The Peabody Orlando

Created and managed an in-house marketing department and also took over the agency-based marketing counsel for this newly opened world-class convention resort. Increased and maintained media coverage by more than 500%, with gains averaging $1.5 million (straight advertising dollar for PR dollar equivalents) per year for six years, through strong contacts within the meeting & convention, national and international tour & travel and food & beverage trades; health, sport (golf) and spa consumer travel and national and international print and electronic news media. Headquartered the PGA conference and hosted the PGA golf media, plus designed golf packages in conjunction with the hotel and a variety of courses in the area for corporate and T&T sales. Also hosted national and international press for Universal Studios and Sea World park openings, resulting in top placements for the hotel. Drafted signature media kits with informational and special event releases for individual, targeted collation.

Oversaw marketing, media programs, trade show media coverage and pitching to international press sources, all publicity, community relations, promotions, photography, crisis management advisement, policy setting, and speechwriting.

Also designed and oversaw corporate public relations/promotions campaigns for the Peabody Hotel Group (PHG) corporate owners, to gain exposure and define positioning for PHG, during four new management property acquisitions and proposal presentations. Created publicity/media coverage for the acquisitions, while assisting with marketing proposal programs. Formulated “PHG Capabilities Brochure” copy and authored and published a new “hands-on” Peabody Orlando (TPO) meetings brochure to manage uniform corporate messages; Created, styled, wrote and produced “The Peabody Review” newsletter for national distribution. Re-wrote TPO rack brochure copy for second edition.

Additional highlights: Introduced TPO to the James Beard Foundation in New York and arranged for first Peabody culinary team to ever host Easter Brunch at the James Beard House.

Coordinated annual public relations efforts for Give Kids The World as TPO’s primary charity, raising more than $1.6 million to-date. Marketed duck march as free attraction thereby increasing hotel visitations to more than 350 national and international visitors daily. Worked with author and publishers to produce nationally distributed children’s storybook, “Think Pink,” featuring the Peabody ducks. Instituted “Hospitality PR” internship program for college and university students (up to four interns each semester).

From both an in-house and agency perspective, able to garner unprecedented public relations results year after year, averaging millions of dollars of positive exposure. This assisted in gaining the hotel company a prime position for national and international business from people who had seen or read the news reports about the property and its high service standards. For example, when the hotel bid against 12 other hotel companies in order to win the Miami Beach convention hotel project in 1995, Peabody placed second to the Loews Hotel Corp. Missing the bid by only one commission vote, over larger, more entrenched companies like Ritz Carlton, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and more, who had been wooing the commission for more than two years.