Make every impression count
As some hotels launch brands and amenities to fill beds and others remake existing facilities to attract younger, tech-savvy customers, these customers are often united in booking their rooms on the fly on mobile devices. To exploit this narrow window and promote customer loyalty, Tina Sommers, a Bridgeport-based financial services and travel industry marketing professional and principal of Tina Sommers Consulting, blends aesthetics and the latest ideas in corporate branding to capture these customers”™ attention and, as she says, “Make every impression count.”
How did you first develop your approach?
“Ten years ago I stayed as a guest at a boutique hotel located two blocks from the French Quarter in New Orleans and, inspired by the hotel”™s bohemian elegance, I decided to take some photographs. When I returned home and reviewed the images, I realized they would make beautiful, personalized photo note cards. I ended up creating a sample collection and sending it to the general manager; she absolutely loved it and told me the note cards had captured the ”˜vibe”™ of their place.”
What other types of hotels have you engaged?
“Luxury resorts have been another successful avenue for me. I visited One&Only”™s resort, Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico, and sent my samples to the chief operating officer in London along with a letter and my completed guest survey. The photos were well received and I was hired to create a postcard series using my photos of the company”™s Baja peninsula property.”
How have your materials been received?
“The custom materials are always well received. Luxury resorts and hospitality industries must make special efforts to ensure images are consistent with overall branding across all collateral and platforms, from mobile reservation apps and photo totes to guest surveys and gift shop postcard series. For a company to be presented with a complete personalized product that represents the very essence of its brand is hard to come by.”
What do you see as the current challenges for the travel and hospitality industries?
“Images have always been at the crux of marketing and branding in these industries. In addition, online review sites are becoming more powerful in the consumer decision-making process and mobile phone images can be used there to illustrate service and accommodations. Hotels and resorts would be wise to control what illustrates their brand whenever and wherever they can.”
When have you gone beyond the original photo card idea?
“After the success of my photo note card collections and postcard series, I began to think about functional items that could be used by guests after their stay such as tote bags, calendars, photo books and other ”˜take-home”™ vacation keepsakes. While staying in Barcelona, I learned a lesson in the importance of drawing together what might be considered contradictory elements of a brand. There the trendy Regina Hotel, which reflects Old World elegance and classic architecture with a contemporary flair, is right next door to the Hotel Pulitzer, which has a white, minimalist Miami modern edge. Yet both properties are owned by the Grupo Hotels. To unify Grupo”™s charming, but disparate, collection of European boutique hotels, I concluded that ”˜wearing”™ the images or incorporating them into a photo tote could promote the Grupo brand in a fashionable and effective way.”
You consider yourself a one-person show. What is the advantage?
“I can streamline the entire design process. Most of the work is already completed: I have scouted and photographed the property. I have selected and retouched the images and designed the product. This way a hotel is guaranteed a unique look consistent with their brand ”” they are working with the same professional who understands their needs.”
Where do you stand in your projected growth, where are you now and where would you like to be?
“Currently I partner with companies in the both U.S. and internationally. As a member of the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH), I especially enjoy learning about other hotel companies and working with unique hotels to promote their properties.
“It”™s important to me to always demonstrate excellent presentation skills, with an eye for aesthetics, a commitment to design excellence, and an understanding of strategic branding and compelling marketing communications.”