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Hospitality Business Review | Thursday, June 11, 2026
Hospitality media relations agencies are facing issues surrounding continuity as turnover within hospitality companies has made communication strategy development difficult. The constant turnover at hotels, restaurants, and tourist organizations has required account team members to spend time establishing relationships and refining the approach to communication strategies with each new client contact.
There are issues arising out of this reality that are not being talked about much outside of the realm of hospitality marketing. Many agencies rely on coordination with management and operational personnel. These people move around a lot in today's unstable hospitality market, leaving agencies unable to do their job.
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It has been known since the labor shortage transformed a good portion of the hospitality industry that the problem would lead to turnover among hotel staff. The issue is not limited to frontline employees. Constant turnover among managers makes it difficult to develop coherent approaches to hospitality media communication.
Many agencies report a lengthened onboarding process for each new client contact as each comes with differing needs when it comes to media communication. Some are seeking to generate visibility through campaigns while others only care about managing reputations. This creates interruptions for campaigns already in progress.
It is especially challenging when opening or renovating properties. Hospitality media campaigns tend to require photography, executive interviews, preview stays and scheduling events. Any changes in the management structure mean delays and last-minute changes to the campaign's position.
There is also the issue of working with restaurant chains. The constant turnover of chefs and ownership means frequent shifts in the image desired by these businesses. For any agency working with hospitality companies in general, the need for flexibility is high due to this issue.
In addition, the instability makes the job of agencies more administratively demanding. They now have to rely on more detailed records within their firm as it is not possible to manage client continuity via personal relationships alone. Process management is becoming increasingly necessary to minimize disruptions.
Independent hotels and restaurants could find these issues especially problematic. Since small hospitality organizations lack dedicated communications departments, all information on media communication is lost when managers leave. Agencies end up having to act as unofficial archivists for media communication planning.
Finally, staffing instability is starting to play a role in agency selection criteria. Hospitality companies in difficult situations may favor agencies able to handle the burden of coordination even without client supervision. This puts the task of media outreach into the context of broader communications management assistance.
Although there are fluctuations within hospitality travel trends, staffing instability is becoming an ongoing issue for the sector. In addition to trying to gain coverage in highly competitive travel markets, media relations agencies are now finding it essential to maintain continuity in the course of their campaigns.
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