HIPR is my third internship, and I can honestly say I’ve learned the most working here than my other two internships. When I first found out I was hired as an intern here, I was excited to be working in the city, as well as working with a lifestyle, luxury and travel agency for the first time.

Through HIPR I was able to get hands on experience in public relations. Interns here are as valuable as employees and you become a part of the team. Everyone in the office is extremely friendly and they are always here to answer questions. I was given tasks that I have never done such as using Photoshop and writing pitches, now I am able to say I have photo editing skills and involvement with media relations.  I have also enhanced my skills in formatting press releases and building effective media lists…my resume has a lot more charisma thanks to HIPR! For all public relations majors, landing an internship is essential because you are able to receive career related experience.

Interning here at HIPR has justified that I want to continue my career in public relations and specialize in travel. Some of HIPR’s employees had opportunities to visit some of the most beautiful places in the world because of working here. I have always loved travel, discovering new cultures, being surrounded by a new environment, meeting new people and eating new foods; working here has exposed me to a different aspect of travel and helped me understand why I developed a passion to travel.

-Demi Cruz

Although Instagram has seen rapid growth in users and profitability in the two years since its inception, it was not expected to make such an impact so early on.  Founded by two Stanford students in 2010, Instagram is essentially a social network built on the platform of photo sharing. Users make profiles, snap photos, alter their appearance with artsy-ish filters, and upload them on their smartphones for other users to view and comment on. It currently boasts 30 million users who collectively upload more than five million photos per day; these numbers are expected to exponentially increase following the company’s release of the app to Android devices this week, rather than solely Apple devices.

So what does this indicate for the future of social networks? The fact that Facebook took such notice of a comparatively miniscule start-up, with no immediate promise of making money, tells us that mobile devices are the future of social media. Facebook is recognizing the need to reach a more diverse audience that uses technology in a different way – a more youthful, photo-driven demographic that relies on the smartphone. Time will tell how Facebook decides to integrate Instagram into its cache, but Zuckerburg would be wise to maintain some semblance of distinction between the two apps in order to build upon the company’s initial success and secure a broader fan base.

It’s an intriguing concept: UK vacation rental company, with great locations in Yorkshire Dales (Matt Spence’s 55 acre farm turned flagship Natural Retreats property), Fistral Beach, Cornwall, West Highlands, Ireland, soon to be John O’Groats in Scotland, locations in Ireland and the Canary Islands comes across the pond to most beautiful areas of America not because the need to, but that they feel it is only right.

We arrived to discover that our “digs” was a brick (very Virginian) house with all the amenities of a million dollar home! Wolf appliances, marble and granite counter tops, multiple flat screen, a basement bar set up with pool table and game area which would rival any hole-in-the-wall NYC dive bar and king beds dressed with…wait for it…silk sheets!? As we quickly learned, guests of Natural Retreats Virginia Hot Springs may be enjoying the great outdoors, but stay in beautifully appointed homes, each designed with its original owner in mind. Ours was called Donald Ross Trail. It would sleep 12 comfortably and you wouldn’t be tripping over each other. In fact, every house under the Natural Retreats “portfolio” can accommodate large families or groups. It just so happened we were in the party house-so make sure to see if it’s available.

The "hamper" of food

We spent the majority of our two days touring the different properties, from Travilview, a home designed in the antique log home concept to Overlook, a southern plantation style home. You could really see how travelers could choose what type of house suites their style: something more rustic feeling? Party house? Elegant? But, when staying with Natural Retreats, all guests are welcomed by the concierge team with a “hamper” of local goodies like farm fresh eggs, bread and cheeses in hand. The concierge team is on call to help make sure that every guest has what they need and can make plans to explore the area, whether by hiking, biking, playing golf, kayaking, fly fishing and more. So, as much as you have all the amenities of home (there’s WiFi in all the houses and cable, so you’re not really roughing it) you can get back to nature.

Of course, there is always The Homestead, the Jefferson Pools and cute towns of Hot Springs and Warm Springs to enjoy, but don’t take my word for it, contact the concierge team and they’ll point you in the right direction.

Our biggest takeaway is that there is so much to see in this amazing country of ours. A 4-5 hour car ride from Washington D.C and you’re in a spot where three U.S Presidents once sat their bottoms (Jefferson Pools), in a state with so much history connected to it.

Travel tip: Nearest airport is Roanoke (90+ minute drive). It’s a three hour car ride to Richmond, VA. Travel time from NYC is about 8 hours with flights or car, pick your poison.

It’s not that my life has been travel-deprived; to the contrary, I was lucky enough to spend two semesters exploring Europe while studying in France and Greece. I’ve also been out West before, spending a month in the wilds of Utah and Colorado the summer after high school — I just never made it to California.

This was much to my dismay, considering that I’d developed a slight fascination with the state. College friends who hailed from CA had a certain laid-back je ne sais quoi about them. The California-based media I’d consumed, including Sideways, Joan Didion novels, Californication (and everything else), further intrigued me. Plus, falling in love with New York made me want to see my own city’s West Coast foil.

Luckily, I got the chance to do just that a couple of weeks ago, when our client, Dorchester Collection, announced that it would host the much-anticipated Grand Final Event of its 2011 Fashion Prize at one of its LA-based properties, The Beverly Hills Hotel.

Not only did I get to fly to California to work at a glamorous fashion event, but I got to see both of our client’s LA hotels – no small privilege. Both The Beverly Hills Hotel, where I stayed, and Hotel Bel-Air, which was just renovated and where I had lunch and a tour, have rich and exciting Hollywood histories of the sort I’d watched and read about for years. To have the opportunity to experience both in one short three-day weekend is just one of the amazing perks of working in travel PR.

While the action-packed weekend had its ups (touring Bel-Air; achieving a near-perfect number of guests at the event; missing NYC’s first snowfall in favor of palm trees and sun; dining at the legendary Polo Lounge) and downs (being frisked at Newark Airport because I had 100 USBs in my carry-on; a seating plan snafu with some VIP guests; weakly sending our final press release in the LAX waiting area an hour before our flight home) — overall it was an unqualified success.

There’s still so much I want to see in California, but this trip was a pretty great start.

Me, standing in front of a historical display near the Fountain Coffee Room at The Beverly Hills Hotel. The display included photos of Marilyn Monroe’s last photo shoot before she died.

The newly renovated Lobby Lounge at Hotel Bel-Air.

On the runway in The Rodeo Ballroom at The Beverly Hills Hotel, before America’s Next Top Model contestants presented the Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize shortlist designers’ collections.

As public relations people whose professional lives revolve around travel and the many facets that play a part in making it more accessible to all, it’s hard to ignore the role that technology plays in this business.  With the passing of tech guru Steve Jobs, and whether or not you consider yourself a “Mac” or “PC person,” we’ve suddenly been forced to evaluate the extent to which technology, and its myriad advantages, has been a catalyst in travel, tourism, and the hospitality business as a whole.

Through the increasing innovation of Apps and social media’s limitless accessibility, it’s clear that the relationship between travel and technology has been and will continue to be a symbiotic one; both aspects of business rely on one another for ease of information, efficiency, and accessibility. It is due to our increased dependence on technology that many find it difficult to part with their cell phones, iPods, iPads, personal computers, and so on.  So when the hospitality world initiated the idea of the “digital detox” experience for travelers, the media was eager to record the hype. In some ways, travelers have welcomed this “digital cleanse” as a refresher, while others see it as a nuisance, inconvenience, or worse, an unimaginable thought. Regardless of your personal take on the idea, it’s interesting to notice the juxtaposition between digital detox as a “trend,” and a lack of technology as a chosen lifestyle.

This Wall Street Journal article explains how certain hotels across  the US and Central America have begun to implement special packages that incorporate classical books, board games, exercise, yoga, and other activities in order to wean both business and leisure travelers from their PDAs, iPads, iPods, and computers, with a heavy focus on “going off the grid.” For some, this challenge proves impossible. Businessmen and meeting planners aside, the Wall Street Journal reports that 79% of travelers expect to remain connected all or some of the time on their next vacation, while many travelers cited feelings of anxiety and disorientation after waking up with no cell phone at their bedside. Regardless of whether or not travelers are actually booking the package, it’s clearly struck a chord.

A tiny outpost in South America provides a completely different outlook on the “digital detox,” not simply as a trend, but as the lifeblood of a secluded and intriguing locale. This piece from T: New York Times Style blog tells of the remote village of Cabo Polonio, Uruguay, whose bohemian culture is one of tranquility, minimalism, and stylish humility.

Cabo Polonio is only accessible by traversing the expansive sand dunes that guard it, either by 4×4, horse, or on foot. Many permanent residents rent out their piecemeal shacks (made of deconstructed panes of glass, wood, plexiglass, and bamboo) to vacationers in the warmer months. The village has no electricity, and the only power lines in sight are only of use to the local lighthouse. Most of the shacks have a well and tin buckets with a hole in the bottom, serving as the only means for a shower. Cell phone service is a recent addition, but internet accessibility still lags.

Despite its rustic approach, Cabo Polonio has attracted the wealthy, educated, and cultured for decades, including South American pop stars, actors, and high profile professionals who enjoy the village’s tranquility. Year-round residents complain that the primitive lifestyle which has been sustained in the village is unnecessary and detrimental to the development of their businesses and the society in general. Others, including a majority of the aforementioned seasonal visitors, are adamant that Cabo Polonio maintain its quaint charm.

The debate in this seaside village idles on as visitors and villagers mistakenly trample into one another’s houses in the darkness (with no street lights, or even streets, what would you expect?) and businesses feel the need to bring in technology to keep up with the rest of world, while both businessmen and consumers  staying at luxury hotels admit to having trouble giving up their cell phone for a few hours, let alone days.

Technology, and the lack there of, affects all of us in certain ways, but it speaks through a different medium when considering communities like Cabo Polonio, whose existence becomes enmeshed between the struggle of tourism and general livelihoods, as opposed to the creation of a trend in order to boost revenue and stimulate buzz.

*Caption: Cabo Polonio, Uruguay

Photo credit: T:New York Times Style Magazine blog.

Country Walkers created a microsite, seen here, which explains a community-based sustainable tourism effort in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Visit the site and read about the facts of how quickly we’re losing the resources of the rainforests; discover tribes that were so isolated, they were only contacted by today’s modern world 55 years ago; and realize that man’s quest for crude oil destroys the very lively hood and life source of not only the native peoples, but, in reality the rest of the world.

Why should you care? Why should we take a moment walking the busy streets of NYC and LA or driving in our gas-guzzling cars through the suburbs to think about this? Because even if we live in a time of globalization, it is a race to who knows where, and the toll on our Earth our only Earth, is becoming more and more relevant. Close your eyes, picture the amazing world we live in: people of different races, amazing species of animals and at times unimaginable landscapes from ragged mountains, icecaps, deserts, beautiful bodies of water and lush green forests and rainforests…and keep thinking about those rainforests for just a few more seconds.

Rainforests and their inhabitants (plants, animals and humans) are being depleted in rapid numbers.  Rainforests cover less than 2% of the Earth’s total surface (!), but yet they are home to approximately 50% of the Earth’s plants and animals. The air we breathe? 28% of it is oxygenated by Rainforests (!); Fresh Water? One-fifth of the world’s fresh water is found in the Amazon Basin alone! Nearly one-half of the Earth’s original forest cover has been lost. According to the UN’s State of the World’s Forests report deforestation continues at an alarming rate of about 13 million hectares (32 million acres) a year- this loss equals the size of Greece! (I swear that is the stat, I do not mean to attach Greece to something negative yet again).

I’m not writing to preach absolute change, but hopefully by this quick read you’ll think just a little bit more, like I did, about the world around us.

*Image obtained from Country Walkers

The new menu celebrates the five gifted shortlisted designers of the 2011 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize – only available until October 5th (during Europe’s fashion season) and exclusively at Dorchester Collection’s hotels in leading fashion capitals: 45 Park Lane and The Dorchester in London, Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan and Le Meurice and Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris.

To create cocktails which exemplify the spirit of their work, the 2011 shortlist collaborated with celebrated Dorchester Collection bar managers. For example, Thierry Hernandez of Hôtel Plaza Athénée mixed the “Anndra Neen Ruby,” a red mescal-based drink inspired by the Mexican heritage of Anndra Neen’s Phoebe and Annette Stephens while Siki Im and Stefano Cossio at the newly launched 45 Park Lane created “Silent Thunderbird,” a heady concoction involving Maker’s Mark Bourbon and a shot of espresso.

Does the saying, “it’s 5 pm somewhere,” apply here?

Omni Mount. Washington Team (L-R): Laura Lopez, Michelle Munick, Emily Easter

July 19, 2010.  To most, just an ordinary day.  But to me, this day will forever be significant because it was the day that I had surgery to remove 15% of my liver due to breast cancer that had spread.  My memories of that day are hazy at best.  I spent most of it unconscious, only to periodically wake up in serious pain.  The only escape from the pain was to click my painkiller drip and fall back asleep again.  It was not one of my most favorite days.

Exactly one year later, on July 19, 2011, I found myself in a very different situation.  I was at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, along with my HIPR colleagues Michelle and Laura and our client Caryn from Omni Hotels.  We were there to try out the resort’s newest offering – the West Wall Climb rock-climbing experience.  After being outfitted with a harness, special rock-climbing shoes, and safety helmets, a Jeep took us halfway up the mountain.  A short hike took us a little further up, and then we arrived at the base of the West Wall.  Standing at the bottom and looking up at the steep natural rock face was a little daunting to say the least, but we were up for the challenge!

Luckily, we had amazing guides who walked us through the basics of belaying and gave us guidance and words of encouragement along the way.  That first segment up the rock face was a little rough, as my feet kept slipping and it felt like I was trying to grab onto flat rock to no avail, but soon we got the hang of it and became experts at finding natural holds to make our way up the rock.

About 3 hours later, we reached the top.  Although the significance of the date was foremost in my mind during the whole experience, it wasn’t until we reached the top that it really hit me.  As we stood taking in the breathtaking views of the Presidential Mountain Range on that crystal-clear day, I realized how far I had come in a year.  From months of chemotherapy, two surgeries, and two courses of radiation, I somehow emerged strong enough to climb a mountain.  It goes to show that anything is possible!

Fighting cancer is like riding a roller coaster – there are times of great highs (last day of chemo!) followed by plummeting lows (unexpected test results).  And you never know what is coming around the bend.

As my fight against breast cancer continues, my experience that day on the West Wall Climb sticks with me.  I try to remember – especially during the low times – that if I can climb a mountain after everything I’ve been through, I can do just about anything.  It gives me hope for the future!

Our perception of PR was that it was a cutthroat, high stress field where your main job was doing damage control for unruly clients.  It didn’t take long for all of our preconceived notions to dissipate after just one day in the HIPR office. The employees were down-to-earth, friendly and willing to answer any and all questions. Everyone truly made us feel comfortable and welcomed us as members of the team.

We found it easy to adapt to our new work environment because of the intimate and warm vibes that this office emits. Since there is a small staff, everyone is within earshot, making it easy to communicate and build relationships. The atmosphere allows for a strong sense of teamwork, with everyone willing to lend a hand or an idea, regardless of whether the situation pertains directly to their clients.

Interning here at HIPR has not only been a learning experience in how to participate in a work environment but also a major lesson in the ways of Public Relations. Much to our parent’s dismay, nothing that we have learned in college has been quite as useful as what we learned here on a day-to- day basis. From drafting pitches to formatting press releases to building media lists, the skills we have acquired will no doubt be invaluable as we come into careers of our own.

We also got to experience how our hard work inside the office translates into the success of HIPR’s clients in the outside world by attending events and spotting clients featured in newsstand publications. These successes are a testament to the passion that HIPR’s employees have for their clients and their genuine interest in luxury travel, food and lifestyle.

We are undoubtedly leaving this internship with a budding interest in the travel industry and a desire to see the world. Next time we visit a new place or stay at a great hotel we will appreciate the hard work that goes in to getting it noticed, and HIPR might just be behind it!

Just 20 miles from Charleston, the drive was an easy one from the airport to our lovely two-level Kiawah Island Club Cottage I shared with my colleague, Anna.  Yes, the separate floors were the first thing that caught the attention of these New York City ladies. But that wasn’t all.  I would say our cottage had all the amenities of home, but that wouldn’t be quite accurate.  My home does not have a wrap-around porch, fireplace, fully stocked kitchen, two large bedrooms, housekeeping service,  AND a washer dryer.  No, my Brooklyn apartment does not come with any of those amenities.

We spent our time on the island exploring the real estate neighborhoods from the English-style Cassique to the soon-to-be-built LEED-certified Indigo Park.  If you are in the market, check out 36 Ocean Course featuring marsh, golf and ocean views, plus its own locker room and workout area.    We dined at restaurants like Voysey’s with its delicious tasting menu and had lunch at Tides at The Beach Club overlooking guests lounging by the pool and hitting the waves. We had the chance to work off our meals with a 90-minute morning kayak excursion on the Kiawah River where we saw a pair of dolphins as we paddled.  Our work would not be complete without experiencing the relaxing haven known as Sasanqua for our massages with views of the landscape that made you question if you were in South Carolina or a safari adventure. Since 48 hours isn’t quite enough time, I hope to return to hit the beaches, 30+ miles of biking trails, and explore the historic town of Charleston.