Strategies
A strong, relevant identity is vital to a hotel and restaurant’s business.
A strong correlation exists between a recognizable brand and strong customer retention, satisfaction, and loyalty, which directly impact a company’s financial performance.
In today’s highly competitive environment, re-branding is a critical process for hotels and restaurants to remain relevant and profitable over the long term.
However, re-branding is a challenge, and according to this recent article by Erik Stuebe’s, a successful re-brand requires a methodical approach with a clear end result and audience in mind. He goes on to describe a number of important aspects to consider:
- “Instead of just making a cosmetic change such as a logo and new livery which is really only seen on the surface, the key point is to truly identify what part of your business strategy will truly change and build a new hotel identity around that new target or belief system.”
- “A brand is every single touch point of the guest experience and consistency is key.” Every part of the guest experience, from the logo and graphics, to the website and uniforms, to the architecture and interior design is part of the brand and must be singing the same song.
- “To adequately rebrand, marketing is an important part of the process to promote and publicise the new identity, but also champion and police the new look and feel within the brand guidelines.”
- “Be clear about what your brand is all about, and this will assist in the rollout by influencing everything the team does and the way they execute it.” A successful re-branding requires a deep understanding of the new brand and how it will impact business wide operations. Careful planning and design of the new brand is crucial in developing a clear vision, and will pay off in the long run.
