The Power of Storytelling in Building a Hospitality Brand

This week we're focusing on the power of storytelling in building a hospitality brand and the importance of narrative integrated seamlessly into the branding.

The Power of Storytelling in Building a Hospitality Brand

All human connection is built on the basis of storytelling. It's how we interact with each other and perceive the world around us.?

At Aylott + Van Tromp we utilise stories in a variety of ways every day, but most significantly in the way in which we market our client’s spaces and products. Storytelling – or perhaps we should call it storyselling in this capacity – is about constructing the right narrative that embodies the space or product we have to sell, one that will resonate with the potential customer and successfully evoke a positive emotive response.

Why Stories Work

It can be difficult to understand just how important telling a story is when it comes to your hospitality brand. Surely it’s enough to have beautifully designed rooms and great service? When you have that nailed, even pricing isn’t such a crucial part of the customer experience. However, we don’t believe that’s enough; there are so many hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality venues that have great designs, and are comfortable and enjoyable places to be. In fact, there are so many of these that it starts to become less special. And that’s where the stories come in.?

Over the last decade there has been a steadily increasing trend away from the norm in reaction to the monotony of formulaic and non descript hotels, towards small independent? boutique offerings and the Airbnb’s of the world. A core reason for this is that people travel for? discovery; they want to feel the city, experience, witness? and dive into the cultural landscape they are within.? If anything, a worldwide pandemic has only heightened? this. As individuals we have become more creative and? emotional, often searching for unique experiences to? satisfy what they’ve missed by not travelling for so long.?

A good narrative integrated seamlessly into your hospitality branding is what will allow your brand to stand out and be unique. No two stories will be exactly the same, and if you can harness what makes you different and use that in your storytelling and branding, you’ll become something more than just a nice place to be. Your customers will feel as though they are part of your unique story, and that counts for a lot.?

Be Authentic?

Digital marketing methods are now so widespread that customers are aware of the old tricks, which makes online users a critical set. When conveying your hotel's narrative, make sure it's true to who you are and what you stand for in order to connect with the appropriate people.

If you want customers to connect with your business, you need to convey authentic tales that come straight from the heart. There is no point in constructing some elaborate storytelling universe if none of it – or very little of it – is actually real. This will become obvious over time, and it just won’t feel right to anyone in your hospitality venue. You may even find that, rather than bringing people to you, you drive them away.?

You might feel as though your story is not an interesting one or that it’s the same as everyone else’s. This is not true. Every story is interesting if you know how to tell it, and that’s why having a branding agency on hand to help you craft your message is essential.?

As for your story being the same as everyone else’s, again, that’s not how it really is. It might be similar, of course, but there are ways you can make yourself unique, and when you put these ideas into action, you’ll soon see the difference they can make. A tale can be told in many different ways, so it’s important to get creative!?

The best tales strike a balance between the uniqueness of the brand's voice and the universality of the human experience, and although this might seem like a big thing to get your head around, it’s not quite as daunting as it might initially appear. The key is to think about what you want to say and ensure that those you are telling understand why you are saying it. The more creative you can be when you do this, the more memorable your brand will be.