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A good feature used to fill rooms. Guests read the travel pages, a strong write-up sent bookings up. That still helps, but it’s no longer where most people start.
According to MMGY Travel Intelligence, 52% of UK travellers now use AI tools to plan their holidays (the highest adoption rate in Europe!) and search engines’ share of the travel research mix fell from 51% to 36% in 2025, while AI platforms nearly tripled theirs.
So, when someone asks ChatGPT which hotel to book in York, Google ranking barely comes into it. What matters is whether there’s enough credible, third-party coverage for the AI to recommend you by name.
Here’s what we’ve built together so far, with The Milner York, and what we’ve learned from doing it.
The Brief
The Milner, York asked us to lead their PR across digital and traditional channels: everything from media relations, awards nominations, regional press to influencer partnerships, consistent editorial coverage, and SEO backlinks. A typical PR scope, but when we sat down with the team, the real goal came to light. They were passionate, driven, and knew their property was something truly special.
The Milner wants to be known as the most loved hotel in York.
Advertising can raise your profile but being loved is earned, story by story, and it has to remain long after any single article has gone. That shaped everything in our strategy, and remains at the core of every decision we make on this account.
Our PR strategy for this historic York Hotel
A campaign burst gets you coverage for a short time (and has it’s merits, of course!) but we wanted something that built on itself, so we worked closely with the team, stayed responsive, and kept planning ahead. The Milner gave us the access, trust and creativity to do that right.
How to build the right PR narrative for your hotel
York is one of England’s most storied cities, and The Milner sits inside a building with real history – a Grade II-listed railway hotel that’s been around for over 150 years. We positioned the hotel where that heritage meets the city’s live cultural energy; rooted enough to belong to York, current enough to matter to the people booking now.
Choosing a hotel is an emotional decision, so we built the storytelling around how the place makes people feel.
An immersive hotel PR campaign
In November 2025, The Milner ran its first-ever “Milner Week” — a week-long 1940’s-inspired campaign marketing the first anniversary since its rebrand from The Principal, built to earn credibility in York itself. It earned 10 individual pieces of high-quality coverage in its first few days, reaching a combined audience of 4.29M.
It was important that the “much-loved” positioning landed with the hotel’s own team, because when the team believes the story, they carry it into the small daily moments guests actually remember. That kind of buy-in lasts longer than any single placement.
The Milner’s internal culture is incredible, and the numbers prove it with an 80% staff retention rate, well above the sector norm, which ultimately became a press story in its own right.
What did we achieve?
Alongside Milner Week, we ran a sustained media programme, through the year, across print and digital. Every piece we’ve pitched and placed has landed at 100% positive sentiment.
National Titles like Conde Nast Traveller and The Times, brings reach and credibility. Regional titles like The Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Life carry local trust. And sector-specific or specialist media, such as Crave and The Caterer allow variety.
Together they hold the position we set out to own.
And because 61% of AI-generated content about brands is drawn from earned media, every placement in a trusted outlet also shapes what AI says when a guest searches for the best hotel in York.
So, in April 2026, when The Milner was named Hotel of the Year, and three separate media outlets all described it, in their own words, as “Yorks most loved hotel”, we couldn’t have been more thrilled.
Influencer marketing for hotels
Our influencer work runs on two tracks: high-impact, event-led campaigns alongside a steady, year-round rhythm of stays.
The ongoing stays let us spotlight different parts of the guest experience, and since January 2026 they’ve added over 350,000 individual social views. On top of that, we ran a wider influencer campaign around York Races, paired with a gifted stay at The Milner which saw almost 100,000 engagements alone.
What PR is really worth within hospitality
The placements, reach and AVE both look good on a report. The result that matters more is harder to see on a chart: a story the guests believe, a position in the city that holds, and a brand that stays front of mind long after individual pieces of coverage land.
With five out of six hotels currently invisible in AI search, consistent earned media does more than protect reputation — it’s increasingly how guests find and choose a hotel at all. The Milner York is building that presence in exactly the right places.
Meet your next hospitality marketing agency
Punch Hospitality is an integrated hospitality marketing partner based in Leeds, with revenue growth marketing at the core of what we do. If you want a team that works inside yours and builds a reputation that lasts beyond the press cycle, get in touch.
