Hyatt Place
Identity
Visual Systems
Signage
Designing a distinctive hospitality experience
Reinventing the select service category
- Capabilities utilized:
- Naming
- Brand Positioning
- Logo Development
- Visual System
- Guidelines
- Sensory Branding
Select service hotels are often clean, functional and efficient but remove the logo and you’d be forgiven for forgetting where you were staying. When Global Hyatt Corporation acquired the Amerisuites chain, they had the opportunity to bring Hyatt’s unique brand story and values to the category. Lippincott had the privilege to help craft a concept that would resonate with guests on an emotional level and deliver moments of delight in their interactions with the brand.
Challenge
Squaring the circle
Hyatt hotels are upscale, with a strong service ethic and a focus on design. The newly-acquired Amerisuites chain was comparably under-invested, with a low room rate and a consistently drab presentation. Our challenge was to reinvent the 142 existing hotels, staying true to Hyatt’s brand attributes, albeit reinterpreted for this lower service category.
The new offering needed to sustain or increase occupancy at a slightly higher room rate, and attract the Gen-X road-warrior without losing the existing customer base. The repositioning also needed to meet strict capital investment and ROI requirements.
Solution
Larger than home
Our strategic review took many perspectives including focus groups with target guests all across the US. This led to the insight that guests, who are often on the road for long periods, miss the comfort and familiarity of home. We set out to create a concept that took the sensation of home and pushed it further, “Larger than Home’”, focused on attuned comfort, distinguishable quality and purposeful service.
From this creative idea we developed the name Hyatt Place, and a visual identity based on the idea of a gathering place. The geometric circles come together to form a sense of place or locality. The colored dots also form the letter “H”. The mark is friendly, direct, modern and unique among the brands in its competitive set.
Lippincott crafted a system of sensory elements such as scent and branded music to bring the Hyatt Place story to life at every touch point and worked with Hyatt’s partners to design rooms and common areas.
Results
From laggard to leader
The transformed hotels have performed strongly, sustaining a 35% increase in revenue per available room. Hyatt Place also achieved 1st place in JD Powers guest satisfaction survey for the mid-tier category. These successes have helped attract more developers for new-build deals and broadened awareness and consideration for the entire Hyatt portfolio.
