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pple’s apple. Visa’s “Everywhere You Want to Be.” Marriott’s elegant, brick-red M. Every business aspires to follow in the footsteps of these instantly recognizable brands and invent its own secret sauce. But ultimately, what makes these companies work isn’t their logos or taglines — it’s the fact that they’ve managed to offer substance as well as style over the long term. All three are among Forbes’ top 50 most-trusted companies in 2025, and it’s not because of their branding alone.
So, how important is it to have a unique brand as a hotel? That depends on what else your property brings to the table. A unique brand is equivalent to what’s known as “high concept” in the film and publishing industry: an intriguing, instantly captivating elevator pitch that stands out from the rest. Something like “A man has to relive the same 24 hours over and over again” (Groundhog Day, and the many copycats that followed) or “What if you could control other people’s dreams?” (Inception).
A high concept is great for selling a studio on your movie or a publishing agent on your novel. But here’s the thing: A concept does not a story make, unless all the foundational elements are also there, like strong characters, a solid plot, and good writing. Take Snakes on a Plane, for example. The high concept is right there in the title, and we all know the name, but the movie couldn’t manage to take that idea much further, and it flopped at the box office.
How does that translate to the hospitality industry? One example of a high-concept hotel is the Hotel de Glace (Ice Hotel) in Quebec City. The property is made entirely of ice and snow and is open to guests for less than three months a year, from January to mid-March. According to reviews, the Ice Hotel lives up to its bold branding — it’s gorgeous and most definitely unique. There’s also the Starlite Motel in New York’s Catskill mountains, a 1960s motor lodge with a saltwater pool, outdoor movie screen and fire pit, and its original neon sign — all contributing to its reputation as a retro icon.
As with any form of advertising, if you can follow through on the unique brand by infusing that brand into every aspect of your hotel, you’ll be set up for success. But if you’re trying to use new, high-concept branding as a Band-Aid without fixing other things that aren’t working, or if you don’t have the chops or bandwidth yet to fulfill what your branding is promising, you might want to put on the brakes.
Here are a few ways to think about your hotel or resort’s unique brand — and ensure you’re living up to the expectations set by that branding.
Go from the inside out, not the outside in. Rather than thinking about how you can integrate new branding into your existing business, think about what already works well. Talk to your team about their experience, consider what guests love about your hotel, and take into account the most popular activities or that signature dish people come back for again and again. Base your brand on those existing strengths and build from there.
Create a full brand experience. A unique brand should filter through all aspects of your hotel, from your website to the room décor to the menus. Take, for example, The Press Hotel in Portland, Maine. Our Hawthorn Creative team collaborated with this boutique hotel to design a website that reflects the property’s unique, newsroom-inspired aesthetic. That literary-focused branding is apparent in every corner of the hotel, from the two-story installation made entirely of vintage typewriters to the 1920s writers’ office-inspired guest rooms.
Don’t sacrifice the basics in favor of your brand. Longevity depends on quality and reliability. Be sure that the energy you’re putting into your unique brand doesn’t sap funds, focus, or staff time that should be going toward the essentials, like great food, top-notch service, and clean, comfortable rooms. Your unique brand will ultimately be worthless without these foundational pillars.
Take your time with the design. Don’t go off half-cocked here. Once you’ve settled on a focus, find the right in-house teams or consultants to help with developing a tagline, creating graphics that will bring your concept to life, and finding ways to weave it throughout your property. (Need support with this stage of the journey? Check out our brand strategy offerings.) Whether you’re considering subtle changes or a more extensive overhaul, bring your interior designer and website designer into the mix early on, so you can collectively reimagine the color palette and overall vibe. Remember to update the little things, too, from guest soaps to coffee cups to bar napkins.
Target the right audience. Once you’ve defined and surfaced your unique brand, find the people who fit and tailor your message to them. Viking Cruises’ PBS ads are a great example. Their sophisticated, cosmopolitan tone and luxe visuals are a perfect match for the PBS demographic of educated, high-income retirees. Viking’s website features on-board activities like lectures and cooking demos — a very different audience than the one Royal Caribbean is targeting with its robot mixologists, surf simulators, and the “tallest slide at sea.” If you’ve done the work of defining and expressing your unique brand from a place of integrity, then you’ll know exactly who your audience is, and how to bring them to your property.
Now that you’re thinking about branding more holistically, it’s time to consider how exactly you want to craft your hotel’s new or refreshed brand. The good news? Our experienced team of strategists and designers is here to help. Reach out to take the first steps toward creating your hotel’s elevated brand experience.