Hotel Rebranding Market Research

Hotel rebranding is more than a redesigned logo; it is a strategic transformation to make the brand more competitive and attractive to its consumers. That’s where the critical role of hotel rebranding market research emerges.

Hotel rebranding market research helps global businesses modernize the brand and target a new audience with a redesign that allows them to stay in tune with market updates.

Why Is Hotel Rebranding Market Research So Important?

Hotel rebranding is a strategic transformation that seeks to align a hotel’s identity with current market dynamics, future aspirations, and evolving guest expectations.

However, beneath this transformation lies several considerations, risks, and opportunities, each of which holds the power to shape the trajectory and outcome of the rebranding endeavor. This is where hotel rebranding market research becomes an irreplaceable resource to take into account before making any modifications to the brand.

Some of the elements that make hotel rebranding market research an indispensable tool include:

• Shifting Demographics: As the generational composition of travelers changes, so do their preferences, values, and expectations. Hotel rebranding market research provides valuable perspectives into these evolving dynamics, ensuring that rebranding resonates with both existing and emerging customer segments.
• Feedback Loop: Past guests provide valuable feedback on what they liked and what they felt lacked in their hotel experience. This feedback becomes the bedrock on which rebranding strategies are formulated in market research.
• Positioning: Understanding where the hotel currently stands in the market compared to competitors is crucial. Hotel rebranding market research can also spotlight areas where competitors are underperforming, providing an opportunity for the hotel to fill those gaps through its rebranding efforts.
• Informed Decision-making: Rather than relying on intuition, decisions backed by concrete data minimize risks of missteps or oversights during the rebranding process. By identifying emerging trends, hotels can align their rebranding strategy with future market movements, ensuring long-term relevance.
• Prioritization: Hotel rebranding market research helps in setting clear priorities, ensuring that the most impactful elements of the rebranding process are tackled first. Understanding which aspects of the brand need major overhauls and which require minor tweaks ensures that resources are allocated optimally.
• Consistency: Comprehensive hotel rebranding market research ensures that all elements of the rebranding, from visual elements to guest experiences, convey a consistent and cohesive brand message.

When to Conduct Hotel Rebranding Market Research

Hotel rebranding market research is not a spontaneous reaction but a deliberate response to specific indicators within the industry. Therefore, identifying these indicators ensures that your decision to rebrand is timely and positions your hotel for success.

Market Saturation and Brand Differentiation

When your brand starts blending in instead of standing out, it’s time to consider hotel rebranding market research. This research helps in identifying unique value propositions and understanding how to reposition your brand to cut through the market noise.

Changing Market Dynamics

The hotel industry is susceptible to changes in economic conditions, travel trends, and even technological advancements. A decline in occupancy or revenue may indicate broader shifts in market dynamics. Conducting hotel rebranding market research during these times can provide insights into repositioning your brand to navigate and thrive in the new market conditions.

Technological Advancements

The digital age continually reshapes guest expectations and industry standards. If a hotel is not leveraging current technologies, or if there’s a significant technological disruption in the hospitality industry, it could be time for a rebrand. Hotel rebranding market research will shed light on integrating and marketing new technologies to enhance guest experiences and streamline operations.

The Role of Technology

As technology continues to permeate all aspects of business operations and consumer experiences, its implications in hotel rebranding market research are profound.

This is why it is important to analyze the technologies that change the hotel rebranding market research, especially to acquire new analysis that allows businesses to clear up even more doubts about consumer preferences.

• IoT (Internet of Things): Devices like smart thermostats, voice-activated assistants, and IoT-connected room services capture real-time guest behaviors and preferences, providing rich data for rebranding considerations.
• AI-Driven Surveys: Artificial Intelligence enhances survey tools, allowing for adaptive questioning where the survey evolves based on previous answers, capturing deeper and more relevant insights.
• Real-time Feedback: Mobile apps and digital platforms allow guests to provide instant feedback during their stay, offering timely and actionable insights.
• Brand Sentiment Analysis: Tools powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP) can scan social media platforms and review sites, gauging the overall sentiment toward the hotel brand and identifying areas of concern or praise.
• Mock Visualizations: Before implementing physical changes, hotels can use virtual reality (VR) to create mockups of new interiors, logos, or layouts, allowing stakeholders to experience the proposed rebranding and provide feedback.
• Forecasting: By analyzing past data and current trends, predictive analytics tools can forecast future guest preferences, market shifts, or potential challenges, ensuring the rebranding strategy is forward-facing.

Hotel Rebranding Market Research Vs Traditional Market Research?

Hotel rebranding market research goes beyond surface-level statistics. It’s about peeling back the layers of the brand, the market, and the guest experience to reveal insights that can drive a successful rebranding strategy. It’s a holistic approach, considering everything from the visual elements of the brand to the emotional journey of the guests.

While traditional market research focuses on understanding the market at a given time, hotel rebranding market research delves deeper, aiming to forecast future trends, gauge emotional connections with the brand, and understand the intricate layers of guest experiences. This research is a blend of art and science, intertwining data with creative foresight to shape a brand that resonates deeply with current and future guests.

Expected Results from Hotel Rebranding Market Research

Embarking on hotel rebranding market research is a comprehensive process that uncovers data, insights, trends, and narratives that are essential for a successful rebranding – and here’s what businesses can expect from this in-depth research:

• In-Depth Customer Insights: Hotel rebranding market research goes beyond demographics and purchasing behaviors. It explores customer motivations, lifestyle preferences, and the emotional connections they seek with a hotel brand. Understanding these aspects is crucial in crafting a brand experience that resonates on a deeper level with your guests.
• Competitive Analysis: This research provides a thorough analysis of competitors, their branding strategies, strengths, weaknesses, and market positioning. It helps in identifying gaps in the market and opportunities, ensuring that rebranding efforts position hotels as unique and preferred choices in the hospitality industry
• Brand Positioning Strategies: This involves understanding the optimal blend of brand elements—naming, logo, messaging, and the overall brand story—that will resonate with the target audience. 
• Marketing and Communication Strategies: Hotel rebranding market research guides effectively communicating the new brand to the world. It outlines strategies for engaging with your audience, from traditional advertising to digital marketing, ensuring that your rebranding message is compelling, consistent, and reaches your target audience effectively.

Current Trends in Hotel Rebranding Market Research

Hotel rebranding market research evolves with the changing tides of the hospitality industry, guest preferences, and technological advancements. Thus, staying abreast of these trends is crucial for a rebranding strategy that is forward-thinking.:

• Personalization and Experiential Travel: Hotel rebranding market research is placing a significant emphasis on understanding how hotels can offer personalized and unique experiences to guests. This trend is about moving beyond the one-size-fits-all approach and tailoring the hotel experience to individual guest preferences and expectations.
• Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Practices: Modern travelers are increasingly conscious of their environmental footprint, and hotel rebranding market research reflects this shift. It explores ways in which hotels can incorporate sustainable practices in their operations and branding, resonating with the eco-conscious traveler and setting the brand apart as a responsible and ethical choice.
• Health and Wellness: Hotel rebranding market research is tapping into this trend by exploring ways to integrate wellness into the brand experience. Whether it’s through wellness-centered design, health-conscious culinary offerings, or partnerships with wellness brands, this trend is about aligning the hotel brand with the holistic well-being of the guests.
• Local Experiences and Authenticity: Current market research emphasizes the importance of embedding local culture and authenticity into the hotel brand. This can involve showcasing local art, offering locally-sourced cuisine, or curating experiences that connect guests with the local community and culture.

Case Studies: Successful Hotel Rebranding

The decision to rebrand can be a significant turning point for any hotel, determining its future success and relevance in an increasingly competitive market. Here are a few case studies that demonstrate the powerful synergy between effective hotel rebranding market research in the real world:

• Moxy Hotels by Marriott: Marriott International embarked on a rebranding initiative to create a brand focused on a new segment after recognizing a gap in its portfolio for millennial-focused, budget-friendly travelers. Extensive surveys and focus groups targeting millennials revealed a preference for affordable luxury, communal spaces, tech integration, and an authentic local experience. In the end, Moxy Hotels rapidly expanded across various locations, with its distinct branding resonating deeply with the millennial demographic.
• AccorHotels’ Launch of JO&JOE: To cater to the younger, more experiential travelers, AccorHotels sought to introduce a new brand called JO&JOE. Deep dives into the behavior of millennials and Gen Z travelers highlighted their inclination toward social interaction, unique experiences, and flexible accommodation options. The result was JO&JOE, a blend between hostel and traditional hotel. The spaces were designed to encourage social interaction, offering a mix of private rooms, shared sleeping areas, and communal hubs.

Opportunities in Hotel Rebranding Market Research for Businesses

Hotel rebranding market research opens several opportunities for businesses willing to dive deep into the process and leverage the insights it provides – and here’s how hotel rebranding market research can create significant opportunities for businesses:

• Increased Customer Loyalty Through deep insights into customer behavior and preferences, hotel rebranding market research can guide businesses in tailoring their services, amenities, and overall brand experience to meet and exceed customer expectations.
• Innovation and Differentiation: Hotel rebranding market research can uncover unique market trends, untapped niches, or innovative service concepts that can set your brand apart. Embracing these opportunities for innovation can make your brand not just a choice, but a preference for travelers.
• Strategic Market Expansion This market research can provide invaluable insights for businesses looking to enter new markets or appeal to new demographics. It offers a roadmap for understanding the nuances of new markets and ensuring that the brand resonates locally while maintaining its global appeal.
• Operational Efficiency: Hotel rebranding market research can highlight opportunities for operational improvements. From streamlining processes through technology to enhancing service delivery based on customer feedback, the research can guide businesses in optimizing operations, improving service quality, and ultimately, enhancing the bottom line.

Future of Hotel Rebranding Market Research

The future of hotel rebranding market research will depend on technological advances, evolving customer preferences, global events, and changes in the hospitality landscape. The following trends and projections stand out:

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: The ubiquity of data analytics and machine learning will enable hotels to make more informed decisions about rebranding. The predictive analysis will help forecast market reactions, ensuring rebranding endeavors resonate with target audiences.
• Sustainability and Eco-consciousness: The global emphasis on sustainability will shape hotel rebranding. Hotel rebranding market research will pivot toward identifying the best strategies to highlight eco-friendly practices, from sustainable building materials to waste reduction initiatives.
• Digital Transformation: VR will increasingly influence the guest experience with immersive technologies in the rebranding process. Market research will delve into how these technologies can be leveraged to offer unique guest experiences.
• Personalization and Local Experiences: Travelers are seeking localized experiences. Hotel rebranding market research will focus on understanding regional nuances and preferences, enabling hotels to rebrand in ways that deeply resonate with local cultures and tastes.
• Diversification of Services: Traditional hotel services may diversify to include co-working spaces, long-term stay options, or even experiential packages. Rebranding research will explore how these services can be integrated while maintaining brand integrity.
• Inclusive and Diversity Branding: An increasing awareness of diversity and inclusivity means that rebranding initiatives will likely prioritize these values. Market research will be crucial in understanding the diverse needs of global travelers and ensuring branding appeals to a broad audience.
• Collaborative Models: The future may see more cross-industry collaborations, with hotels partnering with entertainment, tech, or even education sectors. Hotel rebranding market research will assess the viability and benefits of these partnerships.

About SIS International

SIS International offers Quantitative, Qualitative, and Strategy Research. We provide data, tools, strategies, reports and insights for decision-making. We conduct interviews, surveys, focus groups and many other Market Research methods and approaches. Contact us for your next Market Research project.