Hotel branding agency. Building the foundations of a successful hospitality brand.
Historically it’s been the job of a graphic designer to take a brief and quite quickly start designing things like logos. A strangely hurried process perfectly encapsulated by that word ‘brief’. Today that’s not necessarily the case. Instead of just receiving briefs, we often help shape them, long before the design phase has begun. A process that’s rarely brief but often invaluable as creative unfolds.
It’s during this initial phase where branding can offer real value and clarity to the hospitality sector, without a logo or colour palette even being considered. Great branding goes beyond your ‘corporate identity’. The careful creation and application of that identity is important (or we’d be out of a job) but the wider consideration of your ‘brand’ should ask more profound questions, questions that impact everything you do as a venue once they’ve been accurately answered.
Often it’s interior design or F&B that make the strongest impact on site, particularly when it comes to one-off locations – nobody’s walking away from Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester talking about how delicious the logo was – but, by asking the right questions and getting the foundations of the brand in place first, the interiors, F&B offers and corporate identity can be part of a considered narrative that runs through every single guest touchpoint. We call those questions your ‘how’s, why’s and whats’. There are numerous areas that they can cover, but here are our top four when it comes to the hospitality sector.
1. What do you stand for?
If you’re a hotel with some nice rooms, some comfortable beds and some friendly, attentive staff, you’re definitely not the only one. What do you stand for that your competition doesn’t? What reason are you giving your guests to care about your offer compared to the hotel around the corner?
Citizen M are a strong example of a hotel that considered their position at an early stage and devised a top to bottom brand position, they called it ‘Affordable Luxury’. They would be built for modern travellers who value luxury, based in central city locations and always available at an affordable price. They even named their guests ‘Mobile Citizens’, then named the hotel after them. In doing so they created their own space in the market. They represent guests that do things their own way and they show that by sticking two fingers up at hotel traditions. Their brand positioning is at play down to the smallest details, from 24 hour F&B to free in-room porn. The result? Higher profitability per square metre than any other hotel and a $1 billion expansion plan going into 2022.
2. Who’s already talking to your guests?
Breaking down your ideal guest based on the brands that they’re already engaging with can help create a guest persona. Success leaves clues and by paying close attention to what’s already out there you can gather vital information that impacts brand decisions across the board. Are your guests waiting for the next limited edition sneaker drop or wearing Dr. Martens until they’re battered and broken? Are they hitting the gym at Fitness First or Third Space? Are they doing a weekly shop in M&S or Aldi? Brand affinities can offer a clear creative path. Get to know your guests better than they know themselves and your offer might feel like a seamless fit beside the brands they already count as their own.
3. What’s your story?
Did you know that when humans listen to a story they have five times the amount of normal neural activity? Stories ignite the sensory cortex which is why you can sometimes feel, taste or even smell what you’re hearing. Storytelling also activates a process called neural coupling which gives the listener empathy and helps them relate what they’re hearing to their own personal experiences. So you see where we’re heading; engaging brand stories equal emotionally invested guests, which could mean increased brand loyalty and the potential for guests becoming brand advocates who promote your venue for you.
Stories also create a culture within a business and culture over time ultimately becomes tradition. Claridge’s opened in 1812 and their story of impeccable quality slowly built a culture where royalty were happy to be entertained. Today that culture has become deeply rooted tradition that staff and guests alike are excited and proud to be a part of.
4. How do you want people to feel?
We’ve already touched on having emotionally invested guests, but what emotion is it you want them to be feeling? How are you going to appeal to their needs, aspirations and even their egos? Citizen M sell a lifestyle, they’re not just selling rooms. They’ve created spaces people aspire to be in. There’s a cool factor that the ego loves and an affordable price point that breeds happiness. At 2020 opening Birch – by former Ace Hotel London MD Chris Penn and entrepreneur Chris King – they want their guests to feel slightly different. While the venue drips in cool it’s designed to offer an escape to its members. The emotions they seek to stir are based on calmness, creativity and freedom from the daily grind, or what they call ‘an escape for the explorers’. They’re ‘bigging up’ their guests, then inviting them over for a hug. It’s not by accident. It’s a considered offer and a culture built around cool relaxation is emerging.
Getting the preliminary work right takes time. Briefs can still be short, but they need to create a platform where the brand's visual language can achieve more than just being wallpaper. Taking the time at the start of the process will give the solution longevity and help build a culture that will continue to drive the brand forward long after any visual trends have fallen by the wayside.
