Makeready Appoints Erica Purtill to Lead Strategic Partnerships and Brand Activations Across Portfolio

Makeready has appointed Erica Purtill as Director of Strategic Partnerships + Brand Activations, introducing a newly created role focused on expanding collaborations and experiential programming across its portfolio. Based on her prior tenure with the company, Purtill steps into the role with experience in managing marketing and partnership initiatives across multiple properties.

New Role Focused on Partnerships and Experiences

In her new position, Erica Purtill will lead the development and execution of strategic partnerships and brand activations across Makeready’s hotels, restaurants, and retail concepts. Her responsibilities include overseeing collaboration strategies and designing programming initiatives that strengthen guest engagement.

The role is structured to support the company’s approach to integrating cultural, community, and travel elements into its properties through curated experiences. It also involves coordinating with internal teams and external partners to deliver consistent programming across locations.

Responsibilities Across Multi-Property Portfolio

Purtill will manage partnership development and activation planning across the company’s portfolio, ensuring alignment between brand identity and guest-facing experiences. Her work will include developing partnerships that contribute to both guest engagement and overall business performance.

She will also focus on creating programming initiatives that connect with local communities while supporting broader brand positioning. The role requires coordination across marketing, operations, and external stakeholders to execute portfolio-wide initiatives.

Previous Role as Area Marketing Manager

Erica Purtill joined Makeready in November 2022 as Area Marketing Manager, based in Charleston, South Carolina. In that role, she was responsible for overseeing marketing, communications, partnerships, and programming across several lifestyle hotels and independent food and beverage concepts.

Her work included campaign development, local collaborations, and programming strategies aimed at enhancing guest experience and supporting operational performance. She contributed to property-level planning and execution across multiple locations.

Experience in Portfolio-Wide Activations

During her tenure, Purtill led several initiatives across the portfolio, including partnerships such as TinyZaps and seasonal activations like Little Pine and Frannie’s Winter Courtyard. She also developed Secret Garden pop-ups implemented across multiple properties.

Her experience includes managing both large-scale activations and localised partnerships, reflecting a combination of portfolio strategy and property-level execution. These initiatives were designed to enhance engagement through experiential offerings.

Local Market Collaborations in Charleston

In Charleston, Purtill worked on collaborations including partnerships with Vacation Inc. at The Ryder and the introduction of the ‘Sewing Down South Suite’ at The Emeline. These projects focused on integrating local partnerships into the guest experience.

Her experience in the Charleston market contributed to building partnerships aligned with the local cultural landscape, supporting both brand positioning and guest engagement at the property level.

Strengthening Brand Activation Strategy

The appointment reflects Makeready’s focus on strengthening its brand activation and partnership strategy across its portfolio. By formalising this leadership role, the company aims to align programming initiatives with broader brand and operational objectives.

Purtill’s background in managing multi-property marketing and partnership initiatives is expected to support the structured development of collaborations and experiential programming across the company’s hotels, restaurants, and retail concepts.

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