I recently had the chance to meet with Karlheinz Illner founder of KARLHEINZ ILLNER MARKEN & TONKULTUR, an international brand expert in the field of Sound Branding and Acoustic Identity. We are all familiar with the main dimensions of branding, however Sound Branding and Accoustic Identity are often forgotten though they have an obvious emotional… [Read more…]
September 26, 2010
Virgin announced on September 20th the launch of the latest addition to its portfolio of brands: Virgin Hotels. So far, the group has reportedly over 300 branded companies, covering everything from mobile phone operator, financial services, Megastores and Formula 1 racing to soft drink, space tourism and, most notably, airlines. After a failed launch in… [Read more…]
September 12, 2010
Last July I wrote this post Should Internet access be Free in Hotels. After numerous feed back online and offline and having read several related articles, each one pushing a different opinion, my thinking has slightly evolved over time so I have decided to write this follow-up post. I also felt it was important to… [Read more…]
August 29, 2010
Branding is a science that takes time, knowledge, resources and… money. A branding agency will be a invaluable asset while branding your hotel but when adding-up all the tasks that need to be sub-contracted, building your Brand can become a very costly exercise that not all small independent hotels can afford. Here are 10 Tips… [Read more…]
August 26, 2010
I was reading this quote posted on Twitter by Dan Shawbel and inspired me to write this article. “The single biggest reason companies fail is they over-invest in what is, as opposed to what might be.” – Gary Hamel In our daily professional life we often make references to Best Practices when trying to figure… [Read more…]
August 2, 2010
I usually do not advertise businesses but I thought that one was so well put together that it deserved to be mentioned. It is rare to see a well designed and appealing third-party travel website and I must say, Mr and Mrs. Smith Boutique and Luxury Hotels Specialists (http://www.mrandmrssmith.com) does make me want to book.… [Read more…]
August 2, 2010
I always like to say that there is no good or bad communication agency. There is first a good brief or a bad brief. What you tell your agency, the way you say it, the level of information you disclose and the relationship you establish with your agency will largely determine the quality of the… [Read more…]
July 29, 2010
Have you ever read a guide book about the city where you grew up? It is so impersonal that you sometimes hardly recognise it. You know the places mentioned but you cannot feel the soul of it. To grab the essence of a city you need to focus your mind on what matters and where… [Read more…]
July 26, 2010
I accidentally discovered this tagline on the top banner of the IHG (InterContinental) website - - The Whatever / Whenever concept has been one of W Hotels‘s brand pillars and what they are known for for many years. IHG could not ignore it. A company like IHG does have massive financial means to develop their… [Read more…]
July 21, 2010
I was just reading last week that Tripadvisor just became the #1 most popular travel website ahead of Expedia. Let’s be honest, we all think the same, Tripadvisor is hotels worst enemy and the tool of the cowards. Ten years ago, the only solution we had to express our bitter feelings was the little guest… [Read more…]
July 6, 2010
Interested about branding, my eyes always stop on articles about the great brands of this world. If you look at any chart, you will always find that all the brands listed are always brands that came up with great innovations. Whether it is 5 years ago, 20 years or 50 years ago. Each single one… [Read more…]
July 6, 2010
This is something that is not always known by people outside of the industry but today it is very rare that large hotel companies such as Marriott, Starwood, Accor or IHG own any of their hotels. They own the brand that seats on the roof and are being paid management fees by the actual owner… [Read more…]
June 28, 2010
I was reading recently this report on hotel-blogs.com. “According to the hotel research company MKG Group, over 80,000 hotel rooms have been added to EU hotel supply (reaching 147,000 hotels and 5.2 milions rooms), half of which in Spain, Germany and Italy. According to MKG Hospitality, the EU is experiencing a certain level of restructuring,… [Read more…]
June 27, 2010
I was flipping through The Brand Gap book from Martin Neumeier recently. It is something I do on a regular basis. I really like his simple way of looking at branding: - Who are you? - What are you doing? - Why does it matter? Of course these four-word questions require more than a four-word… [Read more…]
June 26, 2010
Travelling to the East has started in the beginning of the 20th century with the first hotels becoming famous for being the base of some legendary adventurous travel writers such as Graham Greene, Somerset Maugham or Joseph Conrad. The Oriental hotel in Bangkok, Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap, The Raffles in Singapore, The Strand… [Read more…]
June 23, 2010
Three main eras have been identified since the first world fair in 1851: Industrialization (1851–1938) Cultural exchange (1939–1987) Nation branding (1988–present) I want to suggest creating a new era: Organiser branding (2010 – onwards) Brand China China’s most important strategic issues have at their root a shared connection to China’s national image. The second threat… [Read more…]
May 30, 2010
First of all, I want to stress that the term “Lifestyle brand” is coming dangerously close to becoming the most overly used and abused term in the English marketing language. Any product line, service provider or even a person which leads the consumer to feel that he or she belongs to a group or culture… [Read more…]
May 12, 2010
Branding is a fascinating world and I love to read about it, hearing everyone’s opinions and contribute whenever I can. This slide show is a synopsis of The Brand Gap, a whiteboard overview, written by Marty Neumeier. It is clear, concise and a perfect introduction for those who want to understand what branding is all… [Read more…]
October 23, 2010
5