The hoteliers turned to &Smith to create their brand strategy, naming, visual identity, guest journey, launch campaign, and all digital and print collateral, including art direction of photo shoots. The logo the designers created has a real mid-1970’s-typography sense of exuberance with lush and elaborate serifs and high contrast between thicks and thins. The style is just old enough to suggest heritage, yet still young enough to feel fun and fresh.
The “guest journey” is a very large part of the GuestHouse identity, explains Dan Bernstein, creative partner with &Smith. “We wanted to avoid the stuffiness of luxury by creating a brand that was creative, curious, happy, and a bit more easy-going. You can feel this in lots of the ideas we peppered into the experience. We created items that are collectible, surprising, and that you want to touch.”
Other customer brand experiences include the Guest List, a pocket-size city guide; a branded bike at the train station for luggage pick-up; treat pantries; pillows imprinted with a giant “g” for “guest”; extensive collections of local art and objects of curiosity; and print collateral that is refined but always friendly.
