Beyond Check-Ins and Menus: How Brand and Creativity Elevate Hospitality Experiences

Embrace Your Instincts and Discover The Power of Branding

Step into any restaurant or hotel lobby and notice how your senses are immediately awakened by your surroundings, how your nose takes in the scents lingering in the air, and how unmistakably appealing it is when a staff member greets you personally. Successful hospitality brands carry their brand promise through every touchpoint, ensuring a seamless experience for their guests.

Understanding how brand and creativity can impact your business will help guide you to make sound decisions on creating optimal experiences for your employees and guests.

What is a Brand?

To show you what a brand is, first let me tell you what it isn't. A brand is not a logo. A brand is not an image or a font or a color. A brand could be a combination of all these things, but more than anything, it's a gut feeling consumers have about your product, service or organization, one that can only be changed or improved by consistent, strategic actions on your part.

How Can Branding Impact Businesses?

Branding is an ever-evolving process that has the power to influence a person’s perception of a product, service or organization. When applied well, branding can evoke feelings of joy and forge a meaningful connection with your audience. For example, consider the case of Five Star Parks. By strategically aligning their company values with their wordmark, they transformed a generic attraction name into a brand that resonates with their audience by promising exceptional quality and experiences. This intentional connection not only influenced the perception of the brand but also created an association between the brand and the notion that something worth five stars has a standard of excellence.

How Does Creativity Play a Role in Branding?

Creativity helps businesses stand out from their competition, connect with their guests and build a meaningful and memorable brand identity. As storytellers, we use creativity to build the right brand story, and as marketers, we tell that story to captivate the right target audience.

For example, Select Registry's tagline, “Stay for the Story” perfectly encapsulates their unique brand positioning. By defining their business category as “Craft Lodging,” they evoke a sense of artisanal craftsmanship and personalized experiences. This creative approach not only differentiates its curated portfolio of properties from traditional lodging options but also invites guests to imagine themselves immersed in a story-driven, handcrafted journey. This emotional connection helps to build a strong and lasting brand identity, encouraging guests to choose Select Registry for more than just a place to stay.

Here are three key ways in which creativity influenced Select Registry's branding:

Emotional Connection: The tagline “Stay for the Story” implies that guests will experience more than just a physical stay; they will be part of a narrative and create their own unique memories. This emotional connection fosters a deeper engagement with the brand.

Differentiation: The term “Craft Lodging” sets Select Registry properties apart from generic lodging options. It suggests a higher level of care, attention to detail, and personalized service, similar to a handcrafted product.

Memorability: Select Registry utilizes design elements that are distinct, unique and compelling to increase brand awareness and recall.

Collectively, the experiences from Select Registry’s collection of properties create a cohesive brand identity that resonates with travelers seeking high-quality and authentic experiences. By incorporating a creative approach similar to Select Registry's example, you can build a brand that evokes emotions, creates a strong identity, and differentiate your business from your competitors.

What Does Brand and Creativity Look Like in Action?

Imagine a five-star luxury hotel: I bet it’s adorned with sparkling chandeliers and opulent decor. Well-dressed guests are mingling in a vibrant atmosphere filled with the sound of laughter and clinking glasses. A team of impeccably dressed staff members move gracefully throughout the space, attending to every detail with precision and charisma. In the background, a live band plays smooth jazz music, adding to the sophisticated ambiance. Outside, a fleet of sleek luxury vehicles line up, ready to whisk guests away to exclusive experiences. The environment exudes a sense of elegance, exclusivity and high-class service, embodying the glamour and allure of the tourism and hospitality industry.

Brands reminds us that our instincts and perceptions play a significant role in shaping our travel experiences, no matter the type of accommodation.

Here are two important factors to consider in branding: