First thing you need to do if you expect VIP guests to visit your establishment is look up the word discretion in the nearest dictionary.
Only 24 hours after news broke that there is a chance Lionel Messi, one of the best footballers in the world, might spend his summer holiday on island Hvar, the news was denied on May 22, 2016. And considering how quickly the owner of the property where Messi was supposed to stay leaked the news to the press, can anyone blame the superstar’s team for scrapping the idea? I certainly can’t.
Croatia is a very popular tourist destination and in the last few years, celebrities have been visiting the country in enviable numbers. Angelina Jolie, Demi Moore, Steven Spielberg, Giorgio Armani, John Malkovich, Kevin Spacey, Ellen DeGeneres, Eva Longoria, Bill Gates, George Lucas, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta- Jones, Beyonce and Jay-Z (they even named their daughter after a tree on island Hvar), not to mention kings, queens, princes and princesses…The list goes on and on.
One of the reasons why they love Croatia is the fact that they can have a relatively peaceful holiday without an army of fans coming up to them and paparazzi lurking from every corner.
And then we have incidents when establishment owners or staff members, hoping to get instant media exposure, jump the gun and leak information to the press. Remember last year’s episode with Demi Moore’s bill from one of the restaurants in Hvar? If they thought it would give them massive positive PR they were dead wrong. Same goes for this new incident with Messi and the property owner on Hvar. Not only will it fail to create positive PR, it will come to bite you in the backside. Big time. You can be sure anyone of any media interest will now think long and hard before booking or visiting that property / establishment. Because the last thing they need is a swarm of photographers in front of them while they’re trying to have a somewhat “normal” holiday. Unless they are a member of the Kardashian clan, but they inform the press on their own.
The first thing you need to do if you have a celebrity coming is look up the word discretion in the nearest dictionary. Or Google it if you cannot find one in your library. Never underestimate the impact a celebrity guest can have on your hotel, restaurant or shop. Of course, there’s seemingly free publicity, which comes with mentions in the media. Second, there’s the reputation within the industry that attracts other celebrity guests. But you will get both, with the same impact, if you inform the media after your guests are already halfway across the globe. And most celebrities will take a selfie with you and your staff and sign your guest book if you ask them to, so you'll have photos to share. Some will even share their experience on their own social media channels if they’re happy with the service, But leak information without their consent and it will cause irreparable damage because, yes, celebrities do talk, and the word will get out.
So, before you pick up the phone to call a member of the press, answer their call or press publish on your Facebook page, stop and think whether silence is golden or is it worth ruining possible future celebrity visits for just a few one-off articles in the showbiz pages.
