Copy-and-use templates for openings, renovations, new chefs and awards — plus the structure editors actually want, and the six mistakes that get a release deleted unread.
Free to copy and adapt · No email required · Written by working travel editors
Editors read the first paragraph and decide. Everything below it is there to make saying yes easy — not to build suspense.
Replace anything in [brackets]. Keep it to one page. Free to use and adapt — no attribution needed.
Works equally for a reopening — change the headline to what is different now, not that it is back.
If the chef is the story, lead with the chef. If the concept is the story, lead with the concept. Only one can be first.
Awards need context to land — "one of twelve worldwide" is a story, "award-winning" is not.
None of these are style preferences. Each one measurably reduces the chance your announcement gets used.
A press release is built for editors and wire services, and that is usually where it stays. If you also want travelers to read your news, we rewrite your announcement as an original travel story and publish it permanently on 5 Reasons to Visit® — where people planning trips actually find it.
Between 300 and 500 words, or roughly one page. Editors decide within the first paragraph whether to keep reading, so anything past the first page is supporting detail rather than the story itself.
The restaurant name and location, the opening date, the cuisine and concept, who is cooking and where they came from, seat count and service hours, two or three signature dishes, reservation details, and a quote that explains a decision rather than expressing excitement. Template 02 above covers all of it.
Not always, but it helps. A release gives an editor the facts in one place — dates, names, numbers and images — which removes the back-and-forth that often stops coverage happening. For consumer travel publications, the release is source material rather than the finished article.
A press release is written to inform the media and is read mainly by the industry. A travel story is written for travelers and is read by people deciding where to go. The same announcement can become either — see how we turn a release into a travel story.
Long-lead print outlets need three to six months. Digital publications and news outlets work on much shorter timelines, often days to a few weeks. A short heads-up early and the full release closer to opening covers both.
Yes. Copy them, adapt them, and use them however you like. No email address or sign-up required. Once it is written, run it through our free press release grader for a score and specific fixes. If you would rather your news reached travelers than trade press, our press release distribution service publishes it as a travel story instead.
