Rebranding in Hospitality and Tourism

What is rebranding in hospitality and tourism?

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Rebranding in hospitality and tourism is the process by which a hotel, resort, restaurant, tourism business or destination changes its brand identity and positioning. It usually involves revising how the brand is defined, how it is presented, and how it is experienced by guests or visitors.

In practical terms, a rebrand in this field may include:
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• Reviewing or redefining the brand strategy and positioning, including core promise, target segments and value proposition.
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• Adjusting or changing brand elements such as the name, logo, visual and verbal identity.
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• Aligning the guest or visitor experience with the updated positioning, including services, amenities and on-site programmes.
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• Updating the brand across physical and digital touchpoints, such as signage, interiors, printed materials, websites, booking platforms and social media profiles.
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In many cases, rebranding is linked to other strategic changes, such as renovations, changes in ownership or management structure, shifts in market segment, or new destination development strategies. Research on hotel rebranding and changes in brand affiliation suggests that such initiatives can be associated with changes in performance indicators such as occupancy rate, average daily rate and revenue per available room (RevPAR), although the direction and magnitude of these effects vary by context.

What makes rebranding in hospitality and tourism distinctive?

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Although the basic concept of rebranding is consistent across industries, several characteristics make its application in hospitality and tourism distinctive. In this field, brands are closely linked with service processes, physical environments and complex stakeholder structures.

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Service-dominant and experience-based

Hospitality and tourism brands are primarily service-based. The brand is expressed through interactions between staff and guests, the design and condition of facilities, and the sequence of experiences before, during and after the stay or visit. As a result, rebranding cannot be limited to visual identity changes if it is to be effective.

When an existing hotel or destination is rebranded, the following elements often need to be considered:
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• Service delivery at key touchpoints such as arrival, check-in, housekeeping, food and beverage outlets, spa and concierge services.
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• The coherence of the guest journey, from pre-arrival communication through on-site experience to post-stay follow-up.
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• Internal understanding of the new brand among employees, who translate abstract positioning into day-to-day behaviour.
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If a new brand promise or positioning is not reflected in these operational aspects, guests and visitors are likely to continue judging the place based on previous expectations and experiences, which can limit the effect of the rebrand.

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Role of place, architecture and interior design

In hospitality and tourism, place is a central component of the brand. The physical setting, architecture, interior design and surrounding environment play a significant role in how the brand is perceived. A beachfront resort, an inner-city business hotel and a rural heritage property each carry different spatial cues and constraints, which influence how a rebrand can be implemented.

Rebranding in this context often intersects with:
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• Renovation and refurbishment, where physical changes to rooms and public spaces are aligned with a new concept or market segment.
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• Spatial storytelling, where design choices in lobbies, corridors, guest rooms, restaurants and outdoor areas are used to express the updated brand identity.
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• Decisions about how much heritage and existing character should be preserved, adapted or replaced as part of the new positioning.
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Because the built environment is relatively fixed compared with visual identity or communication, hospitality and tourism rebrands often need to work with, rather than against, the constraints and opportunities of the property or destination.

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Stakeholder structure and governance

Many hospitality and tourism brands involve multiple stakeholders in their creation and management. A single hotel may have separate entities for ownership, operation, brand management and asset management. Destination brands typically involve public authorities, tourism boards, private-sector partners and residents.

In such settings, rebranding requires:
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• Coordination between parties with different objectives and time horizons, such as investors, operators and public institutions.
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• Agreement on the strategic direction of the brand and on the scope of changes to be made.
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• Consideration of how changes will be received by local communities, whose support can be important for the long-term credibility and sustainability of the destination brand.
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Research on destination branding and rebranding in cities and regions highlights the importance of including residents and local stakeholders in the process, both to ensure acceptance of the new brand and to reduce tensions between external image and internal identity.

Why hotels and destinations rebrand

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Hotels, resorts and tourism destinations rarely rebrand without a clear trigger. The decision is usually connected to broader strategic, financial or operational changes rather than to design preferences alone. Typical reasons include repositioning in the market, changes in ownership or brand affiliation, renovation and asset improvement, and the need to respond to shifts in demand or reputation.

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Strategic repositioning and new target segments

A common reason for rebranding is the need to reposition a property or destination in response to changing market conditions. This can include:
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• Moving a hotel upscale or downscale to better match its physical product and investment level.
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• Shifting focus from predominantly business travel to leisure, “bleisure”, family, wellness or lifestyle segments.
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• Clarifying a destination’s offer as competition increases, for example emphasising culture, nature or gastronomy rather than a generic “sun and sea” message.
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In such cases, the existing brand may no longer describe the desired position accurately. A new or updated brand can help align communication, pricing and service standards with the segment that owners and operators wish to serve. Repositioning decisions are often linked to ageing properties, evolving guest expectations and competitive pressure.

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Ownership changes, conversions and affiliations

Rebranding is also frequently associated with changes in ownership or management structure – for example:
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• Independent hotels joining a brand or “soft brand” to gain access to distribution, loyalty programmes and standards.
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• Branded properties leaving a chain to operate independently or under a different flag.
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• Adjustments within brand families when operators believe that another brand in the portfolio offers a better fit.
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In these situations, the rebrand reflects a new set of contracts, systems and performance expectations. Research on hotel brand affiliation and asset markets shows that brand signals play a role in how investors assess future operating performance, which helps explain why ownership changes often coincide with brand decisions.

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Renovation, product improvement and rescaling

Extensive renovation or repositioning of the physical product is another frequent trigger for rebranding. When a hotel undertakes a major refurbishment of rooms, public areas and facilities, the resulting product may no longer match its previous brand promise or scale.

In practice, this can involve:
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• Moving from a midscale positioning to upper-upscale or luxury after a comprehensive renovation.
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• Updating an older property to reflect contemporary design and service expectations.
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• Aligning brand identity with new amenities such as wellness facilities, extended-stay products or mixed-use components.
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Studies of hotel rebranding and rescaling find that properties which move to a higher scale after significant investment often see changes in performance indicators such as average daily rate and RevPAR over time, while brand changes without corresponding product improvements show more limited effects.

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Responding to changes in demand, competition or reputation

Some rebrands are initiated to address persistent changes in demand patterns or competitive dynamics. This can include long-term declines in room rates, reduced loyalty among repeat guests, or increasing pressure from newer concepts in the same market.

In more sensitive cases, rebranding may be part of a response to reputation challenges or broader crises. For destinations, this can involve updating the brand after political instability, safety incidents or negative media coverage, combined with improvements in product and communication. In hotels, a rebrand may follow changes in quality management, ownership or operational standards if these create a clear break with past practices.

Work on restoring tourism destinations in crisis emphasises that branding and communication are only one component of recovery, but can help signal change when backed by concrete improvements in safety, infrastructure and service.

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Destination-level drivers

For cities, regions and countries, rebranding is often driven by longer-term development goals rather than short-term performance of individual properties. Typical drivers are:
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• Increasing international visibility and attracting new visitor segments or markets.
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• Updating an image that is perceived as outdated, fragmented or limited to one dimension (for example, only beach tourism or only business travel).
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• Aligning the destination brand with sustainability, quality of life or cultural identity objectives.
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• Managing issues such as overtourism by shifting emphasis to different seasons, areas or themes.
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Recent studies on destination brand identity and repositioning underline that these initiatives work best when they integrate tourism, urban development and resident perspectives, rather than treating the brand solely as a marketing exercise.

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What changes in a hospitality or tourism rebrand?

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Rebranding usually affects both intangible elements (positioning, identity, messaging) and tangible elements (spaces, services, communication materials and digital systems). The exact scope depends on the reason for the rebrand, but several areas recur across hotel, resort and destination projects.

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Brand strategy, positioning and architecture

Most rebranding projects begin with a review of brand strategy and positioning. For hospitality and tourism brands, this typically includes:
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• Clarifying the core promise of the brand and how it should be perceived relative to competitors.
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• Defining or refining target guest or visitor segments and priority source markets.
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• Aligning the brand with the overall business model, including rate structure, distribution mix and service level.
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• For chains or destinations, reviewing brand architecture: how the main brand, sub-brands and endorsed brands relate to each other.
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These decisions form the basis for subsequent changes to identity, communication and experience design. Without an articulated strategy, later implementation tends to be inconsistent.

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Name, visual identity and verbal style

A hospitality or tourism rebrand may involve adjustments to the brand name, although many projects retain the existing name for reasons of recognition, legal continuity or heritage. Where names are changed, the decision is often linked to ownership changes, integration into a brand family, legal constraints or a clear shift in positioning.

In all cases, rebranding usually involves some degree of change to:
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• Logotype and symbol, colour palette and typography.
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• Imagery guidelines, including photography style and use of illustration or iconography.
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• Verbal identity, such as tone of voice, key messages and narrative structure.
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In hospitality, these elements are applied across a wide range of materials: signage, printed collateral, uniforms, menus, in-room information, digital templates and promotional campaigns. Clear standards and templates are important to maintain consistency across locations and touchpoints.

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Guest experience, services and physical environment

Because hospitality and tourism brands are delivered through experiences, rebranding often includes changes to services and physical environments as well as communication.

At property level, this might be:
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• Adjusting the service concept (for example, moving from formal to informal service, or emphasising local experiences).
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• Revising service sequences and procedures at key moments such as arrival, check-in, housekeeping, restaurant service and departure.
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• Updating facilities and amenities to align with the new positioning, such as wellness areas, co-working spaces, family facilities or food and beverage concepts.
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• Modifying aspects of interior design and decor that strongly shape guest perception, even when a full renovation is not undertaken.
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In destination contexts, rebranding can inform the design of visitor centres, public signage, wayfinding, event formats and public-space interventions. The visual and experiential cues in these environments help make the abstract brand positioning tangible for visitors and residents.

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Digital channels and distribution systems

Rebranding also has implications for digital channels and distribution, which are central to how guests and visitors discover, evaluate and book hospitality and tourism offers.

Typical areas affected include:
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• Brand websites and booking engines, including domain names, site structure, content, imagery and integration with reservation systems.
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• Third-party distribution platforms, such as online travel agencies, meta-search engines and global distribution systems, where names, descriptions, images and categorisations need to be updated.
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• Owned digital channels, including email templates, mobile applications and social media profiles.
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• Business listings and maps, such as search engine business profiles and map platforms used by travellers.
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If these systems are not updated in a coordinated way, different versions of the brand may coexist in the market, creating confusion and making it more difficult to assess the impact of the rebrand.

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Destination communication and visitor information

For destinations, rebranding typically extends beyond a new logo or campaign to a broader set of communication and information tools:
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• Tourism board websites and official visitor guides.
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• Thematic campaigns and content that highlight specific aspects of the destination, such as culture, nature, gastronomy or events.
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• Signage and wayfinding in key arrival points and visitor areas.
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• Materials used in trade and media relations, such as presentations, press kits and exhibition stands.
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Studies on destination brand management highlight that consistency across these materials, combined with alignment between message and on-the-ground experience, is important for building a clear and credible image over time.

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The rebranding process for hospitality and tourism brands

Every rebranding project has its own sequence and emphasis, depending on context, ownership structure and objectives. However, work in practice and in the literature points to a number of recurring phases. The process is a progression from diagnosis and strategy to design, implementation and evaluation, with feedback loops between stages.

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Audit and insight

Rebranding typically begins with an assessment of the current situation:
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• Reviewing performance data, such as occupancy, room rates, visitor numbers and revenue.
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• Analysing market and competitor dynamics, including new concepts, destination developments and benchmark properties.
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• Collecting guest and visitor feedback, through reviews, surveys, interviews and social media.
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• Understanding stakeholder perspectives, including owners, operators, employees, partners and, for destinations, residents and public authorities.

The audit helps clarify whether challenges stem from positioning, product, service delivery, communication, external factors or a combination of these.

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Strategy and positioning

On the basis of these insights, the brand’s strategic direction is defined or updated. In hospitality and tourism, this phase focuses on:
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• Articulating a clear brand promise and desired perception in the market.
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• Defining target segments and priority source markets.
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• Determining the level of service and price position the brand aims to occupy.
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• For portfolios and destinations, clarifying brand architecture and relationships between the master brand and sub-brands.
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This strategic framework guides subsequent decisions about identity, experience and communication.

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Concept and brand identity development
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Once the strategy is defined, work turns to the brand concept and identity. Usual steps are:
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• Translating the positioning into a concept narrative that describes the character and role of the brand.
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• Exploring options for naming or renaming, where relevant.
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• Developing the visual identity system, including logotype, colour palette, typography, imagery and layout principles.
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• Setting out the verbal identity, such as tone of voice, key messages and preferred terminology.
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At this stage, iterative testing with internal stakeholders and, in some cases, with representative guests or visitors can help verify that the proposed direction is understandable and distinctive.

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Experience and design alignment

For hospitality and tourism brands, the next step is ensuring that the intended brand is reflected in the guest or visitor experience and in the physical environment. Depending on scope and budget, this may involve:
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• Translating the concept into service standards and behaviours, including sequences of service and guidelines for interactions.
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• Reviewing or refining the offer of services and facilities, such as room types, F&B concepts, wellness, events or activities.
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• Aligning architecture and interior design elements that strongly influence perception, either through full renovation or through targeted interventions.
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• Identifying signature moments in the experience that should express the brand particularly clearly.
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This phase often requires close collaboration between brand, operations, design, development and, for destinations, urban planning and public-space teams.

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Implementation planning

Because hospitality and tourism brands have many touchpoints, rebranding requires detailed implementation planning, such as:
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• Creating an inventory of all physical and digital applications that need to change, from signage and printed materials to websites and distribution platforms.
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• Defining phasing and timelines, especially where multiple properties or stakeholder organisations are involved.
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• Estimating budget requirements for design, production, installation, training and communication.
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• Assigning responsibilities between owners, operators, brand teams, agencies and suppliers.
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Incomplete or inconsistent execution can weaken the impact of the rebrand, even when the strategy and design are sound.

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Internal launch and training

Before the rebrand is presented to guests or visitors, many organisations carry out an internal launch. In hospitality and tourism, employees have a central role in delivering the brand, so this phase often includes:
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• Explaining the rationale for the rebrand, the new positioning and what it means in practice.
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• Providing training and tools to support desired behaviours and service standards.
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• Involving teams in identifying ways to express the brand in day-to-day operations.
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• For destinations, engaging local businesses and institutions that interact with visitors.
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Effective internal communication can help reduce uncertainty, encourage adoption and surface practical issues before external launch.
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External launch and transition

The external launch introduces the rebrand to the market. Approaches vary, but key considerations typically include:
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• Choosing between a phased transition and a defined launch date.
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• Coordinating changes across owned and third-party channels, including booking platforms and media partners.
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• Managing guest and visitor expectations, particularly for existing customers who are familiar with the previous brand.
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• Addressing operational questions around signage replacement, collateral roll-out and digital updates.
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Quite often, the rebrand is accompanied by promotional activity, but the scale of communication differs widely depending on budget and strategic priorities.

Internal stakeholders: employees, partners and residents

In hospitality and tourism, the success of a rebrand depends not only on external communication and design, but also on how well internal stakeholders understand and support the new brand. Employees, commercial partners and, in the case of destinations, residents all influence how the brand is experienced and interpreted.

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Employees and internal branding

In service organisations, employees are a primary interface between the brand and the customer. This is particularly true in hospitality, where many guest impressions are shaped by direct interactions with staff. A rebrand that introduces a new positioning or promise requires corresponding adjustments in how employees understand and enact the brand.

Typical measures are:
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• Explaining the rationale for the rebrand and the desired future position of the brand.
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• Translating abstract values into concrete behavioural expectations in different roles and departments.
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• Providing training, tools and guidelines to support desired service behaviours and communication styles.
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• Ensuring that HR processes such as recruitment, induction and performance management are aligned with the updated brand.
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Structured internal communication, training and leadership support can influence employees’ identification with the brand, their commitment and their willingness to act as “brand ambassadors” in day-to-day interactions.

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Commercial partners and intermediaries

Hospitality and tourism brands often rely on partners and intermediaries to reach guests and visitors:
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• Management companies and franchisees operating under a shared brand.
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• Travel agents, tour operators and online travel agencies.
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• Event organisers, conference partners and other business clients.
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• Local businesses that co-create experiences, such as excursion providers or cultural institutions.
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During a rebrand, these partners need clear information about the new positioning, standards and communication assets so that their own materials and behaviour remain consistent with the brand. This may involve updated brand guidelines, co-branded templates, joint training sessions or revised contractual clauses.

If partners continue to use previous names, logos or descriptions, or promote offers that no longer fit the brand, guests and visitors may encounter conflicting messages that reduce the clarity of the rebrand.

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Residents and local communities in destination rebranding

For destinations, residents and local communities are central stakeholders. They live with the consequences of tourism development and play an important role in shaping the atmosphere, stories and informal communication that visitors encounter.

Work on residents’ engagement in destination branding indicates that residents’ attitudes towards tourism, their sense of place identity and their perception of the brand influence whether they support, ignore or resist branding initiatives.

In the context of rebranding a city, region or country, involving residents can mean:
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• Consulting on values, narratives and visual symbols that feel authentic to the place.
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• Providing channels for feedback and participation, such as workshops, surveys or co-creation projects.
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• Communicating clearly about the goals of the rebrand and how it relates to broader development strategies.
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• Encouraging residents and local businesses to act as informal brand ambassadors where they feel comfortable doing so.
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Studies of place branding and rebranding with resident participation suggest that initiatives which acknowledge residents’ perspectives and everyday experiences tend to produce brands that are perceived as more authentic and sustainable, whereas campaigns developed without local input are more likely to be criticised as superficial or disconnected.

Measuring the impact of a hospitality or tourism rebrand

Because rebranding often coincides with other strategic initiatives, it can be difficult to isolate its effects. Nevertheless, hospitality and tourism organisations usually track a combination of commercial, brand, customer and operationalindicators to understand whether the rebrand is supporting their objectives. Evaluating outcomes over several years is recommended, rather than only around the launch period, to capture medium-term effects.

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Commercial and financial indicators

At property level, commercial indicators provide one view of how the rebrand and related changes are performing. Commonly monitored measures include:
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• Occupancy rate and average daily rate (ADR).
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• Revenue per available room (RevPAR) and, where relevant, revenue per available seat or square metre for ancillary outlets.
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• Total revenue per available room (TRevPAR) or similar metrics that also capture non-room income.
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• Gross operating profit (GOP) and net operating income, especially from an investor perspective.
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When rebranding is combined with rescaling, renovation or changes in brand affiliation, these indicators can show whether the property is moving into the intended segment and whether the new positioning is supported by demand. Case-based research on hotel rebranding suggests that performance can improve, remain stable or decline depending on how well the new brand matches the asset, location and market conditions. Empirical analyses of brand changes in hotel portfolios underline the importance of comparing performance with an appropriate competitive set.

For destinations, aggregate indicators such as visitor arrivals, length of stay, spend per visitor and seasonal distribution are used to monitor whether the rebrand is associated with shifts in volume, value or timing of tourism activity.

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Brand strength and market position

Rebranding initiatives are also evaluated in terms of brand strength and market position. Depending on resources and data availability, this can include:
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• Brand awareness and recognition in target markets.
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• Brand preference or consideration relative to key competitors.
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• Perceptions of image attributes, such as modernity, authenticity, quality, sustainability or family-friendliness.
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• For chains, brand portfolio fit and clarity from the perspective of guests and partners.
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In some cases, organisations commission brand tracking studies; in others, they rely on more limited survey work or indirect indicators. Image change is often gradual and may lag behind changes in visual identity or communication, particularly for well-known destinations.

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Guest and visitor responses

Guest and visitor responses are another source of evidence on the impact of a rebrand. In hospitality and tourism, this information can come from:
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• Guest satisfaction surveys and net promoter score (NPS) or similar metrics.
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• Online reviews and ratings on travel platforms and mapping services.
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• Repeat visitation and loyalty programme data, where applicable.
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• Qualitative feedback collected through interviews, focus groups or open comment channels.
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Analyses of review content before and after a rebrand can help identify whether guests notice differences in service, facilities or atmosphere, and whether these align with the intended positioning. Work on customer-based brand equity in hotels and destinations emphasises that changes in perceived quality, value and uniqueness contribute to longer-term outcomes such as loyalty and word-of-mouth.

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Digital and distribution metrics

Given the role of digital channels in discovery and booking, many organisations also monitor digital indicators linked to the rebrand, for example:
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• Traffic and conversion on the brand website and booking engine.
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• Share of direct bookings versus intermediary channels.
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• Visibility and click-through rates on online travel agencies, meta-search platforms and search engines.
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• Engagement metrics on owned social channels and content platforms.
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These measures help assess whether the updated identity and content are improving clarity and appeal in online environments, and whether technical changes such as domain moves have been implemented without unintended negative effects on discoverability.

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Operational and internal indicators

Finally, some aspects of rebranding impact are internal. Organisations may track:
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• Employee engagement and understanding of the new brand, for example through internal surveys.
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• Adoption of new standards and behaviours, such as adherence to updated service sequences or use of new communication templates.
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• Training completion rates related to the rebrand.
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Research on internal branding suggests that these factors contribute indirectly to guest and visitor perceptions and can support or hinder the intended outcomes of a rebrand.

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