Rebranding a hotel should never be a cosmetic exercise.
It's a strategic move with long-term implications. A well-executed rebrand can help a property reconnect with its audience, clarify its positioning, or reflect an evolution in its offering. But the challenge is always the same: how to move forward without breaking the thread that connects the brand to its identity.
In the hospitality sector, that identity lives in more than just a logo or color palette. It’s tied to how the guest feels, what they remember, and the meaning that the name holds in their mind. That meaning must be taken seriously, especially in the case of brands with history.
When heritage is part of the equation, the idea isn’t to erase it, but to examine it carefully. Which elements remain relevant? Which ones weigh the brand down? Which traditions deserve to be honored, and which ones no longer reflect the present? A rebranding process allows for that review, but it should always be done with precision.
The first step is to make clear what kind of rebranding is actually needed. There are brands that just need to sharpen their message or tone. Others, on the contrary, have changed in substance and need a new identity that aligns with the reality of the experience they now offer.
In either case, rebranding is not about trends, but about what a brand says with what it does.
If the goal is to modernize without disconnecting from the past, the work should focus on expressing what has always been distinctive: using a simpler, clearer, or more relevant language. That doesn’t mean becoming generic. It means knowing what to keep and what to drop.
In that sense, tone of voice is just as important as design. It’s the tone that tells the guest what kind of relationship they can expect, even before their stay. And the tone should be consistent across every touchpoint, from website copy to pre-arrival emails to in-room guides. That consistency creates trust.
Visual identity supports the tone, not the other way around. Once the core message is clear, design choices are easier to make. If the strategy is solid, the aesthetics follow naturally. If not, the result will feel disconnected. Beautiful maybe, but forgettable.
For brands with tradition, the risk is to cling to an image that no longer speaks to today’s traveler. For newer brands, the temptation is to lean too heavily on trends. Both need to define their position based on who they serve and what kind of stay they offer.
This is not a communications exercise that can be handled by a single department. It involves operations, guest experience, partnerships, and often the owners themselves. Everyone needs to agree on the direction, not just the tagline.
The key is not to start with “how do we want to look,” but with “what do we want to be understood for.” That distinction changes everything.
Rebranding, when done well, is not about inventing a new story. It’s about retelling the one that’s already there, in a way that is coherent, attractive and relevant. And doing so without noise.
It’s not a process to be rushed. Nor should it be delegated blindly to a design agency that doesn’t understand the specific business challenges of the hotel or group in question.
The result of a good rebrand is clarity in who we are, who we’re speaking to, and what we promise to deliver. That kind of clarity helps teams communicate better, makes marketing more effective, and strengthens every guest interaction.
Hotels that rebrand well don’t chase trends. They define a position and make it visible. They simplify, but they don’t dilute. They grow, but they remain recognizable.
And that is what good branding does.
Not more, not less.
