Lou Rena Hammond founded Lou Hammond & Associates in 1984 on three principles: style, integrity, results. Four decades later the firm operates as Lou Hammond Group, one of the most established independent travel and hospitality communications agencies in the United States.
The Firm at a Glance
- Founded: 1984
- Founder: Lou Rena Hammond
- Headquarters: New York City
- Offices: Manhattan, Miami, Charleston, Denver, Los Angeles, Houston
- Discipline focus: Travel, hospitality, real estate, lifestyle brands, destinations
- Staff: 40+ employees, plus access to a global PR partner network
The Founder
Before opening the agency, Lou Hammond served as Director of Promotion, Publicity, and Public Affairs for Pan American World Airways. Pan Am gave her the destination network, the hospitality vendor relationships, and the travel-communications discipline that would define the firm she launched in 1984. The travel-and-hospitality specialty was not a positioning choice — it was earned from a decade inside one of the most consequential travel brands of the 20th century.
Practice Areas
- Destination and tourism boards
- Hotels, resorts, and hospitality groups
- Real estate and residential developments
- Lifestyle and consumer brands
- Digital communications and reputation monitoring
- Crisis response and issues management
The firm's Digital Division handles online marketing and monitors client activity around the clock to intercept negative-PR situations before they escalate.
