Industry leaders gathered at the Intercontinental Hong Kong this week to attend the annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia-Pacific (HICAP).
One of the hot topics was the question of branding: What is the value of a hospitality brand? How do you build a powerful brand? And whether a brand is even relevant to today’s travellers.
Things were kicked off to a philosophical start by session moderator James Stuart, managing partner of The Brand Company.
“The first misconception is that a brand is what you want it to be and what you tell people – it’s not. It’s how people see you. In that respect, you don’t even own the brand - your guests do,” he said.
This stirred discussion about the challenges of turning a “brand identity” on paper into reality, through every element from design and architecture, to service standards, destination and communication.
After being challenged to define one relatively new brand, panelist Howard Ho, director of development Hotel Jen, painted a clear picture: “Jen is a person. When you stay with us, you’re staying with your friend Jen. She makes you feel comfortable.”
“We wanted something that would be around for a long time. In this world where everything changes so fast, we needed something that gave us a story we could evolve over time.”
Ho described how this persona is imbued into the guest experience to really bring the brand to life.
“The way we connect to social media like Facebook and Twitter is in the first person, so guests are talking directly to Jen. In guest rooms we provide cut-up fruit with a note from Jen.”
“Most important for us is our people, because that defines how you communicate to your guests.”
Travel writer Mary Gostelow, who spends most nights in luxury hotels, agreed that the combination of staff and service is what makes an impression on her.
“Cruise ships do it brilliantly, because for security reasons all passengers have to have their photo taken before they board and this is circulated throughout so the staff really do know who you are.”
She also revealed it’s the little things that make the biggest impact: “At one hotel in Amsterdam, a glass of champagne was offered on departure, which I thought was stunning because everyone remembers that.”
For Chris Ivy, chief development officer of MGM Hospitality, the key element of the brand was in creating a “destination”.
“We encompass more than just hotel rooms, we’ve got F&B, entertainment whether that be arenas or shows. We’re also creating a destination not just for guests but for locals.”
Because MGM is the biggest employment provider in Nevada, Ivy pointed out that sheer numbers and staff turnover make it unfeasible for MGM to rely on staff and service as the main strategy of communicating the brand.
Mark Edleson, president of Alila Hotels & Resorts, believed his brand was a combination of tangible assets, destinations and a spiritual element, but the real distinction was the sense of craftsmanship and passion in every element.
From a design point of view, Clint Nagata, founder and senior creative director of Blink Design Group, spoke of striving to create an “Instagram-able moment”.
The importance of architecture was also highlighted - to create a social "millenial" brand, it's crucial to have open spaces for example.
Other panelists pointed to the importance of having a strong general manager at the helm to steer the brand message.
Tamsin Cocks
