Strong branding will bring a huge benefit to your high-end hotel. When you target the hospitality market with your offering, you need to consider:
- Who is your target audience?
- What do they want from your hotel?
- How can you satisfy their needs and expectations?
- What do you want to be known for?
- What differentiates you from your competitors?
Potential guests don't always know what make you stand out from the crowd and it's the responsibility of your
branding strategy to educate and entice them.
How can you create a unique hotel brand?
If you understand exactly what you stand for and package it well, it becomes easier for your hotel staff to understand what constitutes outstanding.
It also helps your guests to better understand the benefits of your services and your differentiated personality which will help them decide to book with you.
The critical issue in high-end hotel branding is guest retention. Brands provide a higher return on investment and leverage guest loyalty through increasing market share.
To build a winning high-end hotel brand strategy keep the following tips in mind.
1. Be consistent
Know what differentiates you from the competitors and don't diverge from it. Your hotel’s brand image must reflect everything associated with your business - your name, logo, typography, gifts, handouts, and stationery.
More than physical collateral it’s also your service (formal, relaxed, quirky) and attitude.
The music you play, the marketing events you sponsor or attend, any social media posts, any marketing communications should all reflect your branding image. However subliminal, you are sending a message through all of these.
Is that message saying that you are conventional or that you take exceptional pride in excellence? An urban city centre hotel may have amazing service but also a hipster vibe whereas a country town property with the same level of service may have formal doormen with top hats. Same service, very different branding.
Don't forget!
Consistently deliver on your brand promises. You will need to keep your brand promises in every single client interaction.
2. Be authentic
Guests are smarter than ever. They'll quickly understand when you can't deliver on promises.
If you are authentic and honest about who you are and what you can deliver, your guests will respond equally.
There are plenty of factors which help your brand increase your authority including:
- Building relationships with clients and prospects
- Engaging clients and prospects in conversation
- Having values and staying true to them
- Being honest and transparent
Recognise what you're good at and own it.
3. Be Social
You must get your differentiated brand message out through an integrated campaign of marketing, advertising, public relations and social media.
As you have already chosen your target audience, select your communication platform(s). Besides your own website, use social media to promote your brand in the markets you serve.
User content generation is the best way to create branding content for social media. Satisfied guests who take photos at your property often share their experiences.
Encourage them through conversation and offering appropriate hashtags at various locations in the hotel.
When you allow people to virtually visit your property through the eyes of their friends, not only you will achieve great organic traffic it will also amplify your hotel's brand.
4. Be Focused
Get specific about who you are targeting!
There is a niche market which cares about your brand. Find that niche, clarify your brand and deliver your guests' needs and expectations.
A unique selling proposition differentiates you from other brands. This means that you must come up a twist or proposition which no one else has.
It may only be a small thing such as being a family business or your Michelin starred chef having a glass of wine with diners after service.
If you can find what resonates with your customers’ values, they will keep coming back and also advocate for you.
Conclusion
Guests will gravitate towards a strong brand which clearly identifies its target market, plans how to delight them and delivers on its promises.
Memorable and unique branding will bring great benefits to your hotel, primarily the ability to attract guests purely based on your reputation.
This provides amazing value and will differentiate your hotel for the long term.