DCI Publishes New Hospitality Outlook Report: Key Takeaways

For the first time, DCI has conducted a comprehensive survey of top public relations and marketing executives within the hospitality industry. The goal was to gain a deeper understanding of the current state of public and media relations in this sector, as well as to identify the key opportunities and challenges these executives encounter.

This report, “Hospitality Outlook: What PR Executives Are Thinking,” comes at a pivotal time when the hospitality sector faces unprecedented challenges. Rental homes, global conflicts and new consumer demands are just a few of the concerns that make life harder for hospitality PR executives.

Download your copy of the inaugural study to understand what these industry partners are thinking, what they need, and how you can work better for mutual success. It’s a small investment in your future success.

The data inside comes from more than 100 hospitality professionals who responded to our requests this year, including PR and communications directors (60%), senior directors (30%), managers (7%), and coordinators or entry level workers (3%). These five takeaways underscore hospitality PR executives’ priorities moving forward.

1. Digital Media

The push for digital marketing has never been strong, and hospitality PR executives are focusing on finding new ways to stand out from the crowd. While it’s not the only place they are applying their energy, it takes the lion share—but it’s not without its complexities!

So ask yourself: are you focusing your resources strategically? If you’re still targeting traditional media relations and ignoring the potential of influencers and micro-influencers, then this report will be a wake-up call. It’s time to rethink your digital marketing strategies.

2. Influencers

Speaking of influencers, many hospitality PR executives and professionals find it deeply challenging to master these relationships. They know it’s important to build them, but executing a meaningful, authentic, and sustainable influencer campaign isn’t intuitive. Respondents rank influencer strategies as one of their biggest challenges they face in their careers.

So ask yourself: are you collaborating with influencers efficiently? Too many hospitality brands opt for one-off partnerships instead of building long term ones. There’s no one way to work with influencers, but there are certainly better ways.

3. Artificial Intelligence

Hospitality PR professionals reported that they are hoping for big things from AI when it comes to content creation. The data confirms that 63% of respondents are boosting investments 5-20%  to embrace new tools. Their hope is that AI will enhance their social media management and adapt to the promise of streamlining their work.

So ask yourself: are you using AI in a way that generates value for your hospitality brand? It may seem easy to use free tools to create a press release or blog post, but you can do even more if you align your goals with the right AI tools.

4. Personalization

Another big focus of hospitality PR executives is offering more personalization to guests, to create meaningful connections that extend beyond their first trip. Generic marketing and generic accommodation experiences don’t cut it anymore—no matter how good you think it all looks.

So ask yourself: is your hospitality brand telling the right story to reach travelers? With so many different types of travelers out there, you need to use every tool at your disposal to tailor your messaging and connect with them meaningfully. No small task.

5. Optimism

While many things are making life more complicated for hospitality PR executives, some things are changing for the better, namely their rising budgets. With more money funneled into hospitality marketing, there is a general sense of optimizing among these PR professionals that they’ll be able to meet the countless challenges that continue to come their way.

So ask yourself: Do you have the budget you need to achieve your goals? Creative solutions and marketing strategies are possible with the right approach. And that approach could be the investment that makes a major difference for your hospitality brand. Download “Hospitality Outlook: What PR Executives Are Thinking” to get started today.

Hospitality brands around the world want to be every traveler’s top choice, but the competition is stiff. Get in touch with Karyl Leigh Barnes at karyl.barnes@aboutdci.com to learn more about DCI’s hospitality marketing team and how they can help develop a game-changing strategy for your brand.