Situation
In fall 2025, Jane Austen fans from around the world gathered to celebrate the author’s 250th anniversary in key locations throughout England. Located in a town closely associated with the author, The Gainsborough Bath Spa saw an opportunity to capitalize on this fanfare. In order to sell out its Jane Austen anniversary packages, which were created with the assistance of Bath-based Strictly Jane Austen Tours, the hotel’s messaging needed to stand out from the crowd. Targeted press events, high-quality assets and ongoing pitches would ensure MMGY Grifco generated strong media coverage, and partnerships with Visit West and VisitBritain captured a global audience.
Action
In true Austen fashion, we launched the campaign with a party at The Gainsborough Bath Spa’s sister property, Threadneedles, in London. Period costumes and themed entertainment enchanted media attendees, and a professional photoshoot ensured high-quality assets for easier media pickups. After the event, we continued with our strategy of press visits, media pitches, taster experiences and more to generate visibility and consumer interest. By engaging national press early, we prepared them ahead of the anniversary to view the hotel as the leading Jane Austen destination.
Results
For a single property PR campaign, the results greatly exceeded our expectations. We secured nearly 100 pieces of high-quality coverage and reached over 114 million – significantly outperforming typical hotel PR benchmarks of several dozen media pickups. The Gainsborough Bath Spa anniversary packages sold out, thanks, in part, to the global exposure from our partnerships. Pleased with the tremendous results, the hotel is extending the activation past the conclusion of the Jane Austen anniversary and into 2026.
Results Callouts
100 pieces of top-tier media coverage secured
114M+ total reach across the UK, Europe, Asia and the U.S.
100% sellout of anniversary packages
