Challenge
Hilton San Francisco Financial District re-opened following a $40 million dollar top-to-bottom redesign of the landmark property at 750 Kearny St.-the former site of Holiday Inn Chinatown. With a soft opening, Hilton was challenged to raise awareness for the new hotel to attract upscale business and leisure travelers from the Bay Area, as well as feeder markets nationwide.
Strategy
To engage key consumer travel and trade media with the new hotel, LCI developed and executed the “Hidden Gems of the City by the Bay” press trip which leveraged the Hilton’s unique location at the crossroads of San Francisco’s vibrant Financial District, North Beach and Chinatown neighborhoods. This strategy generated feature coverage of the hotel. LCI leveraged Hilton’s pet-friendly package to media and also sought product placement on syndicated game shows to garner national visibility for the property.
To inspire local buzz for the Hilton, LCI promoted special events at the hotel-including jazz performances by renowned California vocalist Betty Fu, ouspanoor summer happy hour “Cocktails on the Bridge” and a Wine Maker dinner. LCI also facilitated event opportunities at the Hilton with key “buzz-building” organizations such as the San Francisco Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and Commonwealth Club to introduce the property to new local audiences and encourage positive word-of-mouth.
Results
LCI secured unprecedented media attendance for the press trip including: Meetings West, Smart Meetings, The Meeting Professional, TravelWorld International Magazine, Travel Weekly, Metro Newspapers, ACCESS Press, North San Diego County Magazine, South Bay Accent Magazine, Steppin’ Out Magazine , as well as two widely-published freelance writers. The New York Daily News and San Francisco Business Times ran features. Game shows “The Price is Right” and “Wheel of Fortune,” showcased Hilton San Francisco Financial District as an on-air prize. In addition, two Public Relations Society of America mixer events and publicity in PRSA newsletters introduced the Hilton to hundreds of local professionals and generated new business leads for the hotel. The Hilton San Francisco Financial District is now selling out on a consistent basis.