Trendsetting: Earned Media

Case Study
Westin Resort and Spa Puerto Vallarta Press Release

The time for publications copying and pasting earned media free is over.
Publishing and copy-pasting self-serving media releases are bad for any publisher (revenue and Google rating)

Diamond PR and Westin Resort and Spa Puerto Vallarta saw the results of their earned media news pitch for their Westin campaign with ONLY eTurboNews using the story – BUT in a way unexpected.

Paying $100-$500 to eTurboNews would have created all this coverage the way the PR agency and their client, Westin, wanted it—but free usually creates nothing or can create something very different, as demonstrated here. 

More and more publications cannot afford to be on the losing end of earned media any no longer accept begging for free promotional coverage.

The non paid Earned Media Pitch by Westin

Diamond PR, representing The Westin Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta, provided the following release

Wellness-inspired, former palm tree farm The Westin Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta is encouraging a connection between guests and their surrounding natural environment as part of a two-phase, multi-million dollar facelift centered around ‘breathing nature in’ into 2025.
So far, the lush property has debuted a brand new, gorgeous botanical bar concept, Flora Bar, and lobby complete with abundant vegetation.
The Westin PV will invite guests to enjoy new daily stress relief treatments as part of their new natural focus and embrace sustainable activities that combine learning and fun. 

Sitting on Mexico’s Pacific coast overlooking the sparkling Banderas Bay and mere minutes from the airport and marina, the property – home to over 600 palm trees, is already the perfect place for a serene escape with seaside meditations and picnics, a new mocktail menu, new vegan and healthy eats, and more. 

As of next year, the property will be an even more comfortable and stimulating option for those looking for a getaway surrounded by nature and filled with unforgettable wellness experiences.

Other upgrades guests can look forward to upon completion of Phase Two in late 2024 will include swim-up rooms, a refreshed spa, a gym, and a brand-new culinary experience featuring eleven restaurants and bars. Additionally, the resort will become The Westin brand’s first all-inclusive resort in Mexico in 2025.

Earned Media:
A tool to get free advertising from news publications?
… no longer

eTurboNews:
eTurboNews reached out to Diamond PR requesting that Westin use paid options.
Diamond PR had no “budget,” but the eTN editor thought the release could make an interesting story.

What eTurboNews published free

Swim To Your Heavenly Bed At The Westin Resort and Spa Puerto Vallarta

Mexico’s first Westin Resort branded all-inclusive resort will have heavenly beds and bathrooms to compete with Melia and other unique hotel properties in one of the safest resort towns in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta. A multi-million dollar facelift for the Westin Puerto Vallarta is centered around ‘breathing nature in’ and is expected to open in 2025.

Phase Two of the renovation is expected to be concluded in late 2024. The resort will include swim-up rooms, a spa, a gym, and a brand-new culinary experience featuring eleven restaurants and bars.

Attention Bonvoy members: Only those booking the resort on the Marriott website directly will earn Bonvoy points and premium Bonvoy member benefits. Marriott, similar to policies in place by some of its competitors, such as Hyatt, Hilton, or Accor, is penalizing guests from booking through third-party sources, such as tour operators, travel agents, Expedia, or event organizers.

According to a press release by Marriott today, the lush Westin Puerto Vallarta property has debuted a brand new, gorgeous botanical bar concept, Flora Bar, and a lobby with abundant vegetation.

Puerto Vallarta is a popular resort town among Americans and Canadians on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Jalisco state. It is known for its beaches, water sports, and nightlife.

Puerto Vallarta is in the Mexican State of Jalisco. The US State Department is warning Americans to reconsider travel to Jalisco. This is due to crime and kidnapping status.

When digging a little deeper, the reason for such a high-level travel advisory for the state is because of cartel violence in a few specific areas far away from Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta’s crime rate when it comes to visitors crime is actually low, making it one of the best destinations for safety for those wanting to visit Mexico.

Non-stop flights are always the safest and easiest way to arrive at PVG Airport Puerto Vallarta. Currently, non-stop flights to Puerto Vallarta operate from:

  • YQR Regina
  • MEX Mexico City
  • GDL Guadalajara
  • TIJ Tijuana
  • Monterrey International Airport
  • MTY Monterrey
  • NLU Mexico City
  • PHX Phoenix
  • LAX Los Angeles
  • DFW Dallas
  • AGU Aguascalientes
  • BJX Leon/Guanajuato
  • SFO San Francisco
  • TLC Toluca
  • IAH Houston
  • DTW Detroit
  • HOU Houston
  • MSP Minneapolis
  • QRO Queretaro
  • SLP San Luis Potosi
  • YYC Calgary
  • ATL Atlanta
  • SNA Santa Ana
  • LAS Las Vegas
  • SLC Salt Lake City
  • JFK New York
  • SEA Seattle
  • YVR Vancouver
  • DGO Durango
  • MXL Mexicali
  • YQQ Comox
  • CJS Ciudad Juarez
  • YKF Kitchener
  • EWR New York
  • ORD Chicago
  • PDX Portland
  • SAN San Diego
  • YEG Edmonton
  • YLW Kelowna
  • YQB Quebec



Sitting on Mexico’s Pacific coast overlooking the sparkling Banderas Bay and mere minutes from the airport and marina, the 4-Star The Westin Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta along with Club Regina Puerto Vallarta, Vamar Vallarta Marina & Beach Resort, The Melia Puerto Vallarta, or Marinas Las Palmas II are all good choices to stay in the immediate neighborhood, depending on budget.

The resort town’s cobblestone center is home to the ornate Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe church, boutique shops, and various restaurants and bars. El Malecón is a beachside promenade with contemporary sculptures, bars, lounges, and nightclubs. 

What eTN added and changed

  1. Changed the headline to include the “Heavenly Bed.” Westin is known for the Heavenly Bed. (Good for the brand, but takes attention from the promoted resort)
  2. Left out the general info about the rebranding but took out all other promotional details. (Not as expected by Westiin, quotes, links, promotional words are an important part of a promotional message)
  3. Added that Marriott discriminates against travel agencies by punishing guests who cannot earn or take advantage of the Bonvoy reward benefits when not booking directly with Marriott. (Westin would not want this, of course)
  4. Added information about Puerto Vallarta and the safety concerns of traveling to this region (ok, but it gives attention to the destination, not the hotel)
  5. Added destinations with nonstop flights to Puerto Vallarta. (ok, but it gives attention to the destination, not the hotel)
  6. Referred to 3 competing hotels with links as alternate hotel options. (Of course Westin would not want to mention competitors)
  7. Made the main part of the story about the destination and not Westin Resort (of course not desired by Westin)
  8. Crosslinked to a previous story critical about Marriott: https://eturbonews.com/bullying-by-marriott-hyatt-hilton-wyndham-accor/ (of course, Westin would not want this)
  9. Crosslinked to a previous story about PVG Airport: https://eturbonews.com/puerto-vallarta-airport-a-gateway-to-paradise/ (of course, Westin would not want this)

How did this Earned Media Pitch work out for Westin? ….

….. not as expected!

TWO days after Diamond PR sent their Westin release to a large number of journalists, only three mentions of the Westin Puerto Vallarta story were found on Google News and other news aggregators, and all were related to eTurboNews 🙂

  1. Swim To Your Heavenly Bed At The Westin Resort and Spa Puerto Vallarta
    eTurboNews Story found on Google News when searching “Westin Puerto Vallarta.“

2. YOUTUBE @breakingnewsshow channel by eTN
found on Google News found on Google News when searching “Westin Puerto Vallarta.“

eTN converts all stories into podcasts and podcasts into YOUTUBE Videos
The second story picked up was the eTurboNews Video transcript from the written story.

3) Story on Travel and Tour World
found on Google News when searching “Westin Puerto Vallarta.“

In violation of copyright, this story included references provided by eTurboNews and not Diamond PR.
Had eTN published the original release (paid), all copyright would have been waived, and the release would have been included on the eTN Inhouse wire for journalists. (https://forimmediaterelease.net/

Travel and Tour World taken from eTurboNews: In a strategic move for Marriott Bonvoy members, only guests who book directly through Marriott’s website will be eligible to earn Bonvoy points and premium benefits, a policy similar to those adopted by industry competitors such as Hyatt, Hilton, and Accor. This policy excludes bookings made via third-party platforms like Expedia or through tour operators and travel agents. The Westin Puerto Vallarta has already introduced its new botanical-inspired bar, Flora Bar, along with a lush, vegetation-rich lobby as part of its overall transformation.

Travel and Tour World, taken from eTurboNews: Puerto Vallarta, a long-time favorite for American and Canadian tourists, is located on Mexico’s Pacific coast in the state of Jalisco. Despite a U.S. State Department advisory recommending caution due to crime and cartel violence in other parts of Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta remains one of the safest resort towns, with a low crime rate for visitors. The town is renowned for its pristine beaches, water sports, and lively nightlife, making it a top destination for travelers.

Travel and Tour World, taken from eTurboNews: Travelers can easily reach Puerto Vallarta’s PVG Airport via non-stop flights from major cities such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, Houston, and Phoenix, among others, with additional direct flights from cities across the U.S. and Canada. Nearby accommodations in the marina district, including Club Regina Puerto Vallarta, Vamar Vallarta Marina & Beach Resort, The Melia Puerto Vallarta, and Marinas Las Palmas II, offer a range of options for travelers seeking various price points and experiences.

Searching Google News
“Westin Puerto Vallarta”

Searching Bing News
“Westin Puerto Vallarta”

Only the eTurboNews story came up twice.
(We submit cross-links and updates, resulting in content being indexed twice.

Searching on Duck Duck Go
“Westin Puerto Vallarta”

Only the eTurboNews story comes up.

How important is it to circulate a press release on a wire?

Using a commercial wire service to circulate releases makes press releases borderline useless.

  • News wire services, such as PR Newswire, can cost thousands of dollars and get no real results.
  • Wire services rely on bought backroom pages on large news outlets such as YAHOO FINANCE, ASSOCIATED PRESS (AP), and Business Wire to impress with millions of assumed distribution. Unfortunately, such coverage is on the back pages, which are not visible or searchable by journalists.
  • The content will not be seen by the readers you intended the release for, such as travelers and travel industry professionals.
  • Any blogger or journalist “picking up” a wire news release will risk a downgrade for their publication or blog due to duplicate content.
  • Any other publication that picks up” a wire news release” risks having its publication downgraded on Google due to duplicate content.

Click here to learn when a large, costly wire distribution service is bad news for your message.

We tested a “leading wire service” by distributing a media release. It should have been simple enough, but it proved complicated and costly, and the results—or lack of them—were eye-opening.

How did Diamond PR Agency do?

  • The agency did not use a wire service – EXCELLENT.

If Westin had paid thousands of dollars to PR News Wire, Globe News Wire, or others, they would have seen their original release in Yahoo Finance, AP, and Business publications. But usually, ALL such coverage is fake and based on misleading assumptions. Stories appear on back pages no regular reader or journalist would see. However, such fake pick-ups create impressive and highly inflated reports showing millions of potential readers- even if the reality can be nearly zero. See: https://travelnewsgroup.com/prn/

  • The agency pitched the release to a relevant and targeted list of journalists – GOOD
  • The agency provided individual content to different journalists – EXCELLENT.
  • The agency responded immediately to journalists questions- EXCELLENT
  • The agency was able to be reached by phone- EXCELLENT
  • The agency was hired because its client felt pushing promotional content embedded in an editorial article or press release should encourage serious publications to publish as a free service. – WRONG

Who Failed:
Marriott Hotels and Resorts, operator of WESTIN HOTELS

  • Marriott is not a struggling family-owned SME or non-profit company. It is a successful hotel operator with a sizeable marketing budget. – GOOD
  • Marriott has an excellent reputation for hospitality and creating revenue for their shareholders. –GOOD
  • Marriott charges its guests the maximum amount for rooms based on market factors – EXPECTED
  • Marriott shares a common approach to leveraging publications through the goodwill of its journalists and bloggers to receive free advertising services.
  • Marriott shares a common approach, inviting independent bloggers and journalists on fam- trips to receive guaranteed positive news coverage in return, disrespecting the time value and the need for commercial revenue every publication has as a commercial business to pay bills and stay objective and relevant. – UNFAIR
  • Marriott Corporate Communication cannot be reached by phone and usually does not respond to journalists’ questions.– UNPROFESSIONAL
  • Marriott follows a common belief that sending press releases to a large number of publications or using a news wire service to do this is a cheap advertising tool – WRONG
  • News Wire services charge high fees to provide impressive fake coverage reports. They receive good ratings on search engine providers such as Google for having first and original content but are not ever directly reaching the intended target audience.
  • Journalists who cut and paste such releases are penalized for publishing duplicate content, and the publications they write for lose valuable ratings.

The Ultimate Triple Win Success Story

eTurboNews intended to demonstrate Westin would have done better paying for the release.

  • Without paying, the story may not have been as intended as envisioned by Diamond PR and its client, the Westin Resort Puerto Vallarta.
  • However, the altered release still had a lot of positive content. With changes that included competitors and destination information, all not part of a promotional press release concentrating just on the resort, it received 298,166 openings within 72 hours in 37 countries and seven languages.
  • It attracted precisely Westin’s intended audience: Travelers and professionals interested in staying at the hotel.
  • Overall, it was a success for Diamond PR, the Westin Resort Puerto Vallarta, and in a bitter sweet way for eTurboNews.