With nearly twenty-one years of experience as a public relations executive in the high-end hospitality industry, Simone Rathlé knows fine hotels and restaurants.  Her Washington D.C.-based boutique consulting firm, simoneink, specializes in promoting a select collection of restaurants, small hotels, resorts, and spas from the Adirondack Mountains to the mountainous landscape of New Mexico, from her hometown of New Orleans to the nation’s capital. 

Cal-A-Vie, the luxury spa that Ms. Rathlé had represented since 2003 to 2008 in Vista, California, outside San Diego, had just emerged from a $10 million renovation, complete with a new 17,000-square-foot fitness center; it was named #2 in the world among Top Destination Spas by Travel + Leisure in October 2004. Two New Orleans hotel properties, International House and Loft 523, represented from 1998-2009 were featured in numerous national and international publications as well as coffee table books, Chic Hotel and the internationally acclaimed interior design book, Hip Hotels. The Chanler at Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, gained continuous recognition for being the most prominent and luxe hotel along the Northeast coastline. Today, her hotel clients include The Garrett Hotel Group, two of whose four properties are Relais & Châteaux members, including The Point, in Saranac Lake, New York, a resort consistently listed as #1 in the country by the Zagat Guide to Top U.S. Resorts, and Lake Placid Lodge, also in the Adirondacks and a constant on the top travel destination lists.  The Garrett Hotel Group’s most recently acquired property is The Inn of The Five Graces in Santa Fe, which was named one of Andrew Harper’s Top 25 Global Hideaways for 2005.  New to her portfolio is The Inn at Dos Brisas, where in its short and laudable life, recently received Mobil 5 Stars for its restaurant (only 17 in the country with that accreditation) and selected to be a member of Relais & Châteaux.  

Among the fine restaurants Ms. Rathlé has represented was Seeger’s in Atlanta, the completely renovated showcase for the award-winning cuisine of world-renowned chef Guenter Seeger.  Currently, simoneink represents John Besh, the talented chef behind Restaurant August in New Orleans, which has been listed in Gourmet magazine’s Guide to America’s Best Restaurants, and Besh Steak, La Provence, Lüke and most recently Domenica, a tribute to the Italian heritage that graced so much of New Orleans in the early 1900’s. In 2006, Chef Besh received his second nomination for a James Beard Foundation Award and won as Best Chef of the Southeast.  Besh competed and won against Mario Batali on Iron Chef America and one year later competed for the title of Iron Chef America. Besh was highlighted in the Sundance Iconoclast series as a superior citizen making a difference in his community. Four of the most highly acclaimed and popular restaurants in the nation’s capital, DC Coast, TenPenh, Ceiba, Acadiana and Passion Fish, also benefit from Ms. Rathlé’s expertise.  Jeff Tunks, their chef and co-owner, was Washington’s Chef of the Year for 2003-2004 and David Guas, their Executive Pastry Chef, was Washington’s Pastry Chef of the Year for 2004-2005.  Three of the four restaurants received the honor as Best Restaurant in the United States by the highly acclaimed food critic, John Mariani, in Esquire Magazine. TenPenh was also included in Gourmet magazine’s Guide to America’s Best Restaurants. 

A new division of media relations has unfolded at simoneink in 2009 with two of her clients publishing cookbooks in the fall.  Chef John Besh will be the proud author of his first cookbook, My New Orleans (Andrews McNeel, October 2009) which is a beautiful book full of colorful images and detailed short stories that reveal the passion of a man deeply rooted in Louisiana culture and history.  November 2009 brings a spectacular cookbook, DamGoodSweet, Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style, by pastry chef David Guas (Taunton Press). Vibrant images of home-style sweets of New Orleans and surrounding areas complemented by personal essays that transport each reader into the rich life and kitchens of Guas’ native Louisiana. Through 50 amazing dessert recipes, Guas is dedicated to presenting the pastries of this unique American city.  Upon completion of Guas’ cookbook, the inspiration to develop a place to enjoy New Orleans desserts in Metropolitan D.C. became a reality with Bayou Bakery. In August 2009, the historic homey deep southern café in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia opened.  A completed re-design with plenty of vintage Louisiana character sets the scene for Guas’ neighborhood gathering place. 

Prior to establishing her own firm, Ms. Rathlé directed media relations for some of the world’s most notable hotel corporations.  For Orient-Express Hotels, she coordinated all PR for the Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans, and The Lodge at Vail, Colorado, and was a liaison with the European properties for a period of over six years.  Following her tenure in New Orleans and affiliations abroad, she became Public Relations Director for Exclusive Hotels by Forte, whose properties include The Hotel Plaza Athénée, The Hotel Westbury, and The Watergate Hotel in the US, the King Edward in Toronto, The Plaza Athénée in Paris, and The Westbury in London for four years.  A position with The Wentworth Group placed her in charge of PR for The Westbury, New York and The Westbury and The Wentworth Club, London.       

In her capacity as PR executive, Ms. Rathlé has worked extensively with corporate and media executives, dignitaries, and celebrities, including President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan; President George H.W. Bush; Prime Minister John Majors; Raul Granillo Ocampo, the Ambassador of Argentina; Prince and Princess Michael of Kent; Keith Richards; Julia Child; and Zsa Zsa Gabor.   

Ms. Rathlé  has won two gold Addies, or American Advertising Awards.  She is also an avid runner, and has competed extensively, completing a marathon and winning the New York City Turkey Trot for her age category.  She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and the Southern Foodways Alliance.  In recognition of her expertise in the industry, Leading Hotels of the World appointed Ms. Rathlé to its Media Advisory Board for 2004-2005.  Ms. Rathlé also was appointed to the Media Advisory Board for the Louisiana Tourism and Cultural Development Committee under Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu on several occasions.  In 2006, Ms. Rathlé was asked to lend her expertise and talents to the James Beard Foundation Awards.  She was responsible for promoting the awards to television outlets. 

One of Ms. Rathlé’s proudest accomplishment for 2005-2006 was helping to position New Orleans hurricane relief at the forefront of national news by developing two successful fundraisers entitled, “Po’ Boy Power!” for the benefit of Hurricane Katrina victims. The first fundraiser was developed and held 12 days after the devastating storm hit the Gulf Coast. Her efforts helped raise $27,000 within a two hour time span.   She was also involved in raising funds for policemen and firemen in the city’s devastated communities over the course of a year.  

simoneink has been established for 10 years and is continually recognized as one of the premier boutique agencies in the country that concentrates on taking a personal approach to successfully positioning its clients.  The philosophy of simoneink is that the media contacts and hospitality industry officials work directly with the principal, Simone Rathlé. All conceptualization, execution, creative writing, marketing development, graphic design, art direction, branding, food styling, successful editorial placement, and maintaining extensive media relations is proactively directed by Ms. Rathlé.