Luxury hotel's overhaul catches eye of business, trade media.

Situation:
The Sutton Place Hotel, located in the heart of Chicago's Gold Coast, had completed a renovation of its rooms, reworking a 1980s Art Deco appearance into a top-tier, luxury property.  To start spreading the word that this AAA Four Diamond hotel was reclaiming its status as one of Chicago's outstanding hotels, the sales and marketing director contacted McPhilimy Associates.

Solution
McPhilimy Associates began conducting in-depth interviews with the parties involved in all aspects of the renovation.  This process is invaluable -- it always yields fresh approaches and story angles, along with providing all the details needed for a comprehensive press kit.  McPhilimy Associates then launched a program to reach two distinct -- but equally important -- markets: trade publications (in the lodging and design fields) and consumer media.  That latter category was then broken down again: along with targeting local business and travel media, the firm determined to reach readers in such important feeder markets as New York, Detroit and St. Louis.

Results
Early on, news of the new, enhanced Sutton Place reached more than a half million travelers.  For example:

• Crain's Chicago Business featured the renovation on the homepage of its electronic edition, reaching an ideal mix of business/leisure readers.
• Additional local coverage included the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Trade publications: Hotel & Motel Management.
• And Chicago-bound travelers learned of the renewed Sutton Place through such venues as The Chicago to New York Concierge.

For the spot to be in Chicago, the professional, targeted approach by McPhilimy Associates added up to spot-on coverage