Travel and lifestyle bloggers are often on the road and it’s very common to share the highlights from your hotel stays with your audience. A fabulous hotel can really enhance your travel experience and is definitely worth sharing in a blog post and social media.

A successful partnership media stay with a hotel is an effective marketing tool for both the hotel and the blogger - it can be a total win-win for both parties! I myself have had many media stays over the years and there are some important guidelines to follow to make sure you are professional in your approach and not overstepping any boundaries. This is not a “give me a free hotel room” type of scheme but actually a true marketing collaboration.

Read on to see my best insider tips on how to pitch a hotel for a media stay. Fair warning, be prepared to do your homework and put in a little work to land the media stay. I’ve also included an email template to help you get started on your email pitch.

P.S. - All the photos in this blog post are from our stay at the Beverly Laurel Hotel near West Hollywood in Los Angeles.

Use Media Press Releases as Your Opening Pitch

Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

If you are not utilizing HARO yet then now is a great time to familiarize yourself with this amazing free tool. HARO is a platform that connects brands, publishers, media outlets, journalists and bloggers to work together on marketing and promotions. HARO is generally not super useful to find paid brand jobs but rather mutually beneficial partnerships where work is exchanged instead of money. Through HARO connections I have been published in big magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Business Insider, AAA Via Magazine, Martha Stewart Living and more.

The way HARO works is daily queries lists are published where parties are seeking to partner with either a brand or a contributor on an article. You can send over your pitch to be considered as a contributor or to receive products samples or services in exchange for coverage.

How does HARO help with hotel media stays?

If you are checking the daily emails published by HARO you will sometimes find hotels, city tourism boards and other travel related companies looking to partner with publishers (aka bloggers). Respond promptly to their query with a professional email introducing your brand, your blog and social media metric numbers and your proposal on how you can work together. Be sure to include links to previous work that is relevant and showcases your photography and storytelling skills. Be aware that most HARO pitches sent will not receive a reply but every once in a while you’ll land a great gig.

Cision PR Newswire

Similar to HARO, the Cision PR Newswire is a platform you can sign up for free of charge to connect with PR professionals and brands. You can select the categories in which your blog specializes and you’ll receive emails with press releases from all kinds of companies looking to partner with bloggers.

If you check these emails regularly you’ll find hotels and tourism companies seeking media coverage. These are especially helpful because you can get direct contact information to the PR agencies representing the hotels. These agencies often represent multiple clients so if you make a meaningful connection you can book multiple jobs over a longer period of time.

Sign up for the Cision PR Newswire here.

Hotel Affiliate Networks

I am a member of several affiliate networks which I use to monetize by blog content. One of the bonuses of these networks is you can sometimes obtain direct contact information to the marketing team of a brand through the affiliate platform. I have successfully booked hotel media stays by directly sending a pitch via my affiliate contact info. This trick also works for other brands beyond just hotels.

Sending a Cold Pitch to a Hotel for a Media Stay

A cold pitch means that you’re reaching out to the hotel directly without using a press release or a connection through a PR agency. While this tactic is more difficult, it’s not impossible if you follow these steps.

Do Your Research on the Hotel

In order to make a meaningful connection with the hotel, do your research to find common threads with your brand. The more you can convince the hotel marketing team that their hotel will appeal to your audience, the more likely you are to get a media stay.

Examples of services to look for could be pet-friendly hotel services if you travel with your dog, child and family-friendly services, fine dining restaurants in the hotel if you are a foodie blogger, etc. Brownie points if you can pinpoint a product or service that the hotel is actively trying to promote.

Include Your Google Analytic Numbers and Social Media Insights in Your Pitch

The hotel wants to know what they will be receiving in return for your media stay and the best way to prove your worth is with numbers. Include a section in your pitch email with the following metrics:

Monthly blog pageviews
Monthly unique visitors
Demographics such as location, age and interests of your audience
Instagram followers, impressions and engagement
Any other social platform metrics such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Offer Photo Usage Rights for Their Own Marketing

If you’re a skilled photographer you can offer to allow the hotel to use the photos taken during your stay for their own social media marketing. Taking original high-quality photography can be cumbersome and expensive, so this can really be a plus for hotels that don’t have a big marketing budget. Make sure to provide examples to showcase your photography work and give them ideas on how to use the images.

Outline Exactly What Media Coverage You Will Be Providing to the Hotel

After you’ve included in your pitch all your metrics and insights, specifically outline what media coverage you will be providing.

See examples below:

One blog post with at least two do-follow links to the hotel’s website
One Instagram in-feed post and a story video with at least 4 frames
One Facebook post
One Twitter post
One Pinterest pin
A Dropbox folder with high-resolution original images from the hotel stay. Hotel has usage rights for social media posts for up to two years from stay date.
Yelp review highlighting the hotel’s amenities

Partner with Other Bloggers

There’s power in numbers and if you can join forces with other travel bloggers then you can make a more compelling case for a joint media stay. Put together a pitch with all the strengths of each blogger highlighted and add up all the metric numbers for a more robust pitch deck. I would suggest you all share a room and bunk together to avoid having to ask for an extra room.

Note: Make sure each blogger who is attending the media trip is committed to posting their content on-time and properly mentioning and tagging the hotel. You don’t want this tactic to backfire because your fellow bloggers are not honoring their commitment.

Be Flexible with Your Stay Dates

The hotels are busiest on the weekend and you’re not likely to get a media stay on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Your best bet is to be super flexible with the dates and offer to stay during the week on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Pitch Your Media Stay During the Off Season

Hotels are not going to give away media stays during their busiest time of year. Figure out what the slowest time of year is for that location and offer to promote the season when they are struggling to fill their rooms. Find specific local activities happening close to the hotel during the off season and highlight the benefits of visiting when there are no crowds.

Make Your Request Very Specific

In your pitch you want to be very clear on what you are asking for to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings. State specifically how many rooms you will need and for how many nights. My advice is to try to ask for as little as possible to avoid being turned away.

Make Sure You Reach Out to the Right Person

When you’re on the hotel’s website looking for an email address, avoid sending your pitch to departments such as customer service, reservations, housekeeping, etc. You want to contact their marketing or PR department because this is a business marketing transaction. Media stays are very different from traditional hotel stays and your email pitch will only be effective if you’re able to connect to the right person.

Media Stay vs a Media Rate

A media stay at a hotel can range from completely complementary (no cost out of pocket) or a reduced media rate fee for the hotel room. The amount you pay (or don’t pay) is completely up to the hotel. If when you send your media stay pitch and they counter with a media rate, then you have to decide if it’s worth the work for you. Sometimes you will receive meal vouchers for the on-site restaurant or local eateries which come included in your media stay. This again is up to the hotel or PR agency’s discretion.

In my own experience I’ve had media rate offers that were low enough to make the trip worth it, and other times the discount wasn’t enough to justify all the work to publish a blog post and social media shares. If you decide not to move forward with the media rate then politely decline and search for accommodations elsewhere.

What to Expect During Your Media Stay

Preparing For Your Media Stay

Before you’ve left for your trip make sure to confirm all the details of the media stay with your point of contact. I would also call the hotel directly to confirm the reservation. Make sure you have the name and phone number of your marketing or PR contact in case something goes wrong at check in.

Confirm ahead of time if someone will be meeting you at checking or later that day for a hotel tour. You’ll also need to know if they have prepared an itinerary for your stay. If you have a conflict with any of the items on the itinerary then you should voice them before your trip.

Checking In For Your Media Stay

When you arrive at the hotel you will provide your name and ID. You will also be expected to put a credit card down for incidentals. Make sure you review the cost of your media rate or confirm that you are not being charged for the room.

Media Stay Hotel Tour

Most of my media stays usually include a 30 minute hotel tour with either the hotel manager or a member of the marketing team. The purpose of this tour is to make you aware of all the selling points of the hotel that they’d like you to include in the write up. Sometimes they will give you private tours of their upgraded suites and they most likely would like you to take photos for your blog post. This is your opportunity to ask questions and make any requests for your stay.

Follow Up After Your Stay

Make sure you are regularly communicating with your media stay contact and keeping them in the loop. Once you’re wrapping up your stay send a recap and let them know when you plan on publishing your blog post and social media shares. Be sure to thank them for all their assistance and leave on a positive note.

In conclusion I just wanted to remind all my fellow travel bloggers that media stays are a privilege and extra bonus to the career we’ve chosen. Please always conduct yourself with grace and have an attitude of gratitude towards the partners you work with. I’ve seen in the media a negative portrayal of bloggers who “ask for free hotels” and they portray influencers as spoiled and demanding. The truth of the matter is that many of us are hard working people and we build great relationships with the brands we work with.

Email Template For Media Stay Request Outreach

Below I have an email template that you can use as a starting point when you begin your own outreach to hotels. I highly suggest you do your research and add as much detail about the hotel property and your brand as possible.

Hotels That Provide Media Stays to Bloggers:

La Jolla Cove Hotel - Media Stay Application
JDV By Hyatt Hotels - Media Stay Application
Classic Hotels & Resorts (includes cities such as Carmel, Laguna Beach and Scottsdale) - Media Stay Application
Proper Hotels (includes cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Austin) - Media Stay Application
Ace Hotels (includes Palm Springs, Los Angeles and Brooklyn) - Media Stay Application
Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel (for your Disneyland trip!) - Media Stay Application
Omni Hotels & Resorts - Media Stay Contact Information
Rosen Centre Hotel Orlando Florida - Media Stay Request Form