Localizing a Global Hotel Brand
Challenge
When you travel, do you seek meaningful local experiences? This is what Hyatt’s Andaz Hotels offer: immersion in the local neighbourhood, culture, history and people. Differentiated against new entrants like Airbnb, Andaz offers guests a curated, upscale, and connected taste of the distinct local culture. For their first foray into the Canadian market, Andaz chose Ottawa’s Byward Market. And to help them create elevated stays rooted in localized experience, they chose Jackpine, not only for our branding expertise but also for our relationships and insights into Ottawa’s businesses, products, history and people. Our team was tasked with curating local products for in-room amenities, advising on exterior signage positioning, and developing names and visual identities for the hotel’s restaurant and rooftop bar.
Approach
Place-based branding is a rigorous discipline. As Ottawa locals, Jackpine had a head start, but we needed to work hard to harmoniously merge the Andaz brand with its future host city. We needed to fully understand the Andaz brand context and what it means for staff and guests. And although we know Ottawa inside and out, we fully immersed ourselves in research on the city’s history and local businesses. The capital city has always been an interesting place when it comes to identity because we have our own particular history, but we also stand in as a symbol for the country. The hotel interior was very Canadiana: each floor was associated with a province. But we wanted the in-room products and restaurant brands rooted in Ottawa culture.
Food & Beverage Locations
Our team led the branding and positioning of both food and beverage locations: the chic street-level restaurant Feast + Revel, and the stunning rooftop bar overlooking the Byward Market, Copper Spirits + Sights. Both locations serve locally sourced cuisine and Canadian-made wine, beer and spirits, with an eye to attracting locals as well as hotel guests.
In-room Product Recommendationis
By stocking their guest rooms with local snacks, drinks and body products, Andaz supports and builds a connection with their host communities. Jackpine leveraged our network to recommend the most appropriate suppliers for the Ottawa location, including a local soap company to make custom bath and body products, and a cocktail consultant to develop unique bar recipes.
Site Signage
People should be able to see your hotel from miles around. Andaz tasked our team with helping them maximize visibility for the hotel signage. By analyzing sightlines to the hotel from around the core and studying the building elevations, we developed a signage placement strategy. We also worked within the Andaz brand standards to select the best sign materials and lighting to be seen from afar.
With the support of local designers, artisans and creative minds in every field, the Andaz Ottawa celebrates the very best of our city.
- Matt Graham, General Manager, in response to Andaz making Wallpaper's Best Urban Hotel shortlist in 2017
Outcomes
Jackpine helped Andaz build a solid connection to local culture beyond just a nod to Canadiana: relationships with local businesses, connections to local artists, and the ability to attract locals to the rooftop bar for views we don’t get elsewhere. Andaz Ottawa has been so successful, it was the only Canadian hotel to make the Wallpaper best urban hotel shortlist in 2017, a year after it opened.
More to Explore
Our team loves exploring how brands connect with places and the people who live there. Are you looking to do a better job of localizing for different markets? How can you adapt your product or service to place while staying true to your overall brand character? Does your brand have a role to play in building the identity of a city or neighborhood? Call us—we’re always excited to talk about place branding.