OUR WORK IS TO HELP AMPLIFY , ARTICULATE AND SHARPEN A PROPERTY ’ S PERSONALITY AS IT ' S EXPRESSED IN WEBSITES , ADVERTISING AND MARKETING , BUT ALSO IN THE GUEST EXPERIENCE |
– MATT FEREBEE , CO-FOUNDER
AND CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER ,
FEREBEELANE
agencies working with hotels report that clearly defining and showcasing a property ’ s brand increases guest satisfaction and boosts ADR . To achieve such winning results , branding experts advise hotels to — in the words of music icon Madonna — express yourself .
“ We ’ re in an era when customers care about a sense of place and a story ; that drives room rates ,” said Donna Oetzel , executive director , brand , at Streetsense , a creative agency
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Blackberry Farm in Tennessee offers views over the Great Smoky Mountains .
and hospitality consultant . “ Some hotels we ’ ve worked with , where we developed their story and brand , their room rates are through the roof because people seek that experience .”
Brand experience is the operative term , said Matt Ferebee , co-founder and chief creative officer at FerebeeLane , an advertising agency that works with hotels on branding . He cites a hospitality industry icon to drive home his point . “ Ian Schrager made many of us understand that a hotel stay is about various touch points : what you see , hear and smell , the way the front desk answers the phone , the sound of the lobby . All of those things express the brand experience .”
WHY STORYTELLERS ? Branding starts with developing
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a story that a hotel wants to tell guests .
“ Our work is to help amplify , articulate and sharpen a property ’ s personality as it ’ s expressed in websites , advertising and marketing , but also in the guest experience ,” said Ferebee .
For example , his company has worked with Blackberry Farm , a member of Relais & Châteaux based in Walland , Tenn ., for more than 15 years and the effort started with determining “ how does this brand express itself ?”
From there , he said , “ Every touchpoint — the paint color , custom soft goods , followups from the concierge , the look of uniforms and how we engage — is the brand story . It ’ s how the hotel wants to speak to consumers off-property and guests on-property .”
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In fact , that conversation needs to start off-property , once the booking is made , noted Streetsense ’ s Ed Viita , managing director , hospitality . “ Branding is not just about the physical space and the guest experience on property , it ’ s also about the digital space and pre-arrival storytelling . We make recommendations to bring the brand story to life through experiences presented to upcoming guests once they book .”
Though these measures take effort , some hoteliers still might question why a branded hotel , backed by a behemoth marketing arm at a major hotel company , would need an outside agency .
One reason : Many thirdparty firms don ’ t solely focus on hotels , giving them a broader perspective . For example ,
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Mar / Apr 2024 hotelsmag . com 35 |