Walpole: What does your role entail, and how long have you been doing it?
Hannah Watters: I have worked in luxury travel PR for just under eight years providing PR services to independent hotels, hospitality interior designers and several globally recognised luxury hotel brands. My current role is PR and Partnerships Manager at Brown’s Hotel, a Rocco Forte Hotel in London's Mayfair. I deal with all things media related and I am responsible for identifying exciting partnership opportunities for Brown’s. My job is ultimately about finding innovative ways to tell Brown’s Hotel’s story and to ensure that the hotel is at the forefront of the luxury hotel landscape.
What’s your career background and what makes you passionate about what you do?
My mother is an artist so, from a young age, I was encouraged to explore my creative side. I was an art scholar at school and went on read History of Art and Italian at the University of Edinburgh. I studied abroad in Rome for a year which is where I first became familiar with the Rocco Forte Hotel brand. I was captivated by the secret garden and the interior design in Hotel de Russie in the heart of Rome. In a way, I fell into PR. I love being creative, meeting people, travelling and writing, so when I heard about this industry I thought I would be a natural fit. There always seemed to be opportunities to travel to Italy, too, which meant I could use my language skills. I am all for creativity – I am an artist on the side – so, for me, it’s all about storytelling and engaging in interesting collaborations with likeminded brands.
Can you tell us about a woman who you look up to regarding your work?
Luckily for me, luxury travel PR is a rather female-dominated industry, so I have been led by some inspirational women over the years. I am so grateful to have been given my first role in PR by Aline Keuroghlian, at Mason Rose in Knightsbridge. I was then mentored by Alexandra Delf, who taught me everything there is to know about the travel industry and went on to become Managing Director of Grifco PR, one of London’s top luxury travel PR firms. It's a relatively small firm and Alexandra exposed me to as many parts of the business as possible, regularly taking me into business pitches from day one. She really believed in me and gave me the platform I needed to grow. I am incredibly grateful to her for that.
What advice would you have to other women following your career path that would have helped you when starting out?
Many of us glean a lot of information purely through observation. When I started in PR, I was like a sponge. Reading a variety of publications is essential in order to stay updated on the hospitality landscape and any trends as PR is a fast-moving industry. Try and find out about it before everyone else does! At the same time, building a network around you takes time so perseverance is key, it can take years to fully see the results. Say yes to the events and breakfast meetings. Thinking more generally, I’m a perfectionist so when I make a mistake I can really bring myself down. I think this is a trait among many women. I try to remind myself that every mistake is a lesson learned and a step toward improving, and that resilience and perseverance is my biggest asset.
What does success look like to you?
Defining success is a very personal thing but to me it means feeling passionate about what you do. If we love what we do, we feel happy and accomplished. Better yet is when you realise you are inspiring others around you. That is when you know you are doing the right thing.
