Diplomat Resort & Spa
Overview
Acquired by Thayer Lodging Group, the Diplomat Resort & Spa Hollywood was transitioning from its longtime Westin brand to Hilton’s Curio Collection. New ownership wished to garner awareness of the name change and media coverage of the formal reflagging, even though the news had been released and widely covered less than two months earlier…and property renovations had not been finalized. Despite the challenges, we believed a unique transition event would provide a PR opportunity that built excitement for the resort’s plans and educated the public about its new Curio Collection brand.
GOOD IDEAS
- Develop an event that would “marry” the hotel’s new brand and future with its storied history dating back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, Florida.
- Create an elegant, larger-than-life glass curio that, upon completion of renovations, would house an array of curated Diplomat memorabilia that celebrate Diplomat’s legendary roots.
- Announce its design and development by unveiling a rendering of the future curio during the reflagging event as an artist finished the image on-site.
- Invite luminaries from Diplomat’s past and local civic leaders to participate in the transition event, including former owner Irv Cowan, who contributed the initial piece of memorabilia to ultimately be housed in the finished curio.
- Present the Mayor of Hollywood with an oversized key to the resort to deepen the relationship between the Diplomat’s new owners and the City.
- Draft press release and distribute on the national PR Newswire with event photos.
- Developed #NewDayNewDip hashtag and copy points for resort’s digital communications and social media platforms.
GOOD RESULTS
- Coordinated and secured major print, online and broadcast reports about the transition within the market.
- Landed stories in significant trade publications and online sites, from Travel Daily News and HotelBusiness.com, to Visit Florida, HospitalityNet and Meeting and Conventions (M&C).
- Generated online exposure on key industry and consumer websites.
- Helped raise awareness about the new Diplomat Resort & Spa’s Curio Collection rebranding.
