Here’s the second installment of our popular series of blog posts dedicated to multisensory branding for hotels. Time to open your eyes and pay attention as we take you into the world of visual branding. In today’s highly competitive hospitality market a hotel brand needs to appeal and engage all senses in order to be distinct and successful. To sum it up, your guests need to literally see, hear, feel, taste and smell your hotel brand. 

There’s no doubt that vision is the most powerful of our five senses. This makes sense when you consider that around 83% of the information we retain is received visually. However, recent studies reveal that this might only be the case because we are bombarded 24 hours a day with huge quantities of visual information and a lack of other options. There is an opportunity here for all of us, as currently our other senses are not being targeted properly.

How about your hotel brand? Is your hotel visual identity aligned to your distinctive brand message? With our five MAdvices, we invite you to think beyond your own hotel logo and emotionally enhance your hotel brand with the congruent use of all visible elements. 

“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”
Henry David Thoreau 

1 – Logo: The logo is the symbol of the entire hotel brand, it's the corporate identity packed in a single sign. As a cornerstone of the visual identity it must of course reflect and embody your stylistic ideas, but above all emotionally touch the defined buyer personas. To find the perfect logo for your hotel brand we recommend taking a closer look at the logos of competitors as well as best practice examples (logos of companies you like and might not even be related to hospitality), in order to not only differentiate the logo from them, but also learn from them.

Take a look at the logo we crafted for our client paloria: based on the cool residence concept for athletes and sporty connoisseurs, the logo takes inspiration from contemporary sport and lifestyle brands. Not only does it emotionally speak to the defined buyer personas, but it also expresses the vision of our cool and stylish clients.

2 – ​Imagery: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” So make it count! Invest the time and resources needed to create and use distinctive key images/visuals that are clearly connected with your hotel brand. High quality photos are an absolute must for every hotelier to persuade the guest to regularly visit its website or social media feeds. Wait, what about videos? They are getting more and more important on social media and in general as they are a brilliant way to craft your visual branding. An emotionally charged and high-quality hotel video helps your guests to understand your product or service best. 

A creative way of establishing a truly distinctive visual language for a hotel you can see with the Kandima Maldives illustration. Be brave and stand out from the crowd and opt for illustrations (or other creative tools) that can help you to build a strong and distinctive visual language.

3 – ​Design language: Distinctive design generates distinctive brands, and successful brands are by their very nature visually “smashable”. If you are planning to design a new hotel, then we invite you to consider how your building can become unique in its form, architecture, style and design. The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore or the Burj al Arab in Dubai show the power of unmistakable design in the hotel industry. The sail-shaped design and its exposed location of the Burj al Arab make the building is unmistakable. Or think at our loved Baros Maldives - the overwater fine dining restaurant, The Lighthouse, is so unique in its structure that it is unmistakably connected to this resort. And of course, is featured on most of its key visuals. 

Besides considering the uniqueness of your architecture we also suggest to select a recurring form within your hotel, such as those used in the furniture or design. If you want your hotel to be perceived as sympathetic, friendly and modern, then square forms make an excellent visual shape choice for communication materials (square business cards, brochure, writing pad, etc.). Why is it important to select a brand shape? Shape is an instantly recognisable visual aspect of any brand. Statistics show that e.g. 40% of all perfume purchase decisions are based on the design of the bottle.

4 – ​Colour: Define your colour/s and use them consistently in your communication and throughout your website and social media channels. In addition to pictures, colour has the highest recognition value and thus can be used as exclusive brand mark. We all know that there is also a psychological association to each colour, that e.g. green stands for eco-friendly and freshness, blue conveys trust and purple is often associated with creativity and luxury. A little off topic, but Viagra – Pfizer has successfully taken advantage of the visual component and has given their pill not only a distinctive blue colour but also a unique diamond shape!

How can you decide on what colours you need for your hotel brand? It’s simple really. Just base it on your hotel concept and positioning. A brand such as Kandima Maldives might use a wide and playful colour palette, while Haritha Villas + Spa gives space to its contemporary architecture and lush surroundings and works with white and black as their main “colours” with green colour accents reflecting its natural location.

5 – ​Font: Fonts matter - and not just to graphic designers! All your defined signature fonts are seen by your guests (hopefully) everywhere: on your website, communication materials, etc. Therefore, the font you choose for your hotel is a valuable tool to express your brand personality and to evoke additional associations and emotions. Distinctive typography helps you to enhance your hotel brand character and conveys your tone. Have e.g. a look at the website of citizenM and the one of Edition Hotels: both of the brands have chosen a font perfectly matching their brand personality. Just imagine how strange it would look if you would switch the fonts between the two websites. Remember, guests learn a lot about your hotel brand based on the font you choose. 

Consistency is key. Apply the same distinctive imagery, the same colour, the same design language, the same font type across your visual platforms - at all times. It creates cohesion, so that your guests always get the same story across all channels.

As always, we look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to comment below as well as to share this blog post.

Thank you and all the best for WOW-ing your guests via your distinctive visual identity,
Your MA people

As part of our series of blog posts dedicated to multisensory branding, today we delve into the world of olfactory and gustatory branding. Appealing to all senses can really give you and your hotel a competitive edge, not to mention a unique guest experience. Do you know how your hotel smells? Or are you searching for ideas on how your hotel brand can stay in the noses and palates of your guests?

Read on and discover how YOU can connect with your guests on a whole new level with olfactory and gustatory branding aligned with your hotel concept and brand.

“Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles
and all the years that we have lived.” 
Helen Keller

Smell is the oldest part of our brain and affects us substantially more than we are aware of, e.g., smell can alter our mood or alert us to danger. It is the sense that has the strongest impact on our memory. Which means that targeted and coordinated addressing of the sense of smell offers an enormous potential to transmit strong hotel brand messages.

Our three MAdvices to stay in your guests’ memory with the use of olfactory branding

1 - Smell check: Did you ever experience your hotel through your nose? Rediscover your hotel blindfolded and find out how your hotel corridors, the areas around the kitchen, a room ready for check-in, etc. smell. In order to win with olfactory branding, first of all unpleasant smells must be neutralised and then a consistent and appealing scent atmosphere throughout the hotel created.

2 - Signature scent: Ever thought which scent expresses your hotel brand best? Invest the time to choose the right signature scent or even to develop a personal and customised olfactory signature. But don’t go overboard and drown every corner of your hotel in the scent. It should be subtle and inviting. Use your signature scent as a room fragrance, as guest bath amenities and an enhancement of your print materials. It’s no surprise that W Hotels offer a signature room fragrance that guests can buy, or Westin Hotels a room spray, that is a fancy blend of white tea with wood cedar and vanilla. Many guests rave about the fig and cassis candle of The Dorchester in London, others about the award-winning signature fragrance of Positano’s Hotel Le Sirenuse that combines a hint of musk with a touch of incense, bergamot, and blackcurrant buds. 

3 - Stay in your guests’ memory: Reconnect with guests even after their stay. Stimulate their senses and entice them to return by using your signature scent for direct mailings, greetings cards or gift your guests with scented giveaways on their departure. Back home, the well-known smell will transport your guests into a vacation mood.

“Smell and taste are in fact but a single composite sense,
whose laboratory is the mouth and its chimney the nose.”
Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Smell and taste are closely interlinked. Various studies indicate that we eat with our noses, meaning that if food passes the smell test, it will most likely pass the taste test as well. 

Our three MAdvices for you to win with olfactory and gustatory branding

1 - Create product-specific taste and odour moments and surprise your guests, e.g. with a specially designed welcome drink that matches the concept of your hotel. One that tastes and smells unique. 

2 - Enhance your restaurant and bar experience with multisensory elements and do not rely on good food alone. Remember, your guests experience your restaurant and bar with all senses, it’s a holistic experience for them. Take a look at the restaurant Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet in Shanghai. This is the first restaurant of its kind uniting food with multi-sensory technology to create an immersive dining experience where great food, light effects, sound, music, scents, cool air blow and other sensory parameters that come together to create the perfect dining experience. While this approach isn’t for everyone, it serves as an inspiration and reminder as to how important it is to appeal to more than just one or two of your guest’s senses.  

3 - Taste and smell go hand in hand, if something does not smell good, it cannot taste great and vice versa. Taste without smell is virtually impossible and is also closely related to colour and shape. As such an on purpose designed aroma can be a highly effective brand “plus”. If the gustatory appeal is consciously orchestrated with the other sensory aspects it enables you to transmit a truly individual and very strong hotel brand message.

So, when you’re out and about next, be it in a restaurant, café, shop, hotel or supermarket, take a moment to see, smell, hear, touch and taste what’s around you. See what works, what doesn’t and think about how you can apply this to your hotel and brand. 

As always, we look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to comment below as well as to share this blog post.Thank you and all the best for WOW-ing your guests via your distinctive smell and taste branding,
Your MA people

Ps.: In our next sensory branding blog post we will tap into acoustic branding and how you can create an emotional bond with your guests via music, tones and sounds. Can’t wait? Hop over to our MA people meets with Rob Wood, the Creative Director and founder of Music Concierge and learn in this blog post about the enormous power the sound of a place has.

We hope you’re all ears as we introduce you to the world of acoustic branding. This is the latest instalment of our blog post series dedicated to multisensory branding. In today’s highly competitive hotel market a hotel brand needs to be perceptible with all senses to be clearly differentiable and successfully positioned. In other words, guests need to see, hear, feel, taste and smell your hotel brand. 

Sound is powerful. It impacts both our mood and psychological state. The strong effect of sound elements can be demonstrated by a study conducted by Oxford University, which revealed that high-frequency noise enhances the sweetness in foods, while low tones evoke bitter notes. The skillful combination of sound with food and drinks improves the taste of the same. As such it's no surprise then that celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck has served an iPod with wave sounds to his famous Sound of the Sea dish.

The pace of background music in restaurants and shops also influences service, length of stay, guest behaviour and visitor flows. The slower the music, the more people buy. The faster the music, the less will be spent. For example, at a dinner with slow background music, the average bill amount was 29 percent higher than with faster music.

1 – Make a statement with music: carefully select the music for your hotel and create a sense of place. The basis for this is a clear hotel concept and a brand strategy based on it - after all, the right tone is different for each hotel (and for each target guest). Start using sound to create your distinct brand identity and unique atmosphere/mood, which enhances your guest experience, makes your guests feel comfortable and engaged and ultimately makes them coming back again and again. 

2 – Tell stories with sound and wisely choose the background music for bars and restaurants as well as public areas (lobby, elevators, etc.). Especially in public areas it’s about the overall experience for guests that influences if they want to spend time there. For your restaurant or bar/lounge you can, e.g. select music that invites guests to linger. For your spa, healing sounds with recurring sound elements adapted to your house will be the right choice. Therefore each venue needs to be based on a clear concept. Lighting, design and service are integral elements of a space’s atmosphere – and often, it’s music that ties them together.

3 – Invest in professional sound design and tailor your exclusive music selection to the setting of your hotel and thus create a unique brand identity. There are some great professionals out there, which can support you in finding the right tone for your hotel. Check out Music Concierge, a company that specialises in using background music to create unique atmospheres and distinct brand identities for hotels all over the world. 

4 – Use sounds for your marketing: Which kind of background music do you use on your website? Do you have your own jingle? Which ring tone do your hotel phones feature? Do you also use "Mozart's Kleine Nachtmusik" for your telephone waiting line or do you already place your guests in a holiday mood at the moment when they call you? Think about all the guest touch points and adjust your music selection accordingly, as such that your guest gets a consistent brand identity of your hotel. 

5 – Stop the white noise: The constant, unpleasant background noise of refrigerators, minibars, blender, air conditioning, kitchen sounds, ventilation systems, etc. can have a negative effect on the guest experience. Walk through your hotel with open ears and identify noise emission points and find ways to control them. 

“Funny how a melody sounds like a memory.”
Eric Church

Remember, music and the targeted use of sound elements are great tools to create unforgettable experiences and long-lasting memories for your guests. We invite you to use these tools to connect with your guest on a meaningful and deeper level and promise you that it will make a difference to them ;-)

As always, we look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to comment below as well as to share this blog post.

Thank you and all the best for WOW-ing your guests via your distinctive acoustic branding,
Your MA people

🎧 Prefer listening to reading? Listen to the article here. ▶️

We all agree that in today’s highly competitive hospitality market, a unique, innovative and sustainable hotel concept is fundamental to the long-term success of a hotel venture.

At MAp Boutique Consultancy, we define a hotel concept as a strategic and creative outline on how to realise a hotel venture. It pieces together various elements (soft and hard facts) and gives strategic guidance, as well as comprehensive and detailed information. It outlines to all stakeholders HOW the hotel should look and feel, and WHY, based on defined brand values and characteristics. 

Whenever we, MAp, create a hotel concept, we also put sustainability at the heart of it, incorporating our sustainability framework - MAp's 4Ps of Sustainability - to increase revenue, decrease costs and leave a positive impact on the world. 

But why does your hotel concept need to be sustainable? Operating sustainably is becoming a standard practice and a new quality standard for hotels, as hotel guests and other stakeholders, such as employees and business partners, are increasingly becoming more conscious of their impact. 

The definition of sustainability is not as simple as it might seem, however. It is not only about eco-friendly, “green” hotel practices (like water and energy conservation), it's much more holistic than that, touching on social and economic dimensions too. That's where MAp's 4Ps of Sustainability comes in, inspired by the United Nations SDGs and providing a holistic approach to sustainability:

• People - Social Sustainability: The impact your hotel has on People, including your guests, employees, partners and local community members. At the cornerstone of social sustainability is protecting human rights, addressing issues that affect your People, and uplifting and empowering them.
• Planet - Environmental Sustainability: The impact your hotel has on the Planet, ensuring that you protect the world's ecosystems and conserve natural resources for the health and wellbeing of all - now and in the future.
• Profit - Economic Sustainability: The impact your hotel has on economic growth, without negatively impacting the social and environmental aspects of the community – while driving profitability for your hotel.
• Purpose: While it’s not officially one of the pillars of sustainability, Purpose stands at the core of MAp’s sustainability framework. The definition is simple: Purpose is the WHY that drives you to do what you do – and love it!

While most think being a green hotel is enough, it's important to know that the economic and social aspects of sustainability are becoming increasingly important. A great example of social sustainability is Marriott, which successfully trained half a million staff to recognise and respond to signs of human trafficking. Their multi-language online and classroom-based training programme tailored to front office, F&B and housekeeping staff led to a number of young people being removed from compromising situations, since the programme’s inception in 2017. 

We at MAp believe that there are so many benefits for your hotel in implementing sustainability into your operations. Therefore below we share with you our…

• You use your resources more effectively, thereby increasing productivity and lowering costs. Utilities, labour and operational costs are the largest cost contributors for most hotels, and a sustainable operation often helps to address all three – e. g. new environmental technologies can have a positive influence on your guests’ experience (think LED lighting, natural furnishing and natural ventilation).
• You improve your employee morale, motivation and satisfaction. Younger employees, especially, are eager to work for hotel businesses that look past profitability and want to make a real difference.
• You open a dialogue with the wider community and create synergies that benefit both your hotel guests and those who inhabit your surroundings.
• You attract new and more loyal hotel guests, and by communicating sustainability performance indicators, you engage your future guests at the time of booking.
• You improve your brand image, which offers better profits in the long run. In fact, hotel properties that have achieved the TripAdvisor Green Leader status are actually rated 20% higher than other properties, as per Jenny Rushmore, TripAdvisor’s Director of Responsible Travel.

And… the great thing about sustainability is that it’s an evolving process. Step by step, as we like to say at MAp, the best sustainability policies are ongoing ones – therefore enjoy your sustainability journey ;-)

It is important to keep in mind that for hoteliers, and business leaders across all industries, the stages of this crisis closely mimic the stages of growth.

Comfort Zone: Only months ago, many of us blissfully sat in a heightened state of control and security. While no doubt it felt nice, the reality is: for many hoteliers there was no push to refine, innovate, strengthen, evolve and grow.

Fear Zone: And then the rug got pulled out from under us. As you can follow in the graphic, we went from the safety and surety of our Comfort Zone to total fear and unknown. We felt discouragement, a lack of confidence, increased pressure and a whole lot of panic as we looked to the future only to be met by grim forecasts and somber statistics. 

Learning Zone: We’ve been forced to stop and think. The initial shock and associated confusion and uncertainty about the extent of this crisis is slowly making way to a better understanding of the implications and opportunities. 

Growth Zone: With those in mind, and certain steps taken, hoteliers can reach the point of growth – taking your hotels back off the ground and back on the path for long-term success. So that when the world starts moving again – and it will – your hotel reemerges stronger and more resilient than ever, with new purpose and perspective.

In this crisis, both people and companies show their true colours. While some are able to find the courage and strength to innovate, plan and act long-term, others struggle to find motivation and new perspective. Here we present opportunities to get you on the path to success, starting at the Learning Zone to the Growth Zone and beyond! 

Learning Zone: Acting now on what we already know

Let’s start with what we know. During this Great Pause, people across the world have had the chance to reflect and reassess their priorities. They have different motivations, expectations and needs than they did before, and they’ll put more effort into researching those hotels that tick all their boxes. We are seeing a collective shift in appreciating life’s fundamental values - like health, human connection, hygiene - and this has impacted how and why people travel. 

Experts agree that we’ll see a rise in the following trends (= opportunities for you):

1. Radical Localism: We know that in the weeks and months after lockdowns are lifted, those with itchy feet will set out and experience the surrounding world in earnest with an absolute focus on localism - supporting one’s local businesses more in order to benefit business owners and the wider community. With the shift toward radical localism comes a shift in who your target audience is:

• Define the local buyer persona and determine the right products, promotions and offers.
• Adjust your sales and marketing activities in order to accommodate new channels, new messages and new offerings tailored to your new target audience. 
• Create staycation packages and perks aimed at those looking for relaxation than exploration (think free parking, spa credits, late check-out, etc.).
• Organise and support community give-back initiatives that guests can participate in.

2. Health, safety and quality: Hygiene practices and cleanliness will continue being of great concern, and motivating factors for travellers as they decide where they want to stay. Therefore, position your hotel as a safe haven committed to guests’ physical and mental wellbeing.

• Provide COVID-19-friendly products like hand sanitizer and face masks. Remember, there are many kind and cool brands out there that produce them and give back to their communities as well.
• Adjust your product and services and shift e.g. to in-room dining, with a focus on healthy and sustainable foods.
• Be empathetic and compassionate to people’s mindsets and put them at ease/diminish their fears. Be open and transparent about the new sanitation procedures you have put in place. 
• Give more visibility of the cleaning staff on site and in social media - they are on the front lines to protect guests’ health.

3. Human connection and authentic experiences: After being isolated in our homes, this longing for connection, togetherness and collective experiences will be stronger than ever.Therefore, be sure to put care and empathy at the heart of everything you do.

• Make staying in touch with guests a priority, communicate regularly and openly.
• Make guests feel at home by providing personalised care packages and products in their rooms.
• More than ever, create packages and experiences that are authentic, immersive and unique – and that people can’t find elsewhere.

4. Sanctuaries of peace: This pandemic has instilled fear and stress. When people travel again, it will be to remove themselves from this reality and toward calm, peace, quiet, balance. 

• Build out your wellness offerings and create spaces where guests can enjoy moments of peace and silence.
• Offer courses or experiences that connect guests with themselves and their loved ones.
• Make it as easy as possible for guests to explore natural and peaceful surroundings, e.g. through organising private excursions and experiences.

It’s important that you capitalise on the above opportunities, define your new target audience, adjust your product and services as well as sharpen your sales and marketing in order to be competitive and successful in the new world. 

Growth Zone: Bouncing back with new purpose and perspective

“Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected.
Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.”
Jamais Cascio

So you’ve conquered the Learning Zone. Welcome to the Growth Zone – where real, long-term success happens. Here is where you look inward to refresh your purpose and perspective, and project that out into the world. 

Why do we at MA people emphasise long-term? Because what we are learning is that tomorrow is not yesterday, and only those hotels built for resilience will survive. As a boutique and independent hotelier, we recommend you grab this opportunity to define your purpose, discover new perspective and differentiate your hotel from your chain hotel competitors in order emerge even stronger once this crisis has passed.

1. Find purpose and vision
Businesses and people with purpose and vision are much more successful and resilient than those without. Why? Because these businesses have a reason to exist beyond profit. There’s a clear WHY driving them toward their goals, motivating employees and resonating with guests. What does this mean for your boutique and independent hotel? No more finding excuses, but instead, finding purpose and vision.

• Define what the purpose of your hotel is beyond profit. What’s going to drive you and your people in the future? What’s going to attract the new generation of value-driven travellers?
• Review your long-term goals. Do they reflect your purpose and add to your business’ ability to thrive?
• Work together with your team on determining your future vision and strategy. Because at MA people we find that purpose and people drive profit. 

2. Position yourself clearly in the market
Once you have found your new perspective, start positioning yourself clearly in the market. In the post-COVID-19 world, people will be more considerate about how they spend their money and to whom they give their money.Travellers will interact only with hotels with which they share similar values, specifically those led by a bigger purpose (we know, a bit repetitive, but believe us – it’s true!). There will be an increased focus on sustainability, social impact and supporting destinations that need the help.

• Create connections with travellers on an emotional level through your sales and communication activities.
• Align messaging with your central purpose and create stories that highlight your uniqueness.
• Develop guest experiences, products and services that tie back to your purpose and add real value to the lives of your guests.

In this new world, we expect less of a cookie-cutter travel mentality; that travellers will no longer want to stay in huge, impersonal hotels but rather invest their time and money in supporting boutique accommodation that combine purpose with caring for people and the planet. 

Therefore, there is great hope for our hotelier friends! But take heed – it is only the hotels that are purposeful, authentic, transparent and empathetic to guests’ health, well being and emotional needs that will be the true winners. 

We are available remotely during this difficult time to advance you to the Growth Zone, by providing strategic planning, smart solutions and expert advice. We are happy to offer a helping hand.