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Langham Hotels & Resorts

European PR strategy - focused on TV, radio and spokesperson pitching.

The Langham, London, is the flagship hotel of The Langham Hospitality Group. It has been a symbol of excellence in the hospitality sector since 1865 – and to this day, the hotel is known for exceptional experiences, rooted in British traditions.

Back in 1865, marketing was… well, a bit different. Today’s multichannel marketing is a universe away from the days of vintage advertising. And it keeps on changing, at an ever-increasing pace.

Some things never change, though. And The Langham’s staying power has endured not just one, but two pandemics, over its 150 year-long establishment.

But bouncing back quickly from the travel restrictions and hospitality closures of 2020 was vital for a business running lean operations. And Lemongrass, as the Group’s European PR lead, was ready to bring them back into business faster than the competition – by getting the flagship London hotel on TV.

Results – the highlights

Two TV slots with major broadcasters:

  • Sky News coverage.
  • ITV coverage.
  • 28.4 million viewers reached.

The challenge

The main goal of this project was securing bookings for The Langham post-lockdown. To achieve this, we went for high-impact brand exposure with major TV broadcasters, to push brand awareness and drive demand.

Here’s how we did it

Getting travel brands on TV is an interesting game. It’s both proactive and reactive, depending on the situation.

In this case, it was proactive. We knew that UK hospitality was reopening on 17th May, 2021. It was announced by the government in advance, and this gave us time to plan.

But we still had to move very quickly. The news cycle can change in a beat – and we didn’t want to miss it. As soon as the news of reopening landed, we started forming ideas and strategies for The Langham.

Some of these included TV interviews and TV giveaway competitions. The client loved these ideas. We’d brought our pitches up to the level of their brand, in conjunction with the Langham’s Michelin Star chef in residence, Michel Roux Jr.

The secret to our success? Pitching early. That’s how we secured Sky News coverage on 17th May – the day hospitality went back to work.

We pitched our ideas to TV networks and showrunners at least two weeks before the reopening of UK hospitality. We positioned The Langham, London to give expert comment on the UK hospitality sector reopening – and added its celebrity chef to the pitch, for enhanced credibility and newsworthy commentary.

In another pitch, we set up a competition for Loose Women – a major daytime show for ITV. This was filmed on 21st May and exposed the brand to a captive audience.

The results

The Langham's two TV appearances reached an estimated 28.4 million viewers.

By securing Sky News coverage for chef Michel Roux Jr., and the Langham London’s Managing Director, two important spokespeople reaffirmed their public profiles. This enhanced the hotel’s voice and presence in the industry – but also cemented it as a leading force.

Sky News - Langham London - 17th May 2021.mp4

This kind of leadership came at a critical time for the hospitality sector, where every booking would count towards future success. The feature and partnership with Loose Women added to this, by opening the brand to a larger mainstream audience.

ITV - The Langham, London - 21st May 2021.mp4

Our proactive approach gave The Langham a massive boost after Covid restrictions were lifted, and gave them extended reach into new, engaged audiences.

Making travel brands infamous

Lemongrass is a specialist marketing agency for hotels. We brought The Langham back out from Covid lockdowns with prime TV slots on major networks. Want to do the same for your travel brand? Let’s start a project.

Call +44 (0)1865 237 990 or email grow@lemongrassmarketing.com