Audience Growth Drives Marketing Campaign and Brand Recognition for Hyatt House

Seeing an ever-changing market, Hyatt House launched a major marketing campaign and announced a brand overhaul.

Hyatt House – which has more than 120 properties in its brand portfolio – will unveil its new prototype sometime in 2023, said Emily Wright, global brand leader Hyatt Hotels Corp.

Under the “Home is Where…” banner, the campaign reflects changes in Hyatt House’s clientele over the past two years, as more leisure travelers have sought out extended stay options, particularly residential style accommodation. Wright said the brand identity revamp has been rolled out over the past two months and features a “refreshing color palette and new visual vernacular.”

The new Hyatt House prototype is still in the works, but will involve a “doubling” of the brand’s emphasis on making guests feel at home, Wright said.

“We want to think about the next generation of room products,” she said. “How can we help people feel at home while on the road? »

In the past, Hyatt House has focused on midweek business travelers staying five nights or more. With more couples and families arriving during the pandemic — as well as business travelers staying over the weekend to visit friends and family or see the destination — guests are using spaces in new ways and different.

“We don’t neglect our home market and always recognize that they are the core of our audience,” Wright said.

But as more and more people work remotely, guests can periodically check into the office while using the hotel the rest of the week.

“I think we’re forever changed as a company, and we want to continue to deliver a product that’s relevant for all occasions,” she said.

Wright said the digital campaign includes both business and leisure imagery and focuses on specific key lines that include “imperfect human experiences,” which show Hyatt House as a place “where you can take work calls in your sweatpants or your dog might wake you up in the morning.”

Paid social and paid search started last week while a “big” video component will be added on October 3, she said.

While the average stay at Hyatt House has fallen from four to five nights to between two and three nights due to the evolution of the clientele, the brand will maintain its Very Important Resident category — VIR —, reserved for guests who stay 20 nights. or more, Wright said. These customers already receive certificates for the brand’s H Bar – a signature brand concept that offers premium drinks and light meals – and some free laundry perks.

But next year changes are coming, Wright said.

“We’re going to consider dusting that off and rethinking the inclusions,” she said.

All of these initiatives are aimed at shifting the Hyatt House brand mindset to recognize all occasions when guests come to hotels, whether short- or long-term, Wright said. Hyatt House aims to set itself apart from its competitors with its apartment-style layouts, residential-inspired features, free breakfast, H Bar, and the fact that the majority of properties are pet-friendly.

Wright has worked at Hyatt for 16 years and she recalled that the company acquired Summerfield Suites and renamed them Hyatt Summerfield Suites before finally settling on Hyatt House just over a decade ago. This brand identity has served the company well “and had strong legs,” which the new look and feel will continue to build on, she said.

Hyatt has more than 40 hotels in the pipeline for Hyatt House and its sister brand Hyatt Place. Wright said the two brands are operated together internally but marketed as distinctive products to the consumer.

Among the locations of the 40 hotels in development, 16 new markets are represented, including urban, suburban and university. She said urban locations “are a particular pride” with 90% of properties in the United States. Hyatt also plans to expand Hyatt House and Hyatt Place in Latin America, Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

While a handful of properties are owned and operated by Hyatt, the majority are franchised. Wright said a franchise owner regulatory group has been formed in recent years to strengthen the relationship between Hyatt and owners, including roundtables on design, development and more.

Looking ahead, Wright said there is tremendous opportunity in extended stays “and that’s why we’re building a campaign that will be relevant through 2023; it won’t be a one-shot wonder, but just the first step forward.

Return to the Hotel News Now home page.