Public Relations Director

Job ID #: 10371

Company: Hotels.com

Location: USA - TX - Dallas

Functional Area: Public Relations

Employment Type: Full-Time Regular

Education Required: Bachelors

Experience Required: 5-7 Years

Relocation Provided: Yes

Position Description 

xpedia, Inc. is the world’s leading online travel company, empowering business and leisure travelers with the tools and information they need to easily research, plan, book and experience travel.  The Expedia, Inc. portfolio of brands includes: Expedia.com®, Hotels.com®, Hotwire®, Egencia™, TripAdvisor®, Expedia Local Expert™, Classic Vacations® and eLong™.  Expedia, Inc.’s companies operate more than 50 global points of sale with sites in North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Expedia, Inc. is a component of the S&P 500 index.  

Hotels.com is an integral part of the Expedia, Inc. brand portfolio and the Public Relations role within Hotels.com, represents is an integral part of the marketing and communications efforts., which help to make Hotels.com one of the best sites to book accomodation in the US as ranked by leading industry publications.

Position Description:

The PR Director is responsible for developing and managing the execution of an overall PR Strategy for Hotels.com in the US and Canada.  In this role, the PR Director works closely with key internal stakeholders to develop a strategic framework for communications, fosters an environment of creative ideas to deliver against strategic goals, ensure flawless execution of PR plan, and measures overall results and benefit to the business.  He / she is an excellent communicator with experience serving as a company spokesperson and has, great working relationships with relevant top-level media contacts. 

The candidate for this role has experiences in INTERNAL corporate communications, COMMUNITY outreach initiatives, as well as EXTERNAL media relations.  In this capacity, he / she has demonstrated expertise at media relations, event planning, public relations writing, and budget planning and forecasting. The PR Director must be a flexible and a creative self-starter who is able to work within an entrepreneurial environment and manage multiple projects while collaboratively working across several business groups including, legal, investor relations, brand marketing, promotions planning, and customer operations. 

   General marketing and advertising experience, which includes effective use of social media, SEO initiatives and digital media strategies, is a strong plus.  The ideal candidate MUST have demonstrated agency management skills.

General Responsibilities: 

Creating a PR plan/budget on a yearly basis that strategically aligns to the brands initiatives in the US and Canada.  This includes media outreach programs, product placement opportunities, and development of PR content.

Develop and execute media relations strategies/?programs, and identify opportunities to build Hotels.com visibility in the press and with key consumer groups.

Develop and implement public relation activities to support consumer promotions, product launches or site enhancements, and global studies/surveys.

Work closely with internal Hotels.com World-Wide and Expedia Inc. corporate PR teams to ensure seamless and consistent communications

Ensure swift re-purposing of relevant material generated elsewhere 

Pro-active approach to ‘quick-wins’ and piggybacking on current news hooks

Directing of the retained PR agency

Engage with internal Hotels.com business teams to glean story ideas and develop newsworthy press releases and proactive media pitches.  Advise internal clients on communications strategy aligned to business objectives 

Act as the primary company spokesperson for both broadcast and print media interviews

Media train company personnel who will act as spokespeople

Write and review all press releases and other industry material/collateral needed for communications, based on input for internal clients and business partners

Work with Sr. Mgt team and Human Resources to manage internal communications, including quarterly Town Hall gatherings and other internal events/activities.

Partner with key cross functions team and external agency partners to launch manage Social Media initiatives, including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter.  

Oversee and personally coordinate quarterly press tours with key media outlets (print and broadcast)

 Qualifications: 

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or public relations plus relevant experience 

7+? years of experience in public relations, including some agency experience 

Demonstrated agency management skills

Experience with technology, professional services, and/?or consumer products

Creative, strategic and analytical thinking 

Thoughtful leadership, both within PR discipline and with the business at large

Strong consumer media relations skills, with proven program results 

Results-focused approach 

Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills 

Independent, self-sufficient work ethic

Willingness to work in a fast-moving and team-oriented environment 

Ability to manage multiple internal clients simultaneously

Exceptional initiative & follow-through skills

Experience booking and coordinating press tours 

Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously 

Ability to recommend and initiate work and projects with minimal direction

Experience of crisis management handling