Our work
Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni: historic luxury
As travel came to a screeching halt during the height of the pandemic, the hospitality industry was paralyzed. This posed a real challenge for Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, one of the world’s most prestigious five-star historic hotels on Lake Como in which only a first-hand experience could convey the majesty of the service, culture and beauty. Since planning and visiting luxury destinations fell to the bottom of the list for journalists, Diffusion PR had to quickly pivot from its typical press trip driven PR strategy to bring the glamour to life through creative storytelling.
Insight & Idea
Despite being unable to host press trips at the start of the partnership, due to the Covid pandemic, Diffusion PR continued to drive robust news engine coverage by creating compelling content that leaned into profile opportunities around the property’s Michelin-starred chef, historic architecture, unique design, and priceless art and décor. The team worked closely with the client to package unique upscale experiences together to entice travellers to visit once travel bans were lifted. Coverage was also sustained by tapping into cultural phenoms with ties to Lake Como including the release of House of Gucci and local celebrity weddings.
Impact & Action
Consistent media coverage throughout the pandemic helped Villa Serbelloni build share of voice amongst its competitors and highlighted the hotel’s unmatched differentiators. The campaign set the stage perfectly for the hotel’s upcoming 150th anniversary celebrations, piquing media attention early on and building anticipation for the release of planned programming.
In addition to scoring feature coverage in top-tier travel, design, lifestyle and food publications, the buzz set up Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni to subsequently be named a Top 100 hotel by Travel + Leisure in 2022.
