Miami PR agency

You are a hospitality brand owner trying to figure out if rbb Communications is the right PR partner. The stakes are real because hotels, resorts, or travel brand lives and dies on perception. One bad season of poor media coverage, and your bookings may suffer. One great campaign, and you fill rooms for months. This rbb Communications review gives you a clear, honest look at what the agency offers for hospitality PR, where it has proven itself, and where you should ask harder questions before signing. Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Miami’s historic Coral Gables neighborhood, rbb Communications has nearly five decades of history behind it. The agency has been named Agency of the Year six times in the past decade, according to PRovoke Media, PRWeek, and the Holmes Report. It earned the highly coveted Best of Silver Anvil award for Crisis Communications from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 2023. The Silver Anvil is one of the most respected PR awards in the industry. For hospitality PR, rbb has worked with Hilton, Virgin Voyages, Norwegian Cruise Line, AMResorts, Allegro Resorts, and United Airlines, among others. This RBB Communications review pulls from public sources, including PRSA, PROI Worldwide, Glassdoor, Forbes, and PRWeek, to give you a grounded assessment.   rbb Communications Background and History rbb Communications started as a boutique public relations agency in 1975. Over the decades, it evolved through several phases of growth and acquired new capabilities. In 2015, the firm restructured into what it is today, a full-service, platform-agnostic PR and advertising agency. Co-founders Christine Barney and Lisa Ross lead the firm, with Barney serving as CEO and Ross as Chief Growth Officer and head of the Hospitality Practice. rbb Communications Key Facts Founded: 1975, Miami, Florida Headquarters: Coral Gables, Miami CEO: Christine Barney (APR, PRSA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient) Chief Growth Officer: Lisa Ross (HSMAI Top 25 Minds in Hospitality) Team size: 70+ members nationally Agency of the Year: Named 6 times in the past decade Awards: 100+ national marketing awards, including PRSA Best of Silver Anvil 2023 Global reach: 50 countries through the PROI Worldwide partnership Certifications: Women-owned business Accordingly, if you are evaluating PR firms for hospitality PR, rbb’s institutional depth and leadership credentials are immediately visible. Furthermore, Forbes named rbb one of the Top 200 PR agencies in 2021. PRovoke Media ranked them as a Top 5 Creative Agency of the Year in 2020. The Wall Street Journal recognized them as a Top Small Workplace four years in a row. These external validations matter because they come from sources independent of rbb’s own marketing. rbb Communications Hospitality PR Services The agency calls its services “crafts.” Each craft maps to a specific communication need. Travel and Hospitality PR Practice The rbb Communications travel and hospitality PR practice is one of its most developed verticals. The agency has worked with Hilton, AMResorts, Virgin Voyages, Norwegian Cruise Line, United Airlines, Cheapflights, and various tourism boards. Additionally, it has run campaigns for countries and destinations, positioning them for international travelers. According to the agency’s travel practice page, rbb’s hospitality PR campaigns reach audiences through influencer Instagram feeds, digital channels, and even live events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The cross-channel approach is particularly relevant for hotel brands trying to reach leisure travelers at multiple points in the booking journey. Influencer Engagement and Digital PR rbb was an early pioneer in influencer marketing for hospitality. Maite Vélez-Couto, a senior team member, brought Hilton and AMResorts as sponsors to the very first TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) conference. Currently, rbb uses influencer engagement as a core tool for hospitality PR, connecting hotel and travel brands to audiences through trusted voices. Crisis Communications and Reputation Management The 2023 PRSA Best of Silver Anvil for Crisis Communications is the highest achievement rbb has earned in recent years. The Silver Anvil is peer-judged and standards are rigorous. For hospitality PR, crisis management is not optional. A single incident, a service failure, a safety issue, or a social media controversy can derail a hotel brand’s reputation fast. Notably, rbb ran the AMResorts “Flu-free Guarantee” campaign, which earned a PRSA Silver Anvil award. That campaign addressed a direct health concern for a resort brand, a genuinely difficult PR challenge. Winning a Silver Anvil for that kind of work shows real strategic depth in hospitality PR crisis management. Multicultural and Hispanic Marketing Given its Miami base, rbb Communications has capabilities in multicultural and Hispanic marketing. The agency ran an award-winning multicultural campaign for Hampton by Hilton called “First Comes ‘Like,’ then Comes Love,” which earned an HSMAI Adrian Award in 2017. Pros and Cons for Hospitality PR What rbb Does Well Nearly 50 years of agency history with genuine hospitality sector depth PRSA Best of Silver Anvil 2023 for Crisis Communications, a rigorous peer-judged award Platinum Adrian Award from HSMAI for Hampton by Hilton campaign Six-time Agency of the Year winner across PRWeek, Holmes Report, and PRovoke Media. Lisa Ross was named one of HSMAI’s Top 25 Minds in Hospitality Sales and Marketing. Early influencer marketing adoption for Hilton and AMResorts — proven track record Strong multicultural and Hispanic marketing capabilities from a Miami base Average client tenure of 9 years, exceptional for an industry where 3 years is typical Forbes Top 200 PR agencies 2021 A 9-year average client tenure, as reported on RBB’s own agency profiles, is genuinely unusual. Most PR agencies see client churn every 2-3 years. Areas Where You Should Ask Questions However, no rbb Communications review should ignore the less visible gaps. If your hospitality brand operates primarily in markets like London, Singapore, or the Middle East, ask specifically about hands-on activation beyond partner networks. Glassdoor reviews note that work can sometimes feel “overwhelming.” High workload per team member can affect response time on time-sensitive hospitality PR opportunities, like crisis moments or event-driven media pushes. Some Glassdoor reviewers noted that the office culture became less welcoming after certain staff departures. Hospitality PR relationships depend on people,