Luxury Hotels hit the suite spot in brand communication
The lobby as your first line of communication
Treat your tagline like a lobby. It’s the opening move, the moment people decide what kind of story they’ve walked into.
The door revolves and suddenly you’re inside a narrative made tangible: jasmine in the air, marble underfoot, a chandelier catching the light. In seconds, you know what kind of place this is, and what it promises you.
Luxury hotels mastered “brand experience” long before it became a buzzword. And that’s why, in 2025, communicators should treat their tagline like a lobby: not decoration, but the first signal of everything to come.
The unspoken codes of luxury
Look closer and nothing in a luxury hotel is really just décor – every choice is a code. A Michelin-starred chef signals global prestige. A gallery in the lobby featuring the work of local artists signals cultural resonance. The airport car (Tesla, Mercedes, or Rolls) tells you what the brand values (sustainability, status, or heritage).
Strategic communications works the same way. A spokesperson’s phrasing in an interview, the outlet you choose for a launch, the partnerships you spotlight – all of these are signals. Details that audiences decode instantly, long before they’ve absorbed the official message.
The best communicators, like the best hotels, know the codes are never filler. They’re the story, told without words.
Consistency is the brand-builder
Whether it’s a flagship in Paris or a new opening in Singapore, the best hotels can’t afford to deliver a fractured experience.
The Hyatt group learned this the hard way when its mid-tier properties lagged behind its luxury brands. Guests who expected Paris woke up in Peoria, and trust evaporated.
Hyatt’s response? A global repositioning, complete with revamped service standards and a loyalty program to close the consistency gap.
Consistency isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the currency of trust.
It’s the same in communications. If a brand promises “effortless service” but the CEO stumbles in an interview, or the product fails at launch, the illusion collapses. Consistency isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the currency of trust.
Personalisation as proactive PR
A remembered pillow preference. A handwritten note. A restaurant booking made before you even asked. In a luxury hotel, these touches say: we see you, and you matter here. That intimacy turns guests into advocates who carry the story forward for free.
Communications works the same way. The press release blasted to thousands feels hollow compared to a pitch tailored to one journalist’s beat. A LinkedIn comment that speaks directly to a client’s pain point carries more weight than a generic campaign slogan. The moments that feel personal are the ones that spread.
The smartest brands and hotels know that personalisation isn’t just customer service. It’s strategy.
What brands can learn
Luxury hotels are masterclasses in communication. They prove that a brand isn’t a tagline, a brochure, or a campaign, but the accumulation of signals people walk straight into. Every scent, every surface, and every gesture is a line in the brand story.
In a world drowning in slogans, nobody buys what you say. They buy what they experience and they’ll decide in seconds whether to believe you, back you, or walk away.
What’s your brand’s lobby moment?
- About the Author
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Jasmin Hyde is the Founder of Hyde & Seek, an Australian communications agency specialising in brand positioning, storytelling, and purpose-led PR. A PR strategist with journalistic instincts, she helps brands find their voice and credibility in the spotlight.
