Independent hotel brand

In the 1970s, Holiday Inn revolutionized the concept of homogenizing the hotel experience in the United States. Increasingly, travelers wanted to know exactly where they were going to stay when they got tired. Thus was born the brand hotel as we know it today, the same here, there and everywhere. Holiday Inn created an expected level of value and experience that was solidified in its new 1975 motto, “The Best Surprise Is No Surprise.” His was a promise of low prices, consistent quality, and convenient locations for a generation of Americans heading to the highway for business and pleasure.

Fast forward 35 years, we can see the relative benefits and challenges that a world of branded hospitality has brought to the world. Hyatt, Hilton, Westin, Doubletree, W and Holiday Inn have consolidated their own brands and extensions of those brands so that everyone knows exactly what they will get when they walk into the lobby anywhere in the world. There really is no more surprise to the millions of travelers who expect and demand the attributes these brands consistently deliver.

It could be concluded that this evolution of branded hotels would have resulted in the absolute destruction of the independent hotel market. Not so. In fact, over the past 15 years, growth in supply for the independent segment has lagged the branded segment by only 4-5%. Additionally, what independent hotels could lose to brand-name hotels in total occupancy, they typically make up for in the average daily rate (ADR).

So what is the real challenge for the independent hotel in a world dominated by brands? It is imperative that an independent hotel owner take branding as seriously as their branded competitors. That means developing a brand strategy plan long before hiring the architect, interior designers, food and beverage experts, ad agency, and hotel staff. The independent hotel must specify exactly who it will serve. They must define that audience (person) from a demographic and psychographic perspective. It’s critical, because that’s exactly what branded hotels do.

When you check into a Westin, you know exactly what kind of guest is going to be there. What you want as an independent may be a very different guest, one who is looking for a unique hospitality experience, one that they cannot get at a brand name hotel. This is the great opportunity to deliver this new expectation of value and experience that is unique to your offering. Doing it the other way will create an undefined and adrift hotel property. Marketing becomes enormously expensive and ineffective when you don’t know exactly who you are targeting. Once your transient and group goals are defined, you can create a branding strategy around them.

An independent boutique hotel that has done a great job of creating a unique experience unmatched by any brand name hotel is The Ellis Hotel in downtown Atlanta. Well-defined guest personas are articulated across all brands, marketing, food and beverage, as well as in-room amenities. It is difficult to do it well, and they have done it well.

Once you’ve created a branding strategy, you can call back to the architects, designers, and folks at f & b. Now you have a brand, now you can build, now you can fill the rooms with the confidence that you have done your homework and you can contribute something that branded hotels cannot, because sometimes the best surprise is a well thought out and unique one. surprise.