Porter Novelli PR: Room Key Appoints Agency of Record

Room Key, a new online hotel search engine, has appointed Porter Novelli as AOR.

The game is on: with a strong PR partner at its side, Room Key is now ready to compete against industry players like Expedia and Travelocity, as well as newer players including Global Hotel Exchange and Google Hotel Finder. Porter Novelli announced that it has been named agency of record (AOR) for Room Key at the end of March. In this role, the PR agency will provide for Room Key public relations, influencer engagement and social media support.

Room Key needed external support, although the newly founded hotel search engine did have in house marketing professionals in charge of various aspects of communication. But after the initial wave of media coverage when Room Key launched in January, the hotel search and booking engine failed to generate enough interest among journalists. The challenge will be faced by Porter Novelli, a company already skilled in working with power brands, and building power brands. Porter Novelli was, in fact, selected for its outstanding reputation:

“Porter Novelli has a passion for building great brands that goes beyond just communications. We believe this passion will help us define the Room Key brand,” said Stephany Verstraete, chief marketing officer, Room Key. “Their strategic recommendations, together with their sophisticated, best-in-class social listening and analytics tools, will make an immediate impact on our business.”

For Portner Novelli, this new client is more than just a business proposition – it is a chance to be part of something greater:

“What we see in Room Key is a company with the potential to transform the travel industry,” explained Michael Goldberg, global chief marketing officer, Porter Novelli.

There are many opportunities for Room Key to become a trend-setter and a disruptive business model within the travel industry, and Porter Novelli’s job, to bring this new hotel search and booking engine in front of consumers, is an easy one.

For starters, Room Key is a collaboration between brands that always make headlines: Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH), Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H), InterContinental Hotels Group (NYSE: IHG), Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) and Wyndham Hotel Group, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN). Then, Room Key is free to use, and offers customers a critical promise of quality: You should feel uber-confident that the rates you’re looking at are the best ones out there.