Part of the comprehensive naming and branding package we did for Ko'a Kea Hotel & ResortOver the last five years of branding for hotels and restaurants, we've learned that successfully designing for the hospitality market is not about making the property or food look good, but rather it's all about selling a lifestyle.

Travellers don't want to get away to all the comforts of home, they want more than what they have at home. Our job as designers is to convey what it may be like for guests to live that illusion, if only for only a few nights.

Designers have been doing that for a decade or so for boutique hotels, independent urban hotels that sold the concept of cutting-edge technology, modern design, unique experiences, urban architecture, exotic cuisine and personalized service. But now the corporations are creating smaller hotel brands to look focused and unique, in order to compete with the successful boutique hotels.

In a recent study by Ernst & Young on Global Hospitality Insights, hotel companies are continuing to distinguish themselves while trying to satisfy changing consumer's needs. The most recent change in hospitality is the evolution of the "lifestyle hotel" concept, by applying the boutique influence onto corporate hotel brands. The New York Times defines the trend as "creating an experience that offers something different from the status quo, then replicate it around the globe." Although the large hotel brands are creating "product" brands such as Starwood's Aloft, Hyatt's Place, Marriott's Edition, and Hilton Hotel's Denizen, the messaging still stands uniquely separate than their parent company and communicates a different lifestyle.

Lifestyle brands originally took their cues from the fashion industry. Re-marketing clothing garments into a way of life, the fashion industry told us that we can define who we are just by what we wear. This approach helped consumer brands expand from selling from one targeted market to many related, relevant markets. From there, lifestyle branding expanded into home furnishings, automobiles, sports, beverages, airlines and now hotels.

A "lifestyle brand" embodies the values and aspirations of a group or culture and speaks to the "core identity" of its customers, each of whom have their own sense of self based on their background. The lifestyle hotel supports this core identity by allowing the individual to publicly associate themselves with the hotel’s identity.

Although we aren't doing brand work for the behemoth hospitality corporations, we are watching the transformation of the industry and striving to create something different for each of our clients.

How can small hotels learn from the marketing concepts of "lifestyle hotels?" A hotel property needs to market with two parts: a unique message and targeted execution.

Strong brands are built on a unique message. W Hotels promise guests a "Wow" experience. Ian Schrager's hotels suggest individuality, as his hotels are about "eccentricity and the unorthodox." Joie de Vivre Hotels are about the California lifestyle experience: fresh, inventive, casual, and grass roots oriented. Each of our hotels have to have a uniquely core message that speaks to their specific audience.

Targetted execution is everything. Have you every heard the phrase "the medium is the message?" It means, the way you say it means as much as what you're saying. So the delivery 'vehicles' (or customer touch points, as they are frequently termed)–a unique email reservation confirmation, a thank-you letter on beautiful stationery, well-handled in-room signage, intuitive room directory–those mediums carry the message and make a difference in the minds of travellers. Each delivery medium carries the tone and style of the core message to create consistency and professionalism. Making sure the vehicle is relevant and targeted allows the guest to feel more at home. For instance, at André Balazs' The Standard Hotel, which caters to a young and chic crowd, Mr. Bubble and branded condoms are provided in guest rooms.

Web sites are always strong delivery medium and need to be written and function to reflect their core brand message. According to Susan Breslow Sardone, a leading authority on romantic travel, nearly 85 percent of travelers research trips online. The Web site is one of the most important communication tools and she asks guests to take a critical look at the hotel Web site before making reservations.

Recipes for success for a hotel property can be a combination of many parts, but without those two ingredients of a strong message and targeted execution, a hotel brand cannot compete in today's marketplace of lifestyle hotels.