How to Land a Hotel Collaboration as a Blogger

Are you an influencer hoping to work with a hotel soon? Here are 7 tips you can use to land your first hotel collaboration as a blogger.

One of my favorite things to do is to travel, find the most Instagram worthy places, and share them online. I get so excited when I discover an adorable coffee shop or a mural in a new city. As I’ve explored and created Instagram guides for New York, New Orleans, and Portland, I’ve also partnered with a number of hotels.

Today I wanted to share how I got into working with hotels as a blogger as well as a few tips to help you land your first hotel collaboration.

Here are 7 tips to help you land your first hotel collaboration as a blogger:

Tip #1: Are you already posting travel related content?

Before we get into reaching out to hotels, you have to stop and ask yourself, “am I already producing travel related content?” Are you producing travel tips or sharing your travel stories? Can people look at your Instagram or blog and see that traveling is one of the main things you do?

One of the biggest mistakes I see bloggers make is trying to work with hotels when their content doesn’t have anything to do with travel or lifestyle. Like any other brand, hotels are going to look at your profile and determine if your content aligns with their brand/mission.

Tip #2: Are you producing great content?

Whether you use an iPhone or a DSLR, are you producing great
content? Quality photos and videos that either tell a clear story or inspire
others will help you land a hotel collaboration as a blogger.

Most of the hotels I work with end up requesting at least 3-5 photos to reuse on their social media channels. Hotels want to be able to see themselves in your feed or blog and vice versa – hotels also want to see if your content within their feed or websites.

Tip #3: Research hotels

If you’re hoping to land you first hotel collaboration as a
blogger, I recommend researching hotels that are open to working with
influencers. Here are a few ways to find hotels who are open to working with
bloggers:

Instagram:

Head to the hotel’s Instagram page. Check to see if there are any bloggers tagged in their photos. Or check to see who has tagged the hotel in the photos. If you see the hotel has worked with bloggers before, I recommend reaching out to them.

Google:

You can google “Hotel Name + Reviews” or “weekend stay at Hotel Name”. You’ll usually see reviews from Trip Advisor, Yelp, or Google Reviews. But you’ll also probably find hotel reviews written by bloggers. You can also google “Hotel Name + all my opinions are my own” to find blogs who have written about the hotel.

Tip #4: Find the right contact

Use the hotel website: If you head to the hotel website,
there is usually a page for “Contacts”. You can also find email contacts under
the “Help” page sometimes.

Instagram:

Usually I go to the hotel Instagram page and send them a direct message (DM). I usually ask: “Hi Hotel! May you please let me know what email I can use to pitch the hotel for a potential collaboration? Thank you!”

Google:

Sometimes I google: “Hotel Name + PR Contact” to see if the hotel does have a PR contact I can reach out to.

Tip #5: Share what you’re asking for and value you would
bring in your email pitch

When you craft your email pitch to the hotel, make sure
you’re clear on what you’re asking for and what you’re bringing to the table.

For instance, in most hotel email pitches I would say:

“For a 2 night complimentary free stay at Hotel Name, I’m
happy to provide:

• (1) Instagram post + Instagram stories
• (1) Blog post featuring the hotel
• (1) Facebook post”

FYI – most hotels either offer a media rate: a discounted rate to stay at their hotel OR offer a complimentary stay. The length of the stay usually depends on hotel availability as well as your audience size/value you bring to the hotel.

Tip #6: Share your previous hotel collaborations or travel
related content in your email pitch

If you’ve worked with hotels before, make sure you link your
previous collaborations in the email pitch. If you’re just starting to work
with hotels, I recommend linking travel
related content instead. Here is an example of what I would link at the
bottom of my email:

Here are previous examples of hotel collaborations/travel
content:

• A Weekend at the Dossier – Portland Hotel Review
• Old 77 Hotel & Chandlery: New Orleans Hotel Review
• What to Pack for Seattle In Winter
• San Francisco’s Most Instagrammable Places

Tip #7: Create & share your content

After you’ve landed your hotel collaboration and created content of your weekend stay, make sure you share it with the hotel! I usually send a recap + thank you email to the person who arranged my stay at the hotel. I make sure to include and link all the social posts and blog post I included the hotel in.

There you have it friends! A few tips to help you land your first hotel collaboration as a blogger.

For more hotel related posts, check out:

Hotel Photo Shoot Ideas: 8 Poses You Can Try

The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel: San Francisco Hotel Review

Old 77 Hotel & Chandlery: New Orleans Hotel Review

Thank you for reading!

Love,

Emma

Photos: Karya Schanilec