With nearly a quarter century of experience as a public relations executive in the high-end hospitality industry, Simone Rathlé knows fine hotels and restaurants.  Her Washington-based boutique consulting firm, simoneink, specializes in promoting a select collection of restaurants, small hotels, resorts, and spas from the Adirondack Mountains to heart of Texas, from her hometown of New Orleans to her home base in the nation’s capital.

Cal-A-Vie, the Vista, California luxury spa that Ms. Rathlé represented from 2003 to 2008, 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 luxe hotel along the Northeast coastline. In its heyday, The Garrett Hotel Group was one of her most prominent hotel clients, representing from 2000-2010; 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, was its flagship property; The Inn of The Five Graces in Santa Fe was named one of Andrew Harper’s Top 25 Global Hideaways for 2005, and Lake Placid Lodge, a Relais & Châteaux resort and a constant on the top travel destination lists, remains a gem in her portfolio.  Long the nation’s foremost promoter of the Adirondack style and craftsmanship, Lake Placid Lodge has recently been named a finalist for the Travel + Leisure Global Vision Awards in the Preservation category.  Ms. Rathlé is also happy to be representing The Inn at Dos Brisas, which in its young and laudable life has already recently garnered Mobil 5 Stars for its restaurant (of only 17 in the country with that accreditation) and the hotel with restaurants has been selected as a member of Relais & Châteaux.  The Clifton Inn, also a Relais & Châteaux property, exudes quiet country charm with a Jeffersonian pedigree in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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 and has secured his name in the public eye for the past ten years. Besh is the talented chef behind August in New Orleans, which has been listed in Gourmet magazine’s Guide to America’s Best Restaurants, and Besh Steak, La Provence, Lüke, Domenica, and American Sector.  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 their sister restaurant Passion Fish, located in Reston, Virginia, 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 was appointed a board member of the Southern Food&Beverage Museum in New Orleans. Three of Tunks’ restaurants have been honored as Best Restaurant in the United States by food critic John Mariani in Esquire Magazine. TenPenh was also included in Gourmet magazine’s Guide to America’s Best Restaurants.

Another acclaimed Washington chef now graces simoneink’s client list:  Robert Wiedmaier, award-winning chef-owner of Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck, Brabo, The Butcher’s Block, and Mussel Bar, is distinguished not only by his fine French and hearty Flemish cuisine, but also in his role as a full-circle chef, to whom hunting and fishing are an integral part of the process in preparing good food. 

A new division of media relations has unfolded at simoneink with two of her clients publishing cookbooks in the fall of 2009.  Chef John Besh’s impressive first cookbook, My New Orleans (Andrew McNeel, October 2009,) was nominated for a James Beard Award and won a coveted IACP Award.  A spectacular cookbook by David Guas [Washington’s Pastry Chef of the Year for 2004-2005], Dam Good Sweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth New Orleans Style (Taunton Press, November 2009), was also nominated for a James Beard Award and was a finalist for an IACP Award.  Upon completion of Guas’ cookbook, Ms. Rathlé helped him develop his vision of a place to enjoy New Orleans desserts in metropolitan D.C. into a reality: Bayou Bakery will be a homey deep southern café, a neighborhood gathering place with plenty of vintage Louisiana character. 

Ms. Rathlé is equally at home in the growing industry of culinary television.  In addition to placing her chefs on major broadcast television programs like CNN and NBC’s Today Show, she has secured a national television show on TLC, Inedible to Incredible for John Besh, and has successfully interested prime national networks in featuring her other chefs.

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, for four years she was 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.  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. Currently, Ms. Rathlé is advisor to the St, Bernard Project, a non-profit organization assisting in wellness and building homes for displaced St. Bernard residents. In June 2010, after attending First Lady, Michelle Obama’s Chef’s Move at the White House, Ms. Rathlé joined the board of Chefs as Parents that will help rebuild children’s meal plan needs in the DC public school system.  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.

Among Ms. Rathlé’s proudest accomplishments are her fundraising efforts.  In 2005, “Po’ Boy Power!” – a fundraiser she developed for the benefit of Hurricane Katrina victims -- made national news. The first of the two “Po’ Boy Power!” events was held just 12 days after the devastating storm hit, and 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 the following year.  In June 2010, she was tapped to help the St. Bernard Project raise funds via the Patrón Tequila Epicurean Express, to benefit fishermen of the Gulf Coast whose livelihoods had been destroyed by the oil spill.  In Washington, the ‘station stop’ that she conducted, the two-day event raised nearly $20,000 and in New Orleans raising close to $30,000, a substantial contribution toward its $100,000 goal.

The success of simoneink comes from its personal approach to positioning its clients.  All 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, editorial placement, and maintaining extensive media relations is proactively directed by Ms. Rathlé.  For her energetic, thoughtful, and savvy expertise, simoneink is continually recognized as one of the premier boutique agencies in the country. 

Sue-Jean Chun joined simoneink, llc, summer 2009, as Media Relations Executive, Sue-Jean’s background includes over three years of public and media relations for luxury and consumer clients. As Media Relations Executive, Sue-Jean will be responsible for overseeing the culinary accounts and coordinating all campaigns and programs.

Prior to joining simoneink, Sue-Jean served as an Account Associate at RF Binder Partners, Inc. in New York City where she was instrumental in providing key media relations and new media strategy for clients including Wines of Germany, Dunkin’ Donuts and Johnson’s Baby to name a few. At Brand Building Public Relations, Sue-Jean focused on entertainment and celebrity-driven PR with luxury clients such as Kwiat Diamonds, Dove Chocolates, L’Oreal Paris and Rachel Roy, fashion designer. She has had the opportunity to work on national-to-regional media platforms for every client, as well as develop new media presence through microsites, blogger conferences and events, and client branding on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and all other social networks.

Sue-Jean received her Bachelor of the Arts in International Politics and Economics from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. There she also minored in Chinese and is fluent in Mandarin, Korean and conversational in Spanish. As a dedicated foodie, Sue-Jean loves to cook, eat and travel. She lives in Arlington, Virginia and grew up in Wilton, Connecticut.