• Partnered with Trolls Movie
• One month Campaign
• Meet with the World of Trolls while check-in process
• Staffs were wearing Trolls wigs and children received welcome packaging
25

26. PART 2: PRACTICE
Trolls on the Loose Campaign
The Communicator: Park Inn by Radisson
Encoding: Communicate by using entertaining unforgettable characters
Message Medium: Park Inn Hotels around UK and Web page
Decoding: The thought of adults and children was the campaign was very enjoyable
Receiver: Customers of Park Inn by Radisson, especially children
Feedback: Amazing engagement with children. Best partnership marketing campaign
2016 in the Hotels marketing awards in London.
26

27. PART 2: PRACTICE
Trolls on the Loose Campaign
CAT
The staff accommodated
to the children
27

28. PART 2: PRACTICE
28
Anti-aGin Campaign
Objective: attract a younger audience and
be perceived as a brand that “doesn’t take
life too seriously”

29. PART 2: PRACTICE
29
Mashable article
shared 30,500
times
Anti-aGin Campaign

30. PART 2: PRACTICE
30
Convergence strategy
Anti-aGin Campaign

31. PART 2: PRACTICE
Anti-aGin Campaign
Results:
• + 70% page engagement on Facebook
• Caught the attention of celebrities
such as Scott Disick or Philipp Schofield
• + 276% SOV
31

32. PART 2: PRACTICE
How WLH used PR to change perceptions
Before
2011 TV ad
After
2018 Great British Massage PR-led campaign
32 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSWzbUb1flY

33. PART 2: PRACTICE
Trolls on the Loose & Anti- Agin
Excellence Theory
• Effectiveness of the Campaigns
• Park Inn by Radisson partnered with Troll Movie (DreamWorks)
• Warner Leisure Hotels partnered with Bompass & Parr
• Results for Park Inn: Best Partnership Marketing Campaign 2016 in the Hotel Marketing
Awards in London.
• Results for Warner Leisure Hotels: High engagement on Facebook, Gin sold out in 24 hours,
Share of voice for Warner increased 276%.
33

34. PART 2: PRACTICE
TrollsontheLoose Anti-aGin
Two-step flow communication model
34Katz & Lazarsfeld (1955)
Early mass communication model
Comparative analysis

35. PART 2: PRACTICE
• Convergence strategy
 Accommodation to children’s speech style
• Partnership
 Troll Movie (DreamWorks)
35
Trolls on the Loose Anti-aGin
• Convergence strategy
 Accommodation to affluent elderly
people’s speech style
• Partnership
 Bompas & Parr
Comparative analysis

36. CLASSACTIVITY
BLINDDRAWINGGAME
Round 2
36

37. 
ROUND 2
37
3 minutes
You can’t:
use related
words or
say what
the item is
You can:
give
direction like
shapes and
forms

38. What did you learn from this game?
How did you act differently in the 2nd round?
38

39. WHAT CAN WE TAKE AWAY
FROM THIS GAME?
• Easy to misunderstand or misinterpret
• Everyone has a different interpretation
• Importance of accommodation
39

40. PART 3: CRITIQUE
40
Two-Way
Symmetrical
Model
Contingency
Theory of
Accommodation
Theory of
Excellence
Communication
Accommodation
Theory
Early mass
communication model?
OR
Two-step flow
communication model?
The transactional model of communication as a
critique of the classic communication model
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCfze
ONu3Mo

41. CONCLUSION
41

42. THANK
YOU!

43. Q & A
43

44. REFERENCES
44
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hospitality-industry/ [Accessed 10/03/2019].
Bompas & Parr (2014) Anti-aGin - London, 2014. Available online: http://bompasandparr.com/projects/view/anti-agin/ [Accessed 30/03/2019].
Bottle (n.d.) Anti-Agin | Warner Leisure Hotels. Available online: https://www.wearebottle.com/portfolio_page/anti-agin-case-study/?fbclid=IwAR25OA-
RT9DpdcN82wScTPAozhPnH9hWWKCv621A6l6Yi91fwN121NblSqQ [Accessed 30/03/2019].
Buller, D.B. & Aune, R.K. (1992) The effects of speech rate similarity on compliance: application of communication accommodation theory. Western Journal of
Communication, 56, 37-53.
Cameron, G.T., Wilcox, D.L., Reber, B.H. (2007) Public Relations Today: Managing Competition and Conflict. Boston: Pearson
Cancel, A.E., Mitrook, M.A., Cameron, G.T. (1999) Testing the contingency theory of accommodation in public relations. Public Relations Review, 25(2), 171-
197.
Cloudbeds (2018) Why your hotel marketing strategy should include PR and how to use it effectively. Available online:
https://www.cloudbeds.com/articles/why-your-hotel-marketing-strategy-should-include-pr/ [Accessed 10/03/2019].
Daryon Hotels International DHI (2018) Public Relations by Nicole Evans Daryon Hotels International [Video]. Available online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RF_ML1Zv7g [Accessed 30/03/2019].
Giles, H. & Ogay, T. (2007) Communication accommodation theory. Available online: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/147103741.pdf [Accessed
29/03/2019].

45. REFERENCES
45
Giles, H., Coupland, J., Coupland, N. (1991) Contexts of accommodation: developments in applied sociolinguistics [eBook]. New York: Cambridge University
Press.
James grunig: excellence theory (2013) The two-way symmetrical model of communication. Available online:
https://excellencetheory.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/the-two-way-symmetrical-model-of-communication/ [Accessed 01/03/2019].
Jaszay, C (2002) Ethical behavior in the hospitality industry. Hospitality Review, 20(2), 104-116.
Katz, E. & Lazarsfeld, P. (1955) Personal influence, New York: The Free Press.
Rice, R.E. & Atkin, C.K. (2001) Public communication campaigns [eBook]. Sage Publications.
Rodrigues, J. (2010) Five strategies for PR success. Available online: https://www.4hoteliers.com/features/article/5043 [Accessed 10/03/2019].
Sigala, M., Christou, E., Gretzel, U. (2012) Social media in travel, tourism and hospitality: theory, practice and cases [eBook]. Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Statista (2018) Hotel industry - Statistics & Facts. Available online: https://www.statista.com/topics/1102/hotels/ [Accessed 30/03/2019].
University of Twente (n.d.) Two step flow theory. Available online: https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/communication-theories/sorted-by-cluster/Mass-
Media/Two_Step_Flow_Theory-1/ [Accessed 01/03/2019].
Wolvin, A.D. (1994) Communication in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 13(3), 195-199.