The Catellus Group and the Hay Creek Hotels hospitality group came to Phase 3 to promote and assist with the grand opening of their newest boutique property, The Embers Hotel in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The property had a unique connection to the local community because it is owned by the father-son duo that makes up the Catellus Group and is where their original house was before they decided to turn it into a hotel, making it a special business that stands out amongst the local competitors.
To begin promoting the grand opening of the property and positioning The Embers as Blowing Rock’s most elevated boutique hotel, Phase 3 devised a strategic public relations plan that detailed the hotel’s key messages, target audiences, and tactics for success in opening a new hotel in a niche market. Our agency teams then began teasing the grand opening on social media, drafting messaging for the hotel’s website, writing and distributing a press release announcing the grand opening of the hotel, and coordinating a fire lighting ceremony with local media and community members to dedicate the new hotel to the city of Blowing Rock.
Phase 3's design team developed new brand graphic elements and patterns and social media templates, and coordinated several photoshoots and a drone video shoot for new footage and photography to be used on their website, social media and their other various marketing touch points.
Once the hotel was officially opened, Phase 3 scheduled a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce and coordinated a grand opening celebration with local media and community members, featuring custom branded merchandise and event takeaways designed and produced by Phase 3’s branded merchandise team.
Ongoing public relations efforts for the hotel and restaurant include securing local, regional, and national press coverage, coordinating influencer partnerships and media visits, drafting content for monthly email newsletters, ideating and presenting unique package and promotional activations, submitting award opportunities, drafting social media content, and executing social media posting on behalf of the hotel on Instagram and Facebook. To date, Phase 3 has secured 32 press hits with a total UVM of 9,762,669, which included two national press hits in Southern Living and The Points Guy. We coordinated seven media and influencer visits to the hotel that lead to the total following exposure of 412,800 viewers. Social media metrics include 1,353 new Instagram followers, earning over 133k impressions, which included two giveaways with @scoopcharlotte and @blowingrocknc, bringing in over 500 new followers in just one month.
To see more of our public relations experience, check out our website and our social.