Hospitality Narratives, Story-Telling, & Design
+ a list of my favorite brands pushing the boundaries and the teams behind it.
When I was a kid, I used to go on business trips with my dad. I remember staying at some drab and borderline depressing places. He’s a loyalty member of one of the large hard brands. It sparked my wonder about what a stay could look like and led me to an interest in architecture and interior design within Hospitality. After experiencing some truly unique hospitable experiences for work and fun over the years - I realized how much more a stay can be a part of the traveling experience beyond a place to sleep.
I see a growing demand for stays featuring integrated wellness clubs, design-forward architecture, landscape design, sustainable innovation, experiential offerings, and branding that honors a location’s roots and history. All this to say, people are craving a good story. We want to connect with the narrative of the brand we’re staying with and feel it in touchpoints throughout the stay. I love it when I see brands use their differentiation across the brand identity. For example:
Troutbeck & The Debruce
- Location/Heritage Design
- Food Centric
- Outdoor Experiential
Trailborn & Outdoor Citizen
- Outdoor Experiential
- Hard-to-reach Locations
- New & Fresh Luxury
Piaule & Inness
- Innovative Landscape Design
- Wellness & Relaxation
- Food Centric
Hospitality is as much about the guests’ experience as it is about the look and feel of the property. But, first impressions matter, and brand marketing has the opportunity to create a world around these core features. Especially in an Instagramable world, we want interior design to reflect our interests and values. I gravitate towards a rustic and warm interior that feels worn-in and firm. When I do get around to my own hospitality experience, it will look something like this.
Based on my background as a partner at Openhouse - which focuses on well-designed, quality, retail items, we see a lot of potential for Hospitality Brands to create strong shoppable experiences. The way to do this is to leverage the brand identity differentiators listed above to create thoughtful and creative products that connect with your core customer. I love what Nomada and the Maker Hotel are up to.
Lastly, a model I love that I think more brands (big or small) need to leverage is building in public pre-launch. Whether you’ve yet to launch your membership program, spa, new renovation, or the whole business. Get ahead of it and build a community. Ben Wolf and Harrison Hide do this incredibly well.
Companies Innovating Hospitality Design
Branding & Visual Identity
- Brand Bureau
- King & Partners
- Revolver
Interior Design & Architecture
- Post Company (formerly Studio Tack)
- AvroKO
- Islyn Studio
My Favorite Hospitality Brand Identities
- Dawn Ranch (Bridgeton) - the team behind Marram Montauk
- The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern (Auberge)
- Outdoor Citizen (Coming Soon)
- Piaule
- Troutbeck
- Scribners/The Rounds (Escape Hospitality)
- INNESS
- The JTH
- El Ray Court
- Casetta
- The Lodge at Marconi (Oliver Hospitality)
- Urban Cowboy Catskills
- Shenandoah Mansions (ASH Hotels) (Coming soon)
- Faraway MV (Close to home)
- Mollie Aspen
- Eastwind Hotels, Oliverea-valley
- Ghent House
- The Annex Hotel
Till next time!
