• Event Management
• Public Relations
• Influencer Relations
• Creative Partnerships

When the Carlyle Group purchased four of Islamorada’s top hotel properties—Pelican Cove Resort, Hampton Inn (rebranded to Amara Cay Resort), Postcard Inn and La Siesta Resort—to form Islamorada Resort Company, owner-operator Trust Hospitality hired The Dana Agency to drive brand awareness for the hotel group as a collection and as individual properties.

We positioned Islamorada Resort Collection as an environmentally friendly network of hotels, marinas, retail boutiques and the region’s most accomplished charter boat operators. Media targets included top travel publications, as well as niche outlets for weddings, fishing, meetings/events and business travel. We also targeted customers and potential visitors by positioning the hotel collection as a one-stop shop for all things Islamorada. 

Our team secured numerous FAM trips to each property and fostered key partnerships with local and national brands and high-level decision-makers. We also reintroduced Amara Cay Resort by staging an elaborate grand opening soirée followed by a weekend experience throughout Islamorada. Every detail was accounted for, from a ceremonial conch blowing to boxed invitations with custom-branded sunglasses. Each night, we arranged for gift deliveries, including “sun survival bags” and branded chocolates from Norman Love Confections.

Within the first year, our team successfully launched Amara Cay Resort, introduced a refreshed Pelican Cove Inn with a focus on health and wellness, and announced the rebranding and renovation projects at Postcard Inn and La Siesta Resort, securing millions of impressions in print, broadcast and digital outlets. The opening launch of Amara Cay Resort alone resulted in more than 80 online articles, 30 broadcast TV and radio interviews, and 40 print placements.

We also partnered with music sensation Pitbull and piggybacked the launch of his new album onto our cocktail reception. The celebrity tweeted about the event, receiving 20.8 million views, 274 retweets and more than 1,000 favorites. On Facebook, his post was shared 435 times and received 48,410 likes. On Instagram, his photo garnered 32,649 likes and 257 comments.