How SHR became a global leader in unified hotel tech

Brand awareness

Drove brand awareness by securing media placements in local and international trade media, from PhocusWire and Travolution to Hotel Investment Today and Hospitality Technology.

Visibility

Expanded reach and visibility across key global markets, including the Middle East and Saudi Arabia, through strategic in-media and in-language placements.

Trust and credibility

Built trust and credibility by positioning SHR’s leadership team as thought leaders and the brand as a go-to solution for fragmented hotel tech systems.

Company Overview

SHR, a global hotel technology and service provider founded in 2004, offers AI-powered software and digital services.

Following a 2022 merger with Avvio and acquisition by The Access Group in 2024, SHR empowers hotels to boost revenue, increase customer lifetime value, and reduce reliance on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). With over 2,500 customers across 70+ countries, SHR facilitates $4 billion in transactions annually, analyzing over 65 million online journeys.

Their integrated suite of tools aims to replace fragmented hotel tech stacks, enabling hotels to build direct guest relationships and diversify their booking strategies. SHR focuses on personalized experiences and sophisticated loyalty programs, empowering hotels to increase direct bookings.

The Challenge

SHR embarked on a strategic transformation following its acquisition of Avvio, a pioneering booking engine, which presented a unique opportunity to reimagine its market positioning. With an expanded suite of hotel technology solutions, the company recognized the need to craft a clear, unified brand narrative that would resonate across global markets.

To expand into new markets, SHR had to insert itself into industry conversations where well-known competitors were already established. However, their marketing team struggled to secure media coverage because of a lack of relationships and expertise. CMO Jason Emanis wanted to ensure hiring a PR agency would be the right investment, especially with a strict budget.

SHR wanted to be recognized as the leader in unified hotel technology systems, but they needed the right strategy to gain visibility. “SHR is well known in the United States, but not in the rest of North America, Latin America, or the Middle East,” said Jason. “Our European presence was due to Avvio, so we had a lot of work to do to familiarize people with our brand.”

Our Solution

Based on the complexity of these challenges, we got to work on helping SHR define its brand and secure the industry recognition it deserves.

Securing media placements and speaking opportunities

We knew we had to get the industry talking about SHR as much as possible to increase awareness of the unified SHR brand.

We started by helping them develop the SHR Hotel Industry Trends Report, using deep data from their vast product suite to highlight key industry issues, such as OTAs out-competing hotels for direct bookings.

The distribution of the report required an entire PR strategy of its own, which resulted in coverage in 12 key industry publications, including Hospitality Net, Travolution, Hotel Speak, Irish Tech News, HITEC Bytes, and Hospitality Today. We also secured an interview with Hotel Management Network, and two further opinion opportunities in Travolution and Today’s Hotelier giving SHR’s CEO a platform to delve deeper into the report’s findings. This wide-reaching exposure, in titles attracting a combined 295k unique monthly (UVM) readers, not only showcased the report’s relevance and depth but also cemented SHR Group’s role as a thought leader in the industry.

We then streamlined SHR’s branding by eliminating outdated product names from online mentions while positioning their leadership as industry experts. We collaborated with Jason to develop compelling story angles, securing thought leadership articles in PhocusWire, Hotel Dive, and The Hotel Magazine, along with press coverage announcing key hires and advisory board updates.

“Abode gets us in the publications that matter,” Jason said. “They expand our reach in channels that would be very difficult to access without their expertise.”

We also secured podcast appearances on Top Floor Podcast and Dojo.Live, further cementing SHR’s credibility.

By strategically placing SHR in high-impact media, we strengthened the awareness of its brand name as an innovation leader.

Positioning in the market

Our big-picture view of the industry gives us an edge in advising and positioning hotel tech companies within the competitive landscape. When Jason shared SHR’s unique value proposition with us, we immediately recognized it as a unique solution to a common problem.

SHR’s natively integrated suite of tools eliminates the data fragmentation and inefficiency caused by disparate tech systems. With SHR, hotels finally have multiple tools working seamlessly to enhance guest and staff experiences. We embraced this message and ran with it.

For the past three months, our core focus has been putting SHR at the forefront of industry discussions through targeted press mentions, insightful thought leadership, and podcast appearances that highlight their unified solution. We also promote SHR’s full ecosystem, including mobile bookings, booking engine, and AI personalization.

Expanding audience reach

Raising SHR’s brand awareness also involved new territories. We helped SHR expand into new markets by securing coverage in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia.

We broke into the Middle East with a big campaign—announcing their new partnership with Saudico, a Saudi electronics company. This announcement appeared in 10+ international and local outlets, including HospitalityNet, Hospitality Upgrade, HITEC, Travel Daily News, Eat N’ Stays, Tendance Hotellerie, and 10 Minutes Hotels.

We also worked to develop and publish thought leadership in the Saudi media to target local audiences in their native language, establishing SHR as an important local player.

The results

SHR’s strategic messaging and positioning helped it build brand awareness, establish itself as an industry leader, and break into new markets.

Our deep industry expertise allows us to understand our hotel tech clients and help us hit the ground running, and Jason valued that. He appreciated Abode’s proactive approach in securing speaking engagements and podcast opportunities for SHR’s experts, and getting them included in top industry publications like PhocusWire.

Jason also noted that our responsiveness and proactive communication have made working with us easy. “Abode isn’t like those big PR firms where you meet with senior people to close the deal, then get your account handed to junior people with little experience. I’m very impressed with Amy, our lead at Abode. The team is very pragmatic and over-delivers.” Jason said.

“I’ve been in the hotel space since 2016 and the nuance of running a hotel and knowing its language is very unique. So when I met Abode, I knew they were experts who had the pulse on the right publications. Even if they don’t know a subject, they’ll learn it. Abode is highly competent and I trust them.”

Jason Emanis, SHR CMO

Conclusion

As a unified hotel tech solution, SHR needed to consolidate its brand name to position itself as an industry leader and stand out in a crowded market. With Abode’s support and strategic insights, SHR is now well-placed as the go-to solution for fragmented tech systems.

“Abode come up with stories on their own and are always thinking of new ones, never forgetting the number one problem we solve for as new opportunities become available. It’s a great skill set and very professional,” Jason said.

For hotel tech companies looking to solidify their brand, gain industry recognition, and stand out from competitors, a strategic PR and marketing approach is essential. If you’re ready to take your brand to the next level, let’s start the conversation today.

Interested in working with us?

To discover how Abode Worldwide can raise the profile, credibility and influence of your brand, contact us to start a discussion and set up a discovery call.

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How SHR boosted brand awareness and became a global leader in unified hotel tech

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