Luxury hotels are getting more and more popular each year. This is for a reason – they offer an experience that is unlike anything else. Whether you’re looking to increase your hotel business, market your hotel to a luxury clientele, or just learn more about how experiential marketing is used in luxury hotels, read on for some tips.
Know Your Audience
Before anything else, you need to know who you’re marketing your hotel to. This will help you design the right marketing strategies.
Design a Custom Experience
Make sure your guests feel like royalty when they’re staying at your hotel. This can be done through experiential marketing techniques
Luxury hotels have long been known for their excellent customer service and impeccable amenities. Recently, however, luxury hotels have begun to focus on experiential marketing techniques in order to create a truly unique and memorable guest experience. By offering unique experiences such as spa treatments, wine tastings, or helicopter tours, luxury hotels are able to stand out from the competition and lure in more customers.
Luxury hotels are often seen as a place to stay when traveling, but they can also be marketed as a destination in and of themselves. This can be done through marketing tools such as social media, print ads, and web content. Luxury hotels have always been known for their amazing experiences, which can be sold to guests through unique amenities and services. For example, some luxury hotels may offer concierge services that can help guests find the best restaurants or attractions in the area.
Some luxury hotels also focus on creating an atmosphere that is unlike any other. This can be done by using unique decor or by catering to specific customer needs such as relaxation or recreation. All of these marketing efforts work together to create a memorable experience for guests that will make them want to come back again and again.
Some examples of experiential hotel marketing
Luxury hotels are known for their high-quality service, which often includes unique experiences that guests can enjoy. Some examples of experiential hotel marketing include:
Luxury spas that offers treatments such as massages and facials, as well as an extensive menu of other wellbeing services.
A wine club where guests can enjoy a variety of wines from around the world in specially designated rooms.
Meditation and yoga centres with mindfulness experiences
A golf club with specially themed golfing or coaching sessions
Augmented reality installations / special architectural feats
But experience can be defined in many ways. One of the most fundamental is the ability to connect with someone or something on a personal level. This is what experiential marketing is all about – creating experiences that allow guests to feel like they are part of something larger than themselves.
Some of the most famous experiential hotel brands include The Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons. Both franchises have a long history of crafting luxurious experiences for their guests. From hosting sumptuous dinners in their private dining rooms to providing access to exclusive spa treatments, these hotels go out of their way to create an unforgettable experience for their guests.
Other brands are starting to take note, and spend on experiential marketing over the next five years is reported to be on the rise. The money will go towards projects like building theme parks and creating immersive virtual reality experiences that let guests experience destinations in a whole new way.
In 2021, the JW Marriott Anaheim Resort launched a secret butterfly garden and an interactive augmented-reality experience where guests can navigate a digital forest and sculpture garden using their mobile devices.
These are just a few samples. The opportunities are endless, and it is worthwhile looking at this with the aim to understand your audience and deliver an unforgettable experience for them. When you come back from a holiday, it’s the experiences that stay with you, not the factual recount of the stay. It’s that emotional giveaway a hotel brand can offer which will be passed on to family and friends.
The launch is approaching. Interior design? Tick. Staff recruitment? Tick? F&B strategy? Tick. But wait, what about the menus? Of course they have been part of the initial brand strategy all along! Or have they?
What makes a good menu mechanism? And what makes it outstanding?
Restaurants are busy places and a lot of thought goes into the creation of what’s on offer. Chefs have the challenge of creating food choices that appeal and make a profit.
Menus are an important part of the dining experience and can make or break a restaurant. A well-crafted menu can be both pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate, ensuring that customers spend more time at the table. Menu design can take many forms, from simple printed menus to elaborate computerized systems. Regardless of the approach, however, a successful menu must reflect the unique culture and atmosphere of the restaurant it is serving.
The challenge for chefs is creating food choices that appeal as well as making profits while keeping costs down. Menus need to be tailored not only for individual restaurants but also for their target markets. But wait, we are not talking food here – we are talking about the actual menu design, the bit guests hold in their hands and choose from.
For example, a rustic, outdoor-themed restaurant may opt for an earthy color palette and distressed graphics on their menus. Conversely, an upscale restaurant may use sleek fonts and luxurious graphics to give guests a sense of luxury. Regardless of the setting or theme, however, good menu design always reflects the brand and personality of the restaurant.
There are several factors that go into good menu design. Menus should be easy to read and understand. Everything should be presented in an organised manner so guests know what they are selecting without having to search through numerous options. Each item on the menu should have clearly defined features so guests know exactly what they are getting. Menus should be designed with food presentation in mind so diners can easily see all of the ingredients used in each dish.
Menu design has come a long way in recent years thanks in part to advances in technology, but often it’s the mechanism itself that can really make it stand out. This partly depends on how frequently a menu is changed. If there’s a different choice each day, it makes sense to create either a digital option or a binding method that allows in-house quality print whenever required. Or if you have an amazing wine list that is staying for a longer period, you could invest in a more elaborate design that creates a long-lasting impression.
Your menu design says as much about your brand as the food that’s on it, the tables and chairs diners sit on and the building itself, alongside all the other details that make an amazing venue. So it pays to not just present a ‘piece of card’ – unless it has meaning of course.
Create menu designs that talk more than just food
No matter what mechanism you choose, the thing to remember is your customer. What will make it an experience for them? What will make them want to tell others? How can you make them excited even before the first starter arrives at the table?
Here are just some different mechanism that can elevate your restaurant experience:
Paper over card hard cover with screw mechanism for easy-to-change paper
Concertina folded hard cover menu
Fold-out menus with secret pockets
Wooden or metal covers with engravings
Natural papers with deckle edge
Coptic bookbinding methods
Unusual, but appropriate materials from the restaurant architecture, heritage or interior
Use your menu design as an opportunity to completely immerse diners in your restaurant experience. It can effortlessly connect your audience to your brand in a uniquely personal way. It also sets the tone for what will appear on the plate, something you can use to create an air of anticipation. There are not many pieces of marketing literature these days that people read cover to cover with great intent. Your restaurant menu is the perfect example for a combination of required utility and expressive brand design. Use it!
I can’t emphasise enough how much of a branding opportunity this is. Add to it a bar, desert and specials menu, and you can build a suite of literature that sells not just your F&B offering, but the atmosphere, the vibe, the ambience – whatever you like to call it.
I have had the pleasure to visit New York recently. We stayed at the Peninsula Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, known for its close proximity to just about everything amazing on the island. The hotel is tucked in at a corner of 55th street, surrounded by a mix of traditional ornate churches and ultra modern high risers. We did expect it to be five star as that’s what it says on the sales brochures, but it was definitely something else to feel it. There is the mildly awkward concierge grabbing your luggage out the taxi bit and checkin is just like in every other venue, but you definitely walk into a luxury experience from the moment you set foot onto the carpeted stairs at the entrance.
Our checkin lady, Oksana, knew our names and used them pretty much instantly during our conversation. She explained everything in just the right amount of detail. You could tell she had training in how to deal with customers, and it definitely made a difference from other hotels with a more budget approach to service.
Hotel branding and design is definitely something our venue took seriously. It’s the little things that made me smile – the umbrella holder bags so if it rains, you don’t tread the water everywhere. They have a face mask dispenser and hand sanitiser at the entrance, as well as branded face mask holders with a new one which you can dispose of in the ‘used’ section on the room desk. I am not sure I’d ever do that, but the attention to detail stuck with me.
There are of course the typical amenities you expect from a five star venue, such as the towels, the dressing gown, branded slippers, hair dryer and bath condiments. There’s also the fridge and laundry service, the stationery and pens, the aircon in-room wi-fi that actually works… in our case we even had a fax machine 😉 Those are all things you can look up and provide as a hotel owner. But that’s not really what made it luxury for us.
What makes a five star hotel truly luxurious? And what does hotel branding and design got to do with it?
I believe that even the most kitted out venue will struggle to gain a five star reputation if they can’t provide an experience that measures up to its ambitions. And to create that experience, it’s really important to look at the customer, to understand what makes them tick and what makes their day. What does luxury mean to them? What little gestures will create that special atmosphere and attention that’s different from their quotidian lifestyle. What can make the ordinary extraordinary? The answer is in the details.
Everything from the décor to the staff must be impeccable in order to maintain that coveted five-star rating. Attention to detail is what sets a five-star hotel apart from its competitors, and it’s something that guests appreciate. They expect that the sheets are crisp and clean, that every room has a comfortable bed, high-quality amenities, amazing dining facilities and, of course, impeccable service.
But the proof is in the pudding, and that’s perhaps one of the main reasons some luxury settings do not live up to their expectations. If the staff don’t sing from the same hymn sheet, you can play as beautiful a melody as you like, it won’t sound right.
That’s why training your hotel staff – who ultimately deliver those unforgettable moments to your guests – is an essential part of ensuring a five star experience. Training can help staff learn how to handle guest complaints and deliver excellent customer service. It can also help them to understand the policies and procedures of the hotel. This may sound dry, but training your staff to know when to go the extra mile – wether you are a VIP or a ‘normal’ visitor – can make all the difference.
Our staff were attentive and friendly but never overbearing. They would provide fresh water in the morning and room service during the day. The check-in lady noticed that both our birthdays had just passed and we made a little joke about it. Then next afternoon, we had a birthday cake compliments of the hotel in our room. Of course that’s a brilliant surprise and a warm, happy feeling of being valued.
There’s a spa element to the hotel, and whilst they may not have been able to predict how stunning the views would be from the 22nd floor, especially not when they would have first looked at their hotel branding and design, they certainly did their architectural extensions including a roof cafe and large windows around the pool to make the most of them. Every chair has towels, and every inch of floor looks tidy. Again, it is a matter of finding the right high quality components to create such a space in a hotel, but it’s then also about the spotless maintenance and attention to the visitors whilst being in the background that makes it really special.
To design or not to design… (it’s not really a question)
When looking at hotel branding and design for a luxury venue, it helps to put the customer in the centre of all the branded elements that are being created. If it will hinder, rather than be clear and easy to use / understand, don’t include it. Find a different way to communicate it. There are opportunities to use different formats, materials and printing techniques for the hotel brochures, restaurant and spa menus, leaflets, table talkers and signage.
In the case of The Peninsula Hotel, it was all themed around traditional luxury, with a touch of gold and silver – so not hyper contemporary by any means, but classy and comforting. It felt like the right tone for their general audience of empty-nesters, retired travellers and cash-rich business people. It’s the beauty of branding hotels and restaurants – find out the characteristics that make the venue stand out and use them as the foundation for all the visuals.
With graphic design you have the ability to run different campaigns for different seasons without having to re-invent the entire interior of the hotel. You can use the brand collateral as a canvas for highlighting special events and new services that are unique and set you apart from other venues. There’s no point sitting on stale looking hotel brochures that don’t tell your story any longer… It’s usually a good idea to revisit photography and literature every 18 months to keep current and relevant.
Design elements surrounding client safety during the pandemic will have been introduced in the past two years but now that we are learning to live with Covid, they become a staple for public venues. As that, there is an opportunity to make them just that extra bit nicer to use.
Nice detail: it doesn’t just say Face Mask, they added ‘smiles are still encouraged’..
Tips for marketing a luxury hotel focused on brand experience
1. Establish a luxury hotel brand and position it as a top destination for luxury travelers.
2. Create a specialty marketing campaign that builds excitement around your luxury hotel and its unique offerings.
3. Work with influential industry publications to promote your luxury hotel and its unique features.
4. Launch luxurious guestrooms and suites that reflect your luxury hotel’s unique brand image.
5. Work with local tourism boards to promote your luxury hotel as a top tourist destination.
6. Provide a luxury experience, not just a luxury venue.
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch to talk about your venue.
Graphic design is the process of visual communication and problem-solving through the use of typography, photography, and illustration. It is used to express ideas or concepts in a simple, concise, and effective way. This presents a great opportunity for branding.
If your current marketing strategy is all about getting more visitors, your focus will be on the first impression your venue makes. Much like planning the interior of your hotel, restaurant or spa, the key is in the design. Typically, and particularly if you are aiming for the higher, more luxury end of the market, you wouldn’t just turn up at the local IKEA and get a bunch of furniture and equipment. Interior design for a hotel is a complex task as each space must be functional and aesthetically pleasing. When selecting furniture and accessories, it is important to consider the type of clientele the hotel will serve. For example, a luxury hotel might feature expensive objets d’art and luxurious bedding, while a budget-friendly establishment might opt for more utilitarian furniture and fixtures. Similarly, lighting should be chosen based on the scene being depicted; bright lights might be appropriate for an upscale restaurant or lounge area, while subdued light may be more fitting in a quieter room. In order to create an inviting environment that will please all guests, it is important to have a clear vision for each individual room.
Now imagine your interior as the content of your social posts and e voilà, you are in the planning phase of a design campaign with similar design principles, on a different medium.
Think about the audience when creating social posts. You want to make sure that your posts are appealing to the people who will see them. For example, if you are posting about a new product, make sure that the images and language are attractive and easy to understand. If you are posting about a charity event, make sure that the images look like they would be appealing to donors.
Another important consideration is how your post will be interacted with. Make sure that all of your social media posts have a purpose and are designed to appeal to specific audiences. This will ensure that your posts receive the attention they deserve and help you reach your goals more easily.
Apply design principles
There are a few ways to use graphic design principles when creating social posts. One way is to use strong typography and imagery to create an interesting and engaging piece. Another is to use effective layout and composition to help organize the information in a way that is visually appealing. Additionally, using pop culture references or clever humor can really make your posts stand out. By taking these into account, you can create content that people will love and want to share!
Here are some key principles of graphic design that can help you create social posts that people will love:
Hierarchy in graphic design
A graphic design hierarchy is a set of rules that dictate how a design should be arranged. The hierarchy starts with the most important elements in the design and works its way down to the least important elements.
The first step in creating a hierarchy is deciding what the most important element of your design is. This might be the headline of your post, the focal point of your image, or even the message you are trying to communicate. Once you have determined what is most important, you can start to create a structure for your entire graphic design.
For example, if you are designing a social media post about going on vacation, your most important element would be the headline. You might want to place this headline in an image with plenty of space around it so that it looks bold and clear.
Whilst there is a temptation to have all the information appear big and bold, there generally should be just one – yes, really just one single message. Anything more, especially in the small format of social media with the fleeting attention span given to posts, and it will get diluted and forgotten like too many items in the mental shopping list.
Hierarchy works well with the other principles of design – or more precisely, they work hand in hand, enabling each other when used correctly. This principle needs Balance, alignment, white space and contrast to shine.
For balance and contrast, use a clear and powerful font for your text. Make sure that the font is large enough so that people can read it easily, and use a typeface that is easy to identify and remember. Have a distinct style for your headlines, body copy and decorative elements. Make sure there is a balance of key message, images and white space.
Balance in graphic design
Balance is a key principle of graphic design. It refers to the idea that elements in a design should be equal in size, color, and placement. This helps to create a balanced design that is visually pleasing to the eye.
When creating a social media post, it is important to keep the overall message in mind. This means that elements such as font choice, layout, and color should all work together to create a cohesive look and feel for the post. It is also important to consider what will grab attention and make people want to read on.
For example, posts about breaking news or important events should use more dramatic elements than posts about everyday happenings. Similarly, posts aimed at younger audiences could use brighter colours and different visual elements to those aimed at older audiences.
Balance text and graphics equally within your posts. While graphics can add interest and excitement to a post, make sure that the text is still legible and easy to understand.
Balance is created by carefully choreographing the different parts of your post – your headline, image or graphic, any body copy and call to action. Sometimes balance is achieved by creating What gives it balance is the use of contrast, the way it’s aligned, the white space and the use of a hierarchy…
You can guess where this is going…
White space as a design principle
In my mind, the glue that holds it all together is white space. White space is the empty areas between elements on a page or screen. It can be used to create a clean and organised look, or to add emphasis. It gives your messages room to breath, it invites the eye to linger long enough to take in what you are trying to communicate, and it makes things easy to read.
One way to use white space in your social posts is to leave room between your text and images. This gives your posts space and makes them look more polished. It allows readers to scroll down without feeling overwhelmed by information or having to guess what you actually want them to take away from this.
Another way to use white space in your social posts is to use fonts that are thin and light. This will give your posts a flowing aesthetic, as well as make them look more modern and up-to-date.
White space is amazingly powerful to create contrast, another important principle of design.
Worship the extremes
Contrast makes our brains light up when glancing at a post. Contrast can be found in the size, color, and placement of elements on a page. When used correctly, contrast can be one of the most effective ways to grab someone’s attention and keep it. For contrast to work, you need to make sure it looks intentional, and not like a mistake. It therefore must be strong and obvious.
A question of left, right or centre
Using alignment helps you to create a balanced and organised visual hierarchy in your design. This means that all elements are placed in an order that helps people understand and interact with the content of your design.
When creating a social media post, it’s important to follow the same principles of alignment as you would in any other design project. This will help your posts look cohesive and professional, while also appealing to your target audience. Choose a focal point for your post. Select one element or group of elements that you want people to focus on when viewing your post. This can be anything from the title of the post to the main photo or video. Make sure the content itself is engaging and interesting. People will be more likely to share your post if it is powerful, easy-to-grasp and eye-catching.
There are typographic alignments we are familiar with from many applications. You may choose to left or right align your content. Or you could centre it – something that works well for small pieces of information with plenty of white space surrounding them. You could even justify your copy or visuals, but beware to avoid unsightly forced gaps that create an unbalanced look and feel.
Alignment also works hand in hand with contrast. Beware to not mix alignments on a small area – e.g. left and centred. It’s a powerful design principle that works best when treated with consistency and confidence.
Design. Apply. Repeat.
Graphic design is all about creating a consistent look and feel for your content. Repetition is one of the most important principles to follow when creating social media posts. By repeating certain elements, you can create a more unified look across your posts and make them easier to read.
For example, using a similar font size and color on all of your social media posts can help readers easily identify each post. Plus, by using consistent visuals, you can create a welcoming and engaging experience for your followers. Repetition creates a sense of familiarity and comfort for users, making them more likely to return to your site or social media post again and again.
By using repeated images, typography, or color, you can create a cohesive and visually appealing brand identity for your website or social media page. For example, if you have a blog about gourmet food, you could use images of recipe preparations or food ingredients as part of your blog’s header or footer throughout the site. You could also use similar typography and colours in your blog posts and social media posts to create a cohesive look and feel. Another simple element is to use a brand icon repeatedly on the posts to create a feeling of consistency in your social posts.
Get in touch with us if you want to help with your content creation. We can setup templates for your social media campaigns or advertising with powerful designs that tell your story.
When we thought about sharing marketing for restaurants tips, we quickly realised that there are so many different yet important parts to this, we have to split it into a few subjects. So starting with one of the most current ones… social media. Any restaurant can use social media marketing to improve its brand and attract new customers. It’s no secret that social media is a powerful marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. But what about luxury hotels with fine dining restaurants? Are they taking advantage of all that social media has to offer? In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most effective social media marketing strategies for luxury hotels with fine dining restaurants.
What are typical channels for marketing for restaurants?
There are many different ways to market a restaurant. Some common methods include print advertising, online advertising, direct mail, word-of-mouth marketing, email campaigns and for quite some time now there’s social media marketing. Each method has its own unique benefits and drawbacks.
Print design for menus, brochures, and advertising can be a very effective way to reach potential customers. It allows businesses to target a specific audience and create a lasting impression. However, it can be expensive and it can be difficult to track the results. Elements such as QR codes can be used to create interactivity with printed materials, and if the pandemic has shown us one thing, it’s that restaurants can use QR codes in lots of ingenious ways to take customers from a printed menu to online for ordering, payment and customer feedback.
Online advertising is also a popular way to reach potential customers. It is less expensive than print advertising and with the right setup, businesses can track, target and retarget – in other words, it’s made for analytics. Obviously, that’s only valuable if you actually do the analysis and react accordingly.
And what about social media for advertising?
Many businesses are turning to social media as a way to get their brand in front of new customers. But is social media the cheapest way to do this? The answer is yes and no. It depends on the social media platform you are using and the type of campaign you are running. For example, Facebook Ads can be very affordable, but Twitter Ads can be a bit more expensive. However, the cost of social media advertising is still much cheaper than traditional advertising methods, such as TV commercials or print ads. So if you’re looking for a cost-effective way to advertise, it’s worth investigating.
Can social media be just a time investment?
Yes, social media for restaurants can be just a time investment. If you are not sure how to use social media or do not have the time to use it, there are many online resources that can help you. There are also many social media experts who can help you with your restaurant’s social media campaign.
Once you are set up with the right content strategy for your fine dining venue, it’s time to put it into action. This means creating and publishing content on a regular basis, using the right mix of channels to reach your target audience. You’ll also need to make sure that your content is high quality and engaging so that customers will want to keep coming back for more.
Why does social media present an opportunity for fine dining marketing for restaurants?
Most social platforms are extremely visual. As a fine dining restaurant, you are not just selling high-quality food – you are selling an experience. I mention this to clients time and time again because I believe the key to a luxury brand is the fulfillment of the promise of an unforgettable experience. And whilst on-site attention to detail will help create those memories, one of the most straightforward ways to share the ambiance and provoke a sense of ‘I want to go there, eat that, be seated there…’ is of course good photography. Fine dining and food photography go hand in hand. As do photography and social media.
Both are powerful tools that can be used to capture and share moments with others. Photography captures a moment in time, and if directed and planned correctly, it brings your brand values to life while social media can be used to share that moment with others. Together, they allow your venue to create genuine connections with others and to build relationships. So if you asked me what to prioritise when planning a marketing campaign on social media, I would say invest in amazing photography to make people imagine themselves dining in your restaurant already.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer for social media strategies for fine dining, as the approach that works for a high-end steakhouse may not be the same as what works for a sushi restaurant. However, some tips to keep in mind apart from obviously using high-quality images are to be targeting the right audience, using appropriate hashtags to reach a wider audience and to have a consistent recognisable brand identity that shines through. Additionally, it’s important to be responsive to comments and questions from diners and to keep content fresh and engaging.
Why marketing for restaurants on social media should focus on customer experience
Fine dining marketing is all about creating an experience for the customer. It’s about making them feel special and pampered, and providing an unforgettable evening or lunch. This type of marketing is all about the details, from the food and wine to the service and ambiance. It’s a luxurious experience, and it can be very expensive. But for those who can afford it, fine dining is a special treat that they won’t forget.
Similarly, fine dining social medial strategies should focus on providing quality content that showcases the unique aspects of the business. This could include highlighting the restaurant’s history, the chefs’ backgrounds, or the quality ingredients used in the dishes. Again, images and videos are especially powerful tools for fine dining social media marketing, as they can help customers visualise what they could enjoy at the restaurant.
Posts should also be timed to coincide with special events or holidays and could offer exclusive VIP treats. Depending on your audience, you could be quite cheeky and run a ‘name the price of the dish’ competition. Or share details from the prep work in the kitchen, the chef’s philosophy, the venue’s surrounding gardens, the local markets, the fresh produce… you could do ‘a meal in the life of’ with someone following a guest around your restaurant and followers have to guess who it is?
In any case, it’s a great opportunity to create a branded hashtag for customers to use when sharing photos of their experiences at your restaurant. You could also post recipes or cooking tips related to the dishes you serve, or highlight notable customers who have eaten at your establishment.
If you have any known slower periods in the year, you could run contests or giveaways on social media, or offer exclusive discounts to followers. Whatever approach you take, make sure that your content is engaging and relevant to your target audience.
10 quick social media campaign ideas:
1. Run a social media contest.
2. Introduce your team of chefs
3. Share user-generated content.
4. Name the dish
5. Share recipes
6. Q & A with the head chef
7. Which drinks go with the food
8. The interior design of your restaurant
9. Plates and glasses and how you select what goes with which dish
10. Sustainability and how you minimise food waste
As you can see, there are a variety of social media marketing strategies that luxury hotels with fine dining restaurants can use to reach their target audience. Which strategies will work best for your business will depend on your unique situation and goals. But no matter what, make sure you are using social media
