Public Relations

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San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels chose CM Communications to launch the Onxy Hotel, their second boutique property in Greater Boston. Located just a stone's throw from the Fleet Center, Faneuil Hall and North Station, The Onyx Hotel is the first luxury hotel to open in the Bulfinch Triangle, a neighborhood undergoing gentrification with the completion of the Big Dig.

CM Communications secured significant coverage preceding and following the hotel’s opening in local, regional and national media such as The Delta Shuttle Sheet and Robb Report. In addition to on-going PR efforts, the agency spearheaded a strategic partnership with pop superstar Britney Spears that created nationwide name recognition for the new hotel.

Capitalizing on the unlikely coincidence that pop superstar Britney Spears named her Spring ’04 international concert tour “Onyx Hotel,” CM Communications worked hand-in-hand with Kimpton to collaborate with Spears management to garner free publicity for the hotel and raise money for the Britney Spears Camp for the Performing Arts.

The multi-faceted PR campaign included transforming a guest room to resemble Britney’s bedroom at home in Louisiana, special appearances by Britney and her family members, and an online auction for lucky fans to win “The Ultimate Britney Spears Experience “ – a stay at The Britney Room and VIP concert tickets to her Boston show. Room revenues from the The Britney Room support the Britney Spears Camp for the Performing Arts

The tremendous exposure generated for the Onyx Hotel as a result of this strategic partnership included millions of dollars worth of national publicity including a photo in People magazine, coverage on NBC’s nationally syndicated Access Hollywood and every Boston-based TV network affiliate. Boston’s WFXT-TV (FOX) fed the piece to affiliates nationwide. The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald have written about campaign multiple times, including photos and lengthy columns when the room opened.

HSMAI Silver Award Winner