Get the pillows, lose the client

2009-06-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Reading the weekend Financial Times and sipping on my coffee this morning, I found myself surprisingly uninterested in most of the articles that usually grab my attention. Indeed, I managed to blaze through the “Life & Arts” section in no time reading only the occasional book review. As I moved to dump the pink paper into the recycling bin, I glanced at the title of Tyler Brule’s column and was intrigued. Normally, his “Fast Lane” column is something I scowl at that then quickly reject. I find his commentary difficult to relate too, and his tone much more nouveau riche and much less pourgeoisie. I myself (unable to even afford lunch today) struggle to find applicable insight in his observations of global luxury style. Yet this week’s column struck a note with the marketer inside me. The column, entitled “The heinous crime of hotel makeovers” chronicles the transformation of one his favorite hotels from a charming, unchanged haunt to a modern and modular disaster. He writes:

The heavy green armchair that once sat in the corner is gone, replaced with a modern, modular unit crammed in so tight that it struggles to breathe. The writing desk has been usurped by something spindly and metallic, like an up-ended easel. Covering the bed are a dozen pillows and a bedspread made out of “five ancient saris”.

In many ways, a company’s brand is rooted in the look and feel of its product and messaging. Physical appearance becomes even more crucial with luxury products as consumers look not only towards meeting a need, but use brands to define (or more often buy into) a lifestyle. A drastic remodel of a hotel as described by Brule is more than just an update, it is a transformation of the brand itself. While the purpose of the makeover was most surely to attract a new clientele looking for chic, sexy accommodation, one has to ask if there is a way to draw in this new demographic while still appealing to loyal costumers who have become brand advocates for the exact “lived-in charm” that is being removed? More importantly, are there times when retaining loyal customers is more important and profitable than risking it all to attract a new type of patron?

I am sure that there are tons of case studies out there that document successful and failed attempts to answer the questions above. But I can say that if I was Tyler Brule, I would likely not return to the hotel.

Tyler Brule’s column: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d53e363a-61df-11de-9e03-00144feabdc0.html

Mediatations

Get the pillows, lose the client