Protea Hotels

Who are Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels? Simply put, Protea Hotels Group is Africa's largest and leading hotel group. Within the Group, the growing African Pride brand is synonymous with 5 star hospitality luxury having been based on 25 years of successful hotel management experience, and offers internationally acclaimed urban retreats, safari lodges and country houses. Protea Hotels, displays its special brand of hospitality in nine African countries. Each Protea Hotel is uniquely different in character and the collection ranges from small country Hotels in the Eastern and Northern Cape, sea- and lakeside resorts along the Garden Route, Durban and Cape coasts, to mountain retreats in the Free State, bustling city centre Hotels in Cape Town and Johannesburg. What is the aim of the PR campaign? To gain positive media exposure for the Protea Hotel Group and to set them apart from their competitors; positioning them as the leading hotel group in South Africa. To limit the liability of any potential issues and crises pertinent to operating in one of the most diverse industry sectors, that spill into media.

The Brief Total Media was commissioned by Protea Hotels to execute and manage the following: To position Protea Hotels as the number one hotel brand in South Africa. To position Protea Hotels as an authority on international business and leisure travel. To raise awareness of the Protea Hotel Group and brand through profiling Arthur Gillis and Danny Bryer as experts in the field of hospitality by proactively tackling industry issues with relevant industry comment. To profile new and refurbished developments and publicise the individual properties to trade, consumer and business media. To publicise Protea Hotels as proactively having a strategy in place in order to sustain business during and post 2010 World Cup and position them as the authoritative voice in tourism surrounding 2010 and beyond. To sustain guest numbers and attract new audiences.

Approach Total Media employs a variety of traditional PR tactics integrated with a growing social media/digital campaign to attract new and retain existing clients. Understanding the hospitality industry in South Africa with its intricate tiers and many influencing bodies and organisations, is key to positioning Protea Hotels as the number one and most preferred hotel brand in South Africa. Through the generation of sustainable, relevant, interesting and sometimes controversial opinion pieces, snippets, features and newsworthy happenings, Total Media engage with trade, consumer and business media. Profiling key members of the Protea Hotel management team, through a combination of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ news stories, has further assisted in making this brand a ‘real’ champion of consumers needs and requirements. Through this approach, Protea Hotels was recently recognised by the youth of South Africa, as the number one cool band in a survey conducted by the Sunday Times.

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