Flights and hotels go hand in hand; one part of a trip is getting to a destination, and the other half is figuring out where to stay. For those of us that do PR in the hospitality industry, realizing this simple notion is the basis for many story angles to pitch media. A few of these include coming up with creative hotel packages to help clients boost PR and sales, and tying hotel or travel clients into current events to maximize marketing opportunities.

Earlier this week, the Golden Nugget saw a great opportunity. On the heels of Southwest Airlines’ announcement of its $39 birthday special, the hotel came out with a $39 room rate good for the same dates as Southwest’s deal. Clever?

Let’s look at the flipside, too – perhaps a less tactful approach.

In the same week Southwest celebrated its 39th birthday with a sale on rates, Spirit Air launched its “Check Out the Oil on our Beaches” advertising campaign, offering a discount on airfare to destinations in the Gulf of Mexico. Hmm, I don’t think anyone finds the oil spill funny. Perhaps this is a lesson learned for Spirit?