Brand Strategy for Hotels: Find Your Clear Positioning

A clear positioning highlights what makes your hotel special. Together, we’ll develop a brand strategy that highlights your strengths, appeals to your target guests, and provides a clear direction for your marketing.

100 %

Custom positioning

0 %

Off-the-rack brand

25

Years of Experience with Hotel Brands

A strong hotel brand starts with clarity: What do you stand for, who do you want to reach, and why should guests choose your hotel in particular? A well-thought-out brand strategy provides clear answers to these questions—and lays the foundation for a consistent brand image and targeted marketing.

A person working at a desk with a laptop, a clipboard with a chart, and a cup of coffee

Plenty of comfort, but no clear identity?

Your hotel offers comfort and quality and has its own unique strengths. But if guests don't immediately recognize what sets your hotel apart from the competition, it quickly becomes just another option.

Many hotels offer so much more than others—but find it difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes them truly unique. Without a clear hotel positioning, communication and marketing efforts come across as arbitrary. As a result, potential guests end up making their decisions based on location or price.

A clear brand strategy ensures that your hotel’s many individual strengths come together to form a profile that is understandable, relevant, and recognizable.

Our Brand Strategy

Your positioning: clear and distinctive

Together, we'll develop a brand strategy that fits your hotel and your goals. To do this, we'll identify what makes your property unique, which guests you want to attract, and what position you want to take in the market.

First the foundation, then the facade

It goes deeper than a logo, colors, or a catchy tagline. Together, we uncover the hotel’s true DNA and translate it into a clear strategic positioning.

We define your relevant target audiences, refine your unique selling propositions, and clarify what your brand stands for—and, just as importantly, what it doesn’t stand for. This creates a strategic foundationthat makes decisions regarding communication, marketing, and design easier.

Handwritten notes on a whiteboard with colorful brainstorming bubbles and notes on web design

From the inside out

From Hotel DNA to a Clear Brand Strategy

Every hotel has something no other hotel has: its own history, a special atmosphere, and a unique way of welcoming guests. We’ll discover what makes your hotel one-of-a-kind—and use that to develop a clear brand strategy that conveys exactly that feeling to the outside world.

A woman is working on a laptop at a desk in a bright office bathed in warm sunlight.
Step 1

Analysis & Brand Audit:

We take a close look: What sets your hotel apart, how is it positioned in the market, and how do your competitors position themselves? This is how we identify strengths, potential, and the foundation for your future brand development.

Step 2

Positioning & Target Audiences:

Together, we’ll refine your hotel’s positioning, identify relevant target audiences, and pinpoint what sets your property apart from the competition. This will result in a clear profile that serves as a guide for all future initiatives.

Step 3

Storytelling & Guidelines:

Based on positioning, values, and unique characteristics, we develop a cohesive brand story. We formulate key messages and create content guidelines for how your hotel brand will communicate with the outside world in the future.

Step 4

Brand Rollout:

A brand strategy shouldn't just be confined to a presentation. We implement it across all relevant touchpoints—from the website and corporate design to communications—thereby creating a consistent brand image.

Tip: Once the brand strategy is in place, a suitable visual identity can be developed from it. In our corporate design process , we translate your positioning into a distinctive visual language of images, colors, and shapes.

A laptop displaying a website for luxury brands on a desk with subtle decorations and vases

"Our collaboration with XPORT began in 2018 with a major project to relaunch the online store for our spas, hotels, wellness parks, and restaurants, which was carried out to our complete satisfaction. Since then, XPORT has been a consistently reliable and professional partner in all areas of digital marketing."

Marco von Holwede

Marketing and Sales Manager, Toskanaworld AG

"Working with XPORT has been a pleasure right from the start of our business relationship! We feel very well taken care of by our colleagues at XPORT, and we’re able to collaborate with them in a competent and professional manner. Communication is always on an equal footing and based on a high level of trust. We look forward to the future projects we’ll be carrying out with XPORT."

Sandra Musil

Marketing & Guest Relations, Strandhotel Zingst

"The XPORT team works with its clients on a completely equal footing. They’re down-to-earth, and you almost feel like the team members are part of your own team. They’re always available, respond quickly, and keep track of everything. They tailor their approach to the client’s products and needs, giving you the feeling that you’re being treated very personally. Overall, working with them is simply a pleasure, and I can wholeheartedly recommend them—for strategic and creative marketing both online and offline."

Veronika Raguse

Head of Marketing, Ritter von Kempski GROUP

"The website relaunch for our brand, das Freytag, in collaboration with XPORT was a complete success. The website's new, fresh design and improved functionality, combined with targeted content, effectively highlight the brand's unique selling points and thus strengthen our brand positioning."

Sara Pawlik

Cluster Marketing Manager, SICON Group

Our Prices

Custom Brand Strategy

Every hotel has its own unique circumstances, goals, and challenges. That’s why we don’t have a one-size-fits-all brand strategy.

After an initial consultation, we’ll determine which services are truly beneficial for your hotel’s positioning. Based on this, you’ll receive a transparent, customized quote—tailored to the scope of your project.

Subsidized consulting for your hotel

The big bonus for you: 

up to 2,800 €

Since strategic brand development is part of our certified management consulting services, we’d be happy to assess whether your hotel meets the eligibility requirements for government funding and determine what types of funding are available for your project.

What do you want your hotel to stand for in the future?

Are you unsure whether your current positioning is still relevant, or are you planning a complete reorientation? Let's discuss this during a brief, free 15-minute initial consultation.

You'll speak directly with an experienced consultant from our hotel team who will listen to you and give you an initial, honest assessment of your brand.

Thomas Fritsche
Managing Director
Sales and Hotel Marketing with Passion and Insight Since 2015
Marilena Niemeyer
Assistant Team Leader, Online Marketing
Key hotel positions: Empire Riverside, Hotel Hafen Hamburg, RIMC.
Thorsten Kolsch
Project Management Online Marketing
Expert in brand strategy and storytelling.

References

Hotel brands that stick in your mind (and in your heart)

From small, independent hotels to larger properties: Our projects demonstrate just how varied strong hotel positioning can be. The key is not to follow a specific style, but to develop a brand strategy that suits each property, its guests, and its goals.

Tuscany World

Tuscany World

Gift Certificates with a WOW Factor: Design of a custom-built online store for selling personalized gift certificates—with the option to include your own photos or video messages.
Go to the website
Beach Hotel Zingst
Golden WebAward trophy with a flame-shaped top and a black base, inscribed with “WebAward Competition”

Beach Hotel Zingst

From a chain hotel to a strong independent brand: rebranding, relaunch, and record revenue thanks to continuous improvements in online marketing.
Go to the website
SICON Hospitality

SICON Hospitality

A platform for five brands: Following the launch of the SICON umbrella brand, four additional individual hotel websites were launched on the same hellohotel platform.
Go to the website
stuub

stuub

From a soft relaunch to a standalone brand presence: The new Multiproperty website combines a custom design with a 26% faster mobile load time.
Go to the website

Why XPORT?

We don't do everything.
But we do hotel marketing right.

We have been supporting the hospitality industry since 2001. Why have more than 500 hotels chosen us over a generalist agency? There are good reasons for this.

25
Years of Hotel DNA
We know what matters in day-to-day hotel operations.
100 %
Hotel Specialization
Industry focus instead of a street vendor's tray.
6+
Solutions, One Team
Website, Design, Hotel Consulting, Online Marketing, and much more.
500+
Hotel guests
have already benefited from our expertise in the hotel industry.

With a generalist agency

Isolated, piecemeal solutions with no measurable success.

With XPORT

Integrated solutions with transparent tracking.

With a generalist agency

Technical jargon instead of clear answers.

With XPORT

Straight talk in the language of the hotel industry.

With a generalist agency

Limited understanding of the industry and a lack of system expertise.

With XPORT

100% hotel DNA; PMS, IBE, and interfaces are all in place.

With a generalist agency

Anonymous tickets and shifting responsibilities.

With XPORT

A trusted partner who thinks along with you and knows your home.

With a generalist agency

Geographical proximity alone, without any real hotel expertise.

With XPORT

Nationwide strength and proven best practices.

We're known for:

Frequently Asked Questions About Brand Strategy and Hotel Positioning

  • What exactly is the difference between brand strategy and corporate design?

    Think of your hotel as a house: the brand strategy is the foundation. This is where we define your values, target audiences, positioning, and unique selling propositions. The corporate design then translates these fundamentals visually into a logo, colors, typography, and visual language. In short: the brand strategy sets the direction; the corporate design makes it visible.

  • Why does my hotel even need a branding strategy? Isn't a nice website enough?

    A beautiful website alone doesn't explain why a guest should choose your hotel. A well-thought-out brand strategy defines positioning, target audiences, values, and unique selling propositions. This foundation then shapes your website, social media, newsletters, and other communication channels.

  • Is my hotel eligible for BAFA funding under the brand strategy?

    Whether your hotel is eligible for funding depends on the applicable funding requirements. As a BAFA-listed consulting firm, we would be happy to work with you to determine whether your business meets the criteria and which strategic consulting services are eligible for funding.

  • I have a very small, custom-built house. Is a branding strategy even worth it in this case?

    Clear positioning can be especially valuable for small, unique hotels. Instead of competing on size or large marketing budgets, you can specifically highlight your hotel’s personality, unique experiences, and strengths—and thereby attract exactly the guests who are a good fit for you.