On this episode of Suite Success, host Katie Cline interviews Gary Sherwin, President and CEO of Visit Newport Beach, to unpack the strategy behind building a destination people don’t just visit but aspire to be part of.

Gary shares why most destinations get branding wrong, the surprising shift from selling hotel rooms to telling holistic stories, and how a single, well-defined brand promise can influence everything from luxury hotel development to how local police interact with visitors.

From celebrity influence and global perception to the power of authenticity over aspiration, this conversation reveals what it really takes to create a place people fall in love with and keep coming back to.

Whether you're in hospitality, marketing, or building a brand of your own, this episode will change how you think about experience, storytelling, and what it means to be truly essential.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to Suite Success

00:38 Meet Gary Sherwin

01:49 What Is Destination Marketing

03:45 Tourism As Economic Engine

06:40 Aligning Local Stakeholders

09:41 The Newport Beach Brand 

11:55 Building Brands With Data

14:28 Delivering on a Brand Promise

17:05 Social Media and Reputation

18:20 Police as Tourism Ambassadors

22:02 Brand Research

26:17 Authenticity Over Aspiration

28:09 Taglines Done Right

32:45 Celebrity Pop Culture Halo

35:33 The Future of Destination Marketing

45:05 Suite Summary

This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lodgify!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Connect with Gary:⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gary's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-sherwin-a261871/

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Newport Beach's Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://visitnewportbeach.com/

Links:

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