Because your potential guests (or buyer personas as we know them) are non-conformist consumers. Even if they booked through an OTA or traditional agency, they would want to have a prior opinion of your hotel’s image.
Because your employees are your best promoters. A satisfied employee in their work environment speaks volumes about your hotel’s values, and helps reinforce the image your guests have of your hotel.
In short, your corporate identity is your visual, emotional and communicative identity. In other words, the foundation that will position your image in the tourism sector. Therefore, it is important not only to take into account the aesthetics of your hotel, but also all the intangible aspects that your brand will bring. And in order to help you, we have designed for you the DDC strategy to create the corporate identity of your hotel.
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The DDC strategy is divided into three sections corresponding to the acronym: definition – differentiation – communication. Today we show you the steps to follow to configure it:
1. Definition.
It is what will mark the strategic positioning of your hotel, the attributes of your products, even the feeling of belonging of your employees. To define your hotel you must include:
- The naming. Choosing a name is not easy. Look for a name attractive, suggestive, evocative and without negative connotations, easily pronounceable and exportable to other countries. Think that you will have to register it and create your hotel’s website.
- Visual identity. These are the symbols, letters, colors… that visually identify your hotel and their application in all types of graphic supports. Keep in mind that those who create it must specify all its characteristics in specific manuals.
- The Tagline. Think of a text message of about four or five words that is witty and can characterize your hotel. The taglinetagline, which usually accompanies the logo, is a more complex element than it seems.
- The market situation. Specify the current situation of the market to which you are going to address it. And specify who your potential customers are. Remember that your hotel must meet the needs of these ideal guests.
- Description. Define well the structure of your hotel and how it works. The number of employees, the intention of the business model…
- Projection. If it is a newly established hotel, it is necessary to elaborate more on its long-term objectives or goals.
- Business lines or sub-brands. Define well and differentiate each of the brands and sub-brands of your chain, if applicable.
- The team. Describe what you expect from your employees. Hierarchy, methodology and work philosophy.
2. Differentiation.
Competition from the tourism sector is one of the major problems facing hotels. Not all chains have the same economic engine, so nowadays you have to be much more specific and make sure that your brand identity differentiates you and identifies with your ideal customers. Differentiation is what will make your hotel stand out from the competition and make it unique and unrepeatable. Concrete:
- Their mission. Set the priorities of the products and services you are going to offer to your hotel’s customers. Your mission is the purpose for achieving your vision.
- His vision. Define what you want your hotel to become in the future. It is the concept that will allow you to direct its development.
- Its values. Include the ethical pillars on which your hotel is based. These values are part of the emotional characteristics that will end up attracting your potential guests.
- Its social and environmental responsibility. Explain the social and environmental concerns related to the management of your hotel.
- Your Key Selling Points. Based on the aspects that make your hotel different, determine what features you want to highlight. Highlight with special interest your most competitive products.
3. Communication.
It is the specification of one’s own style, which must be coherent in all the steps previously specified. The hotel’s communication is essential to project its corporate identity to the outside world. For this you need to define:
- Corporate image. Focus on how your hotel brand and its characteristics are psychologically conceived. In short, the corporate image is how consumers will see the corporate identity of your hotel. Therefore, make sure you know what your positioning is.
- Style. Explain whether the positioning of your hotel is shown from a close or formal, relaxed or serious perspective. To do so, it is essential that you keep your ideal clients in mind, since it is to them that you are addressing your message.
As you have seen, the lines that separate the definition, differentiation and communication of your hotel are somewhat blurred. The DDC strategy brings together the different characteristics of the corporate identity and the image of your hotel, which, although we may want to pigeonhole them, ultimately have the same purpose. All of them are necessary to lay the foundations of your hotel’s identity.
