Friday 10 May 2013

Flowers as Brand Reinforcement - excerpt from Boutique Hotel News ctd (part 2)


Larger hotel chains could use a clear floral design strategy to keep the brand consistent so guests always know exactly which hotel they are in at any time.  Standardised arrangements give a clear and visible signal that the hotel is organised enough to have thought this through without having to increase budgets or invest heavily in new furnishings.  Boutique hotels, on the other hand, that generally prefer a more individual profile, can use flowers in precisely the opposite way.  Unusual designs or materials serve to create interest, not just at the first point of contact but at various stages during their journey through the hotel.  In this sense, it is perhaps preferable not to have cut flowers everywhere, but to stage the experience of the floral décor like a piece of music with cadences and crescendos, which begin and end at the main ‘Wow’ moment in the entrance.
Floral arrangements also speak about the profile of the establishment and convey a sense of their style and values.  A restaurant that only uses roses and hydrangeas in their displays is potentially making a statement about the flowers it fails to use and which ones it considers worthy of its investment.  Many up-market establishments prefer to use only white flowers as the quintessential marker of good taste and breeding.  Some hotel managers tell me that they don’t care whether the customer loves or hates the flowers as long as they talk about them.  The most notable case of this is, in fact, Le Caprice and the Ivy restaurants. Their strategy as a ‘home from home’ crossed with a private members club is dependent on the flowers to provide a constantly changing talking point.  This helps to stimulate conversations amongst people who could expect to keep bumping into each other several times a month.  Others want their customers to comment on the flowers but only in the positive; and others still prefer the flowers to change in content but always the same sort of shape and style – a rock of stability in an uncertain world.

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