Why Your Hotel Brand Strategy Should Start Years Before Your First Guest

We love collaborations at Arrival Projects! We were happy to be asked to do a hospitality strategy guest post for our buddies at Dennis Studio.

Dennis does beautiful creative branding for hotels, restaurants, packaging, and many others, and is a complementary partner for Arrival Projects in so many ways given our own focus on strategy and business consulting.

Dennis’ founder and Arrival Projects speak regularly about the state of the industry, and we identified a common challenge we see in hospitality: pre-opening brand building.

Some key takeaways from our article:

1. Hospitality needs to sell the "Idealized Self," to guests, not the square footage. Guests are really buying a version of themselves they want to become. Your brand should act as a stage for the guest’s desired identity (e.g., the high-powered executive or the mindful explorer).

2. OTAs will never sell you as well as you can sell yourself -
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) strip the soul from brands by reducing them to price points, ratings, and some photos. To maintain pricing and narrative power, you have to build brand equity on social feeds years in advance, and then continue. If a guest recognizes your aesthetic somewhere else because they’ve followed your journey for months, they’re buying into a story they already trust.

3. Treat building construction as a theatrical performance - don't wait for the "Grand Opening" to show your face. Use the two-year lead time to provide insider access. Document the curation of the art collection, the chef’s search for local suppliers, the selection of the signature scent. This transparency builds a community of advocates and tribes.

4. Use early narratives to self-filter the "right" guest- the biggest risk to a new hotel is the "expectations gap," i.e. marketing a vibe that operations can't fulfill. By clearly defining your brand voice early (e.g., a high-energy social hub vs. a minimalist retreat), you attract guests whose personal brand aligns with yours.

5. Secure "Most Anticipated" status through great early content- invest in lifestyle photography and great content years out, rather than just 90 days before launch. By seeding stories with press and influencers during the development phase, you ensure your property lands on "Most Anticipated" lists. Create the market rather than just react to it.

Here’s the full article if you’d like to read more.