Public Relations Specialists for Hotels, Destinations & Overseas Luxury Properties
WHAT WE DO Bp-pr is boutique PR consultancy with team members in Frankfurt, London and Netherlands. We provide public relations services in the luxury hotel, tourism and property sector both in the UK and Germany/Austria/Switzerland as well as Europe-wide. Bp-pr advises leading brands using strategic communication methods and marketing tools to position them with target audiences. Bp-pr understand that clients do not have limitless resources and that good communications need to add value, be measurable and provide excellent return on investment. We are passionate about what we do and offer a strategic and tailor-made approach to our clients PR requirements. With our extensive network of international media contacts we ensure that the right press coverage appears, in the right publication, at the right time.
CURRENT CLIENTS 5-star Gondwana Game Reserve, South Africa 5-star Cape Grace Hotel, South Africa Rani Resorts, Mozambique RECENT CLIENTS Cape Active, South Africa Royal African Travel 5-star Samara Game Reserve, South Africa Ecolux Hotels Nooitgedacht Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa LISA - www.luxuryinsouthernafrica.com 5-star The Robertson Small Hotel, South Africa White Pearl Resorts, Mozambique 5-star Kurà Design Villas, Costa Rica Camps Bay Beach property development in Cape Town Our team comprises PR professionals with many years of experience working on the following clients: Rocksresort, Switzerland 5-star Grand Hotel Bellevue, Switzerland Destination LAAX, Switzerland 5-star Grandhotel Les Trois Rois, Switzerland 5-star Hotel Monte Mulini, Croatia The Rockwell, London 5-star Hotel des Academies et des Arts, Paris 5-star The g hotel, Ireland
WHO WE ARE Established in 2010, bp-pr is managed by Beate Pechmann, a seasoned media relations professional with 10 years experience working with travel and tourism media around the world. With a gift for creating the stories that connect business with media, Beate is committed to working with clients strategically to raise their local, national and international profile through public relations and communications. With a passionate interest in tourism and hospitality, Beate first began her career in hotel management working for 7 years in Germany, USA, Hong Kong and Shanghai. An accredited public relations practitioner since 2003, Beate holds a BA (Hons) in Public Relations from University College Kensington in London (UK). The combined expertise of working both in hotel management and the communications sector gives her the ability to understand the needs of her clients as well as the media. Beate built an impressive track record in launching and promoting luxury hotels, travel companies and destinations. For seven years she worked as an Account Director at leading London PR agencies, gaining extensive experience and managing successful PR campaigns for numerous high-profile clients. The continuous work for travel clients has ensured that at bp-pr we have comprehensive and most up-to-date media contacts covering key national, consumer and trade publications, both in the UK, in Germany and across all of Europe. bp-pr team members: Beate Pechmann - Senior PR consultant based near Frankfurt, works with UK, German and all international media Maartje Remmers - PR Consultant based in Netherlands, works with media in the BeNeLux countries Carolin Prasmo - PR consultant based in London, works with the UK media Michelle Stark - based in Germany, office support and German media relations
Case Studies
GARDEN ROUTE, SOUTH AFRICA The Brief: To plan and execute an international communications campaign for the launch of Gondwana Game Reserve (www.gondwanagr.co.za), a 5-star game reserve on the Garden Route. The brief is to promote Gondwana as a travel destination in the UK and German-speaking markets. We are also doing a property PR campaign to promote Gondwana s safari residences in order to attract international buyers and investors. The campaign is still ongoing. Tactics: Compiling a phased media strategy targeting travel and overseas property press in the UK and Germany. Creating multi-lingual and attractive press material, image library and media target lists Distributing a general media invitation for journalists who are travelling to South Africa, with an invitation to review the property. Within only 3 months Gondwana hosted 5 international high-profile travel journalists Approaching selected high-profile German, UK and American travel journalists to ensure positioning of the lodge as an up-market destination Placing high profile news and feature articles in a broad range of newspapers, lifestyle media and luxury consumer magazines
Results: Within only a few months featured in leading targeted international consumer magazines including Tatler, ELLE, De Tjid, ABTA, etc Press coverage in German women s magazine Brigitte, worth 55,000 Euros reached over 3 million readers and resulted immediately in room bookings Featured by the UK Sunday Times in Hottest Hotels for 2013. To generate exposure for Gondwana Safari Homes organising one of the UK s top overseas property journalists confirmed to visit Gondwana for a feature in the Sunday Times property section, Financial Times and The Telegraph s Luxurious Homes magazine
KURA Design Villas, Costa Rica The Brief: A 2-month PR Blitz-campaign in the UK and German media to support the launch of the 5-star KURA Design Villas (www.kuracostarica.net) in Costa Rica. Tactics: Writing an attractive launch release in English and German, aimed at leading consumer media Setting up a press office Targeting only selected high-profile media Timing the media launch with needs of the media
Results:
CAPE WINELANDS, SOUTH AFRICA The Brief: To launch and manage an international PR campaign for The Robertson Small Hotel (www.therobertsonsmallhotel.com), a 10-room boutique hotel in the Cape Winelands, South Africa. The hotel has a restaurant by South African celebrity chef Reuben Riffel. Tactics: Compiling a media strategy within a limited budget. Putting together English-language and German press materials, image library and media target lists Targeting selected UK, German and French travel journalists who are travelling to Cape Town to review the hotel. Inviting only selected high-profile travel journalists to ensure positioning of the hotel as an up-market destination. Using Reuben Riffel for celebrity endorsement to promote the hotel Arranging press trips to the hotel for targeted travel and style journalists. Working with the client to develop and promote accommodation packages that tie in with seasonal regional events.
Results: Extensive press coverage in key international consumer magazines, newspapers and guide books to Cape Town / South Africa. Room bookings are at a satisfactory level and the hotel has a good number of regular guests from Germany, the UK and other European countries. Features on Tatler s Hot List of Best Hotels 2012. The hotel has the buzz that comes with celebrity endorsement (Reuben Riffel has been featured widely in the international press as a South African trendsetter) Within only 6 months, The Robertson Small Hotel s international media campaign reached an national and international audience of over 3 million, with an estimated AVE of ZAR 2.0 million
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA The Brief: To manage a local South African and international PR campaign for the launch of Cape Active (www.capeactive.com), a boutique travel company specialising in Pilates and active holidays. Tactics: Compiling a media strategy within a limited budget. Producing English-language and German press materials, image library and media target lists Targeting international travel and health journalists. For the launch of the company planning and executing a 2-day press trip with selected local South African media. Leading up to the World Cup 2010 targeting selected regional UK media in regions with strong football fan base and organising press trip for a journalist to review Cape Active. Implementing a programme of press releases aimed at various target audiences and their media, i.e. men s magazines, women s magazines, family-orientated magazines, health and fitness magazines. Setting up a Facebook fan page and administering the page. Using Steve Jordan as a Pilates spokesperson for expert advice on health questions in various consumer magazines.
Results: Extensive press coverage in targeted consumer magazines and newspapers in the UK and Germany. Within only 12 months Cape Active feature twice in the prestigious UK Conde Nast Traveller. Strategically planned activities ensured that the right coverage appeared at the right time: Coverage in The Guardian and the Yorkshire Post (UK) prior to the World Cup Coverage in The Observer s Wellbeing supplement at the beginning of the year Press coverage resulted in numerous direct enquiries and bookings.
Extensive press coverage in targeted consumer magazines and newspapers in South Africa A 20-minute radio interview on SAfm national radio with presenter Karen Key in her weekly show Time to travel
ENDORSEMENTS Beate has proved to be hard working, flexible and committed to the project, as well as great fun to work with. The results of the campaign far exceed our expectations. Coverage gained had an immediate impact on our bookings. Steve Jordan, Cape Active Fantastic job, thank you for all your efforts. Within just one year of appointing bp-pr we were able to increase the number of international guests by more than 22% with an average length of stay at 3.5 nights Riaan Kruger, General Manager, The Robertson Small Hotel You have generated impressive results within only a few weeks. I will recommend you to any hotel looking for great media coverage Barbara Lenhard, Opulent Living / Royal African Travel Bp-pr was an important part of the team during the opening of Gondwana. Without a doubt their management of the press throughout this period helped to build the hotel s reputation and boost its success. Gondwana has appeared in prominent titles throughout the world and everywhere I go people comment on the quality of the coverage achieved. Wendy Rutherfoord, owner, Gondwana Game Reserve