With lifestyle hotel concepts now mainstream, launching another product into
this space presents numerous challenges in terms of brand awareness. And adding
to this elevated level of competition are the numerous high-end apartments
offered under the sharing economy umbrella that imitate many aspects of a
lifestyle hotel.
So, in this soon-to-be overstuffed boutique market segment, how do hotels
adapt? How do you innovate a boutique property so that its repeat revenue
figures will always be a healthy contributor to the bottom line for decades to
come? You need a plan with both tangible short-term goals and a clear vision for
how that can be evolved over the long run.
Start with a
Brand Strategy
With a world of possible directions that one can take insofar as capital
expenditures and operational improvements, an essential exercise is to first
develop your brand strategy to help narrow the focus that will guide all future
renovations, hard goods purchases, the theme of the restaurants and so on.
All too often I see hotels that lack a clear brand strategy. Something feels off,
disorienting even. Our bodies are subconsciously primed for sound, congruent
design and it irks us when we encounter a ‘Frankenstein’ that coalescing the
disparate visions of several designers or branding agencies. Impressive lobbies,
nuanced décor touches to the corridors and artfully furnished guestrooms, to cite
three areas, must all be planned to match the brand vision.
So much of the guest experience nowadays is about creating a strongly positive
impression that you cannot afford to present your product in a disharmonious
manner. It will detract from the desired emotional journey and ultimately prevent
you from attaining that much-vaunted wow factor that will earn the prestigious
necessary for helping make your property evergreen.
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