Case Study #1
Fairmont Austin
A Hotel on A Park
THE PLACE: A 1,048-room luxury hotel in Austin, set beside a park and rooted in its city.
THE CHALLENGE: Eighteen months prior to its grand opening, I was engaged to architect the comprehensive pre-opening Go-To-Market framework, narrative positioning, and public relations strategy for the landmark 1,048-room luxury property to stand apart from it's corporate flag.
THE STORY: To differentiate the asset from standard corporate flags, I built a progressive positioning campaign—redefining the global brand for a modern audience as a soulful "hotel on a park" with deep local roots and managed the pre-opening branding runway. This included directing the property’s aesthetic guidelines, governing asset production, and launching its initial digital and social footprint. By executing a targeted media campaign—including high-level desk-side briefings with top-tier editors—I secured press coverage that insulated the launch window from market indifference. To anchor the resort’s luxury and community alignment, a high-visibility strategic partnership with the Waller Creek Conservancy was formed, positioning the massive physical asset as an authentic environmental steward.
THE RESULT: This rigorous commercial architecture yielded significant pre-opening results, driving over 100,000 group room nights booked a full year before the doors officially opened.
WHY IT MATTERS: A pre-opening story rooted in a park and a city, and a community partnership that gave the hotel its place in the neighborhood before it opened. This is the work behind sense-of-place positioning and the pre-opening story.
Case Study #2
The Inns of Sanibel Beach & Golf Resorts
Reshaping an Island Narrative After Hurricane Ian
THE PLACE: Four independent beachfront properties on Sanibel Island: Sanibel Inn, Song of the Sea, Seaside Inn and Sunset Beach, together with a golf and tennis club.
THE CHALLENGE: A crowded island market, heavy reliance on online travel agencies. Later, in 2022, Hurricane Ian damaged the portfolio and reduced its size. The portfolio needed a voice as distinct as the island, and after the storm, a reason for guests to return.
THE STORY: Stepping into a highly saturated island boutique landscape, I positioned the portfolio around the island's lifestyle and natural environment, and a rebuilt direct booking engine and search presence turned that positioning into direct reservations, reducing reliance on online travel agencies. I also created and promoted packages built around guided experiences, among them kayak outings and beach walks led by a Florida Master Naturalist, that put guests in the island's landscape. Following the catastrophic structural impacts of Hurricane Ian in 2022, I directed complex crisis communications, engineered a comprehensive brand refresh, and architected reopening campaigns.
THE RESULT: I delivered a record-breaking 38% increase in Average Daily Rate (ADR) and a 21% boost in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) over three years, and ensured the portfolio's commercial recovery with a rapid commercial pivot after the storm.
WHY IT MATTERS: A portfolio positioned around its setting, with experience packages that put guests in the island's landscape, and reintroduced to the market after a storm. This is the work behind sense-of-place positioning, experience packaging and the narrative of a reopening.
Case Study #3
Sarasota-Manatee Originals
A Culinary Region Finds Its Identity
THE PLACE: A consortium of independent restaurateurs and hospitality innovators located on Florida's Suncoast.
THE CHALLENGE: A strong local food scene with no shared identity, and more than 60 independent restaurateurs competing against global chains with far larger marketing budgets.
THE STORY: To establish Florida’s Suncoast as a premier global culinary destination, I defined a unified regional brand for the collective. I architected the collective's multi-city advertising, collaborative positioning, and media relations framework—transforming an uncoordinated culinary landscape into a highly visible destination brand. To anchor this new regional identity, I co-conceptualized and launched the inaugural Forks & Corks Food & Wine Festival. I engineered the end-to-end launch framework, marketing programs, and financial targets, navigating the high-stakes introduction of a brand-new multi-day epicurean event.
THE RESULT: More than $250,000 in sponsorships and a $70,000 surplus beyond the first-year break-even goal. Forks & Corks continues as a leading luxury epicurean event in Southwest Florida, drawing international winemakers and thousands of affluent oenophiles annually to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
WHY IT MATTERS: A shared identity built for a whole region, and an experience, a festival, that gave it a home. This is the work behind experience design and sense-of-place positioning.
Places I have worked with
