Overview

Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel, a large-scale hot spring resort hotel in Oita Prefecture, opened its flagship building, “Sorakan,” on January 26, 2023, as part of a large-scale renovation project. To coincide with the opening, a press tour was conducted for the media, including a preview and trial stay. While struggling to attract media to “Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel,” which has lower name recognition in Tokyo compared to Kyushu, the team succeeded in attracting more than 20 media outlets by conveying the appeal of Beppu and increasing their motivation to cover the story. Despite being hit by bad weather on the day of the event, the team was able to complete the planned content through collaboration.

Activities

① Opening Ceremony Incorporating Local Content

In addition to hotel previews and trial stay experiences, the local Japanese drum artist “TAO” was invited to perform content that would allow guests to experience the appeal of Beppu and the “Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel‘s” “evolution” together. The content was designed to be enjoyed simultaneously by a total of approximately 180 people, including not only the media but also VIPs and related parties.

②Collaborating with travel agencies to disseminate the appeal of Beppu at the same time

In order to attract media coverage to Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel, which has lower name recognition in Tokyo compared to Kyushu, we conducted a sightseeing tour that allowed media to cover not only the hotel but also the Beppu area. We succeeded in attracting approximately 20 media outlets from Tokyo, aiming to increase the volume of articles.

③Irregular response in bad weather

Regarding the approximately 20 members of the media that our company attracted, there were irregularities such as the arrival of the plane being delayed by more than 3 hours due to a snowstorm on the way there, and the closure of the Oita Airport road and expressway due to snowfall on the way back, resulting in the cancellation of all flights earlier than the scheduled flight. Under such circumstances, we responded flexibly to the media’s wishes by securing a return route via Fukuoka, and by engaging in careful communication, we were able to complete the press tour without any accidents, and we received satisfactory feedback from the media.