The Sofia Hotel

Located in the heart of San Diego’s historically chic downtown area sits The Sofia Hotel, the product of a $16 million renovation completed in January 2007. Originally built as The Pickwick Hotel in 1926, it was once considered one of the most luxurious accommodations in San Diego. The owners retained Formula to launch an aggressive public relations campaign that would position the reinvented Sofia as a serene and chic boutique hotel for San Diego business and leisure travelers alike.

Challenges:

• Launch an aggressive media relations program targeting national travel and San Diego media, positioning The Sofia Hotel as the city’s newest and chicest boutique hotel
• Outshine the concurrent opening of the U.S. Grant Hotel, an opulent historic property undergoing a $52 million renovation and located just blocks away from The Sofia Hotel
• Control the media’s focus on the former, run-down image of The Pickwick Hotel and its reputation as an ailing hotel situated adjacent to a Greyhound bus station

Strategy:

• Drive media attention toward The Sofia Hotel’s unique aspects and amenities (nature-inspired décor, historical importance, private yoga and fitness studios, business centers with video conferencing, plush feather beds, in-room fossils, etc.)
• Conduct heavy community relations outreach to secure opportunities for The Sofia Hotel to donate overnight stays in its luxurious VIP suites at important San Diego fundraisers and events
• Elevate The Sofia Hotel’s presence among local and national business communities through targeted press kit mailings and outreach to meeting planners and influential business leaders across the country
• Secure hard hat tours during various phases of construction with key media contacts, professional meeting and wedding planners, and influential San Diego businesspersons

Results:

• From Q3 of 2006 through Q1 of 2007, overall media relations efforts generated an estimated 134 million gross impressions, successfully promoting The Sofia Hotel as one of San Diego’s hottest new boutique accommodations
• Increased awareness of The Sofia Hotel’s opening through such top-tier local and national press as USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, San Francisco Chronicle, Condé Nast Traveler and Forbes.com
• Secured 14 donation opportunities in 2006 at well-known San Diego fundraisers
• Organized on-site tours of The Sofia for media representatives from such influential outlets as AAA’s Westways magazine, Quick and Simple, USA Today, Budget Travel and Smart Meetings, leading to Sofia’s inclusion in “hot hotel” round-up stories

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