Building and communicating a brand beyond the visual
By A.D. Thompson
Coca-Cola ties itself to nostalgia, simplicity, happiness.
Apple, meanwhile, remains something of a status symbol, its cutting-edge rep still inspires loyalty that has fans lining up on new product release day.
Patagonia lives and breathes sustainability, appealing to the environmentally minded.
And yet, there are plenty of people out there who prefer the taste of Pepsi, the affordability of Android, and the fashion-forward vibes of The North Face.
“Clients come to us and say they want everyone to be excited about their product,” said Jeremy Wells, partner at Longitude – an award-winning hospitality branding agency. “We try to remind them that you can’t be everything to everybody.”
What they can be, however, is everything to the right audience.
Wells works with owners and developers to help craft their vision for their hospitality concept, to create foundational brand elements that help them build a story worth telling, one that customers want to be a part of.
That story imbues every guest touchpoint, from the website to the ambiance of a lobby. And while corporate properties are looking harder into crafting location-based, unique experiences at their hotels, it’s the independents that have a leg-up on showcasing what makes a destination a community and making visitors feel like a part of it.
The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far
Pritesh Patel’s parents’ property had regular guests who came to their family-run hotel every single year for two decades, a property they purchased from the well-known area developer who’d built it on what was an orchard at the time.
The Indianola, IA, property was called The Apple Tree. And the Patels kept the name.
“People got married here. They’d come for reunions,” said Patel, who joined the family business in 2019, taking over the then-struggling motel.
“The whole hotel needed a refresh, but when we renovated, I wanted to keep a link to the old name, for those who had been coming here and always had a nice experience.”
He also wanted something new, for the guests who hadn’t. And for the former Super 8 in Chariton, IA, they’d acquired. And so, in a nod to the motel he grew up in, both became Hotel Pommier – apple tree, in French.
Their customer base was varied. In particular in Indianola, where large tourist events like the National Balloon Classic and nearby Des Moines Metro Opera bring folks from far-flung locations.
“We can have people from New York City coming to see world-class opera staying next to a construction worker who’s fixing the road down the street,” Patel said. “This is a small town, and we don’t have the liberty of saying, ‘We’re a hotel for families. Or a business traveler hotel. Or just couples.’”
Hotel Pommier accommodates weddings and funerals. Local events and transient road workers.
And so, working with Longitude, through a survey process, Patel was able to unearth the personality of their brand and hone it.
“I thought it was going to start with the logo, the colors, look- and feel-type stuff,” he said. “But instead, we did exercises like ‘If your brand were a person, would it be male or female? What car would they drive? How would they dress?’”
Anchored in Community
Janice Laraine would likely support this tactic.
“When people think that branding is all colors and logos, it gives me the ick,” said the hospitality brand experience strategist and founder of Studio MADM Co. “Because all those visual elements, all of your marketing is going to amplify what’s already there. And if you don’t have the anchor of the guest experience, there’s nothing to amplify.”
Hundreds of boutique properties offer similar amenities. And aesthetics is always a focus. In the age of social media, everything is crafted, curated, perfect.
What travelers are trending toward, she said, is connection.
“They want to feel that with the location, the city, the town, the neighborhood,” said Laraine, “and it begins with that conduit – the place where they stay.”
Money spent, she said, is more often thought about. Where is it going? Who is it benefiting? Is it the shareholders of a large corporation?
“How can small, independent properties bring that to the forefront, those things travelers really care about, and highlight them for this specific location?”
Are you sourcing from local businesses? Using local artists or craftspeople?
There is psychology in play here, she said. And hotel owners, through surveys, or talking to guests, can harness that input to “stop the scroll,” to get peoples’ attention.
Hotel Pommier’s connection to local permeates the entire plan, from the aesthetics to the employees.
Craft beer from local breweries in quaint state-branded pint glasses. In-room coat hook panels from a local woodsmith. Imagery from local artists.
“There’s a photo of a corn field we have, it couldn’t be more personalized to Iowa,” Patel chuckled. “The big brands are beautiful, they’re big for a reason, but we want our guests to see the connection to our community.”
That includes the people who work there.
One of the first things he put in place after the post-renovation financials bounced back was a 401(k) program. Easy for players like Hilton and Marriott, it’s an expensive endeavor for the mom-and-pop.
“But it’s wonderful to feel like you’re giving people something they can look at and feel more secure about their future,” he said.
There is, of course, a visual element to branding, said Wells. But it’s the three-pronged formula of how you look, what you say, and what you do that matters in concert.
“You can look the right way, you can say all the right things, but if you’re not following through on the operational side, on the execution side, it’s not going to work out.”
For Patel’s parents, who ran the property one way, successfully, for many years, their son’s new tack was hard to grasp.
“There was kicking and screaming,” he laughed. “They survived off the customer who wanted a $60 room, they were worried no one would pay [the higher rate], but they didn’t see this whole other segment of people who sees the hotel, the nice photos, the good reviews. Our rooms aren’t $60, but they aren’t $200, either. It’s good value. And it’s a local experience.”
What Keeps Them Coming Back
Sometimes, the experience an independent offers can even be hyperlocal.
Laraine does site visits with clients to get a feel for the property or family of properties, in search of connection. On one such visit she noticed a particular flower – the canna lily – that was prevalent throughout and asked about it.
“So, he goes into this story that in a previous career, he was a landscape architect, which made sense, because it was beautiful, so well thought out,” Laraine recalled. “He’d chosen that flower because it blooms in multiple seasons, it buds in the fall and winter, it’s enduring, it’s resilient.”
It was a good choice for upkeep, of course, but also for messaging.
Laraine threaded canna lilies throughout the branding and even into the guests’ stories as they are invited to find the flowers at each property when they stay.
“They see this online, then they come experience it in person, and it encourages them to return, to stay at additional properties, and do the same. It’s an anchor that’s woven through the branding, the visuals, the messaging. It’s a unique way in which to invite guests back.”
And come back they do. Laraine said his return rate is over 70 percent.
Return visits were common at The Apple Tree, said Patel, and that’s something that’s continued with its new Hotel Pommier identity.
“Guests look forward to seeing the same faces when they return every year,” he said, noting that even his parents have to “come out of retirement” for the day when the Knoxville Nationals come around.
“There are guests who have been coming for 20 years and expect to see them,” he said. “So, we bought pizza on the last day, and they came and we all just hung out in the breakfast area.”
Large, corporate hotels, he noted, face change often.
“You don’t see the need to do these types of things, because if a guest doesn’t want to stay there, they’ll find someone else who will.”
That’s not the M.O. at Hotel Pommier, nor at other successful independents, he said. It wouldn’t be on-brand.
That’s the thing, said Wells, noting that big brands and Airbnb will continue to have their segments.
“You have to ask who your audience is, but also who it isn’t,” Wells said. “It’s not from a lens of turning anyone away, it’s just that not everyone has the same considerations….And we have to be okay with that.”
The Sum of All Its Parts
A strong brand identity isn’t just a logo or clever tagline – it’s the sum of every guest impression. So how do you build a brand that resonates?
- The foundation of your brand is your property’s purpose. Why did you open your hotel? What experience do you want guests to have? What space does it exist in?
- Enter personality. Build upon your foundation with the tone, style, and emotion your property conveys. Does it evoke laid-back luxury, local charm, or modern energy?
- Your visual identity should reinforce that personality, not define it. Which colors, typography, and imagery give life to your personality?de pre-arrival communication, check-in, check-out, and post-stay engagement.
- Don’t forget voice. The way you write, greet, and communicate should sound distinct and carry across channels.
- Experience is the glue. Your operations, amenities, and people must embody your story.
When guests see, hear, and feel the same story across every touchpoint, your hotel is no longer just another accommodation – it becomes a place guests will remember, return to, and tell others about.
Image: VectorMine/stock.adobe.com
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