Service: Naming Strategy

How we Branded 'Freedom'

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HOSPITALITY

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An Immersive Dining Concept for an Iconic Taj Hotel

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LA FESTA

Crafting a Tale of Curious Wonders

Last Updated
July 12, 2022

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When QUO received the opportunity to create a new brand that would become part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, our team embarked on a journey to bring La Festa Phu Quoc to life.

Building from the foundation, here’s how we crafted the brand essence, naming strategy, brand and visual identity that form the experience at this novel property.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Brand Naming
Logo Design
Tone of Voice
Promotional Design

BRAND CULTURE

La Festa: A Tale of an Artist

Since its conception in 2018, Sun Hospitality Group (SHG) has been at the forefront of luxury in Vietnam’s dynamic hospitality landscape. In 2023 the group will open a new resort under Curio Collection by Hilton—the brand’s inaugural property in Vietnam. The 197-key resort is set in a vibrant coastal destination, Sun Premier Village Primavera, featuring distinctive Mediterranean-inspired architecture and an array of restaurants, bars and iconic landmarks.

Working closely with our clients, the QUO strategy team led a workshop to determine La Festa’s brand culture and essence. The process began with a story genesis—a fictional tale that will serve as a foundation for the brand concept and the hotel’s naming.

For La Festa, the journey started with the tale of an artist from Phu Quoc whose vocation takes him on a seafaring adventure, and ultimately into the arms of love. After returning home with his partner, the two create a whimsical place of hospitality inspired by their travels. Our strategy and editorial teams built on this narrative, and La Festa was born.

BRAND NAMING

Bringing the World to Phu Quoc

Drawing from the property’s Mediterranean-inspired design, QUO explored names that suggest a sense of la dolce vita. The result is a lively name reminiscent of festivities and celebrations with loved ones by the Amalfi coast—La Festa. La Festa literally means ‘holiday’ or ‘festival’ in Italian. It is memorable and easy-to-pronounce word that encapsulates the simple pleasures of Phu Quoc. The name evokes a sense of vibrancy, as well as wondrous joy and celebration of love and kinship experienced by the fictive couple. Not to mention, ‘La’ also adds a distinct Italian flair to the name.

LOGO DESIGN

Celebrating Love and Kinship

QUO’s creative team then stepped in to design and develop the logo by drawing inspiration from the stacked buildings that have become the epitome of Amalfi Coast ingenuity. The final logo reflects this architectural distinction and adds a subtle layer of meaning through the connected letters ‘a‘ and ‘t‘—symbolising bonds of friendship and celebrating love among people and cultures. For the logo and brand colour, turquoise blue takes centre stage as a shade that awakens emotions associated with joy and festivity.

TONE OF VOICE

A Cinematic Dream

“Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth.” – Picasso

La Festa’s tone of voice captures the intensity and romance of the couple falling in love with one another and the Mediterranean world. Creating this sentiment in Phu Quoc, QUO created a tone of voice based on the core concept of ‘Imagine the Wonder’.

The voice traits we designed are ‘festive, familiar and cinematic’ to capture the experience of a distant adventure that touches their hearts—now brought home so guests can experience them in the same way. It does not attempt to recreate or replicate, nor does it pretend to be what it is not. Thus, it is a cinematic dream of the Mediterranean informed by memory and retold through this festive sharing of the imagination.

PROMOTIONAL DESIGN

Bringing Phu Quoc to the World

In addition to conceptualising the brand culture and establishing La Festa’s visual identity, QUO also created marketing collateral and other resources for La Festa. These include designs for the hotel’s PowerPoint presentations, stationery, brand brochure, factsheet and more.

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Zeni

OUR WORK

Zeni

Hybridised space for a summer holiday experience

Last Updated
October 29, 2021

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Since its founding in 2014, My Property Host (MPH) has built a prominent position in the UK’s hospitality sector, offering end-to-end solutions for short-term rentals.

In 2020 MPH soft-launched ‘Relax’, a new accommodation solution that utilizes vacant student accommodation during the July to September summer holiday period. Following initial success and the prospect of a boom in domestic travel for the 2021 summer season (due to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions), MPH decided it was time to re-launch the brand with a stronger concept and identity.

QUO worked with MPH to identify the strategic opportunity defining a brand that stands for a fun, engaging summer experience. Zeni was born.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Brand Naming
Logo Design
Tone of Voice
Website Development
Video Production

BRAND CULTURE

Capturing the Summer Spirit

As a seasonal brand, Zeni’s positioning and identity needed to be closely associated with the joys of summer.

QUO’s strategy team developed a unique concept of a fun summer-only brand, tapping into the emotions of the holiday period and what it means. Underpinned by the values of the conscious traveller, Zeni promises to welcome guests to its vibrant community with open arms, with a focus on nurturing meaningful human interactions.

BRAND NAMING

Named for ‘Zeus Xenios’

MPH brought their concept to QUO as a yet-to-be-named Brand X. QUO’s content team undertook several rounds of naming, exploring words and concepts related to travel, hospitality traditions and summer vibes. Everything from Chaucer’s tales to Bedouin welcoming rituals were on the table.

The name Zeni draws inspiration from the Greek god of hospitality Zeus Xenios—as he’s called in some stories—invoking his role as a protector of travellers. It was once believed that Zeus sometimes masqueraded as an out-of-town traveller, so welcoming road-weary strangers into your house was tantamount to welcoming Zeus, himself.

Zeni is a shortened, sounds-like tribute to that welcoming spirit.

VISUAL IDENTITY

Picture Summer. Unlocked.

Our creative team developed a logo that connects strongly to the meaning behind ‘Zeni’ and represents opening doors to a new community through the use of the letter ‘i’, which is stylised to resemble a keyhole. A pastel colour palette invokes a sense of springtime turning into summer.

The result: a cheerful, accessible logo that conjures summer vibes, unlocked potential and a perpetual sense of welcome and togetherness.

TONE OF VOICE

“Book a Room While It’s Hot. Literally.”

With its cultural foundation in place, and a name to boot, it was time for Zeni to find its voice. The content team developed that reflects a summertime attitude with positive vibes and a pinch of humour. It adapts to each location where Zeni operates with a touch of local vernacular.

Punchy, upbeat and fun-loving. It’s the Zeni way.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Digitising Summer Vibes

Once the brand’s distinctive visual identity and tone of voice were clearly defined, it was time to build the Zeni website. This one-stop digital portal introduces the brand to consumers and presents MPH’s room inventory on a freshly branded platform. Users can explore the cities where Zeni operates, view room availability and complete their booking through the site.

Visit the Zeni website here.

QUO’s creative team produced a range of applications for Zeni. These were tailored to the client’s specific marketing plan and included social media templates, PowerPoint templates, an investor presentation, branded facemasks, key cards and stationery.

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Unlock the Summer

In line with the concept developed, QUO also created a social media video—featuring fast cuts and energetic music—to engage Zeni’s target audience in on-brand, summertime activities.

ZENI video

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WINK

OUR WORK

WINK

Pioneering hybrid space in South East Asia

Last Updated
September 19, 2019

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The creation of the Wink Hotels brand presented a new set of challenges for QUO. When we were approached by Vanguard Hospitality and Indochina Capital in 2016, we were not simply asked to develop a dynamic new Vietnamese hotel brand, we were also tasked with building real brand recognition across Vietnam long before the first Wink Hotel opened its doors.

Here’s how we tackled one of our most exciting and rewarding projects to date.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Brand Naming
Logo Design
Tone of Voice
Promotional Design
Website Development
Online Marketing

BRAND CULTURE

A New Concept for a New Vietnam

We started this branding journey as we always do—by building a culture and essence that defines the spirit of the brand. Our strategy team worked closely with our clients to decide where this new brand—which didn’t even have a name yet—should fit within the Vietnamese hospitality space.

We travelled to Vietnam to lead an intensive two-day workshop to unearth the answer. By the end the direction was clear. The new hotel brand would focus on the needs of a dynamic new generation of travellers while remaining underpinned by traditional Vietnamese values. From this, the brand’s ‘Indochine 2.0’ cultural essence was born.

Indochine 2.0 is inspired by the tenacity of the Indochine mentality, finding harmony between modernity, innovation, efficiency and the city vibe, ensuring guests leave with a vivid impression of the destination and the brand.

To help bring the brand to life, QUO’s strategy team developed a suite of touchpoints and experiences attuned to the needs of Indochine 2.0 travellers by tapping into contemporary desires and expectations. Inspired by traditional Indochine shophouses, our strategists imagined a hotel where work, life and relaxation could blend seamlessly together in one vibrant whole. This work-life dynamic was to be expressed with exciting features and touchpoints in Wink’s hotels, including multifunctional, multifaceted open-plan lobbies that offer entertainment, food and drink; a library and retail space; flexible minimalist-style guestrooms; intuitive in-room technology; well-equipped co-working spaces; and more.

BRAND NAMING

A Name for an In-the-know Brand

A vibrant new brand needed an energetic, playful name that would connect with the Vietnamese millennial mindset. An English name was preferred, but it had to be easily understood by a Vietnamese audience, easy to pronounce and carry a strong meaning that connected to the brand culture.

In the end, the name ‘Wink’ was chosen from a strong shortlist. It was preferred for its approachable, playful meaning, and its ability to communicate an ‘in-the-know’ brand that aligned perfectly with the guest experience and Wink’s place at the centre of Vietnam’s vibrant urban communities.

LOGO DESIGN

Easy on the Eye

Once the ‘Wink’ name was in place, it was time to bring it to life with a logo that reflected the youthful spirit of the brand. In the end, a simple, modern sans serif font was chosen, with the second part of the ‘W’ contracted to give the subtle impression of a wink. This treatment added a playful dimension to a simple yet sophisticated logo that reflected the contemporary aesthetics of Indochina.

TONE OF VOICE

Sleek, Chic and Fun

The Wink tone of voice is built around a ‘chic and cheerful’ voice concept that embodies Indochine 2.0 and reflects the region’s infectious optimism and bold style, peppering its speech with upbeat exclamations while maintaining a cool, clued-in tone. It seamlessly alternates between sleek prose and cheerful expressions. It plays with punctuation—using ‘;’ to represent a wink—onomatopoeia and phrasing, creating a unique and engaging tone while remaining easy to understand.

PROMOTIONAL DESIGN

A Nod to the Future

Even though Wink had yet to open its first hotel, it needed plenty of marketing collateral and other resources that would help it grow its presence ahead of launch. QUO developed visually compelling materials such as a brand brochure, factsheet, PowerPoint presentation, stationery and more. We also designed a full suite of operational collateral, ready to be rolled out on the opening of the brand’s first property.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Indochine for the Digital Age

The absence of a physical property didn’t mean it was too early to establish Wink’s digital presence. Not by a long shot. QUO immediately designed and developed a sleek holding website that combined the newly developed visuals and tone to create a compelling online representation of this vibrant new brand.

You can see it for yourself right here.

See Indochina with fresh eyes. Well ahead of Wink’s launch date, QUO designed a holding site that communicates the Indochina 2.0 philosophy with on-brand visuals, a chic and cheerful tone of voice and parallax scrolling effects.

ONLINE MARKETING

Connecting with Indochine 2.0

Not quite ready to rest on its laurels, Wink wanted to start building the brand’s online influence from the get-go. With QUO’s help, Wink began engaging with the Indochine 2.0 generation in new and innovative ways. Together, we set out to demonstrate that you can amass a social media following before you’ve even finished building your first hotel. This was not going to be your typical hotel Facebook page. Instead, we planned to turn Wink into an online persona and trendsetter.

QUO developed a social media strategy and a platform-spanning content plan to help Wink spread its message. The brand speaks to its target audience through Facebook and Instagram posts about music, art, fashion, style, trends and a little light-hearted philosophy. These also direct readers to the Wink emag, home to longer-form blog posts covering everything from hangover remedies to upcoming art exhibitions.

From fashion to food, QUO has helped Wink create and curate a dynamic social media presence. The brand is already emerging as a go-to source for what’s hot in Vietnam—all experienced through the lens of Indochine 2.0. As that presence grew, Wink prepared to deepen its relationship with its target audience even further.

In a calculated multi-level strategy, QUO helped Wink arrange a photography competition. We reached out to Wink’s followers, asking what Indochine 2.0 means to them. The caveat: the answer had to be presented in photographic form along with the hashtag #winkphotocomp2018.

The competition brought fresh eyes to Wink’s social media platforms, and it also gifted the brand with an archive of stunning photos that communicate the Indochine 2.0 aesthetic.

In the end, a young freelance photographer named Hồ Nguyễn took first prize. Her work was exhibited alongside several runners-up at Through the Eyes of Wink, an exhibition hosted at Toong co-working space in Saigon.

Wink Hotels Brand Video

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THE MYST

OUR WORK

THE MYST

Tapping into a Vibrant City’s Soul

Last Updated
September 19, 2019

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In mid-2016 Vietnamese hotel company Silverland Hotels & Spas had some ‘soul searching’ to do. With seven sleek mid-range properties located around Saigon, they thought it was time to launch something a little different. With a premium boutique concept in mind, they wanted a brand that would capture the essence of Saigon and pay tribute to its charming alleys and shophouses with strong design elements that connected travellers to the locale.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Visual Identity
Tone of Voice
Website Development

BRAND CULTURE

Emerging from The Myst

Silverland’s desire to tell an authentic Saigon story presented a refreshing challenge for us. Receptive to more fearless and progressive brand traits, they were open to creating a truly ‘Vietnamese’ brand that had an exclusive vibe, but was more inclusive than their competitors. Free from the constraints of conservatism, we cultivated The Myst’s persona as a peaceful respite amidst the bustle of Saigon, one that celebrated the locale in a boldly contemporary way.

VISUAL IDENTITY

Evoking Tradition in a Contemporary Way

In order to visually express The Myst’s brand essence as a “refreshingly unique expression of Saigon culture”, QUO created a minimalist, yet distinctive, letterform-only logo. Emphasising the mystery and the promise of discovery, the ‘Y’ is stylised to omit its right arm, piqueing curiosity for about product.

The letter ‘Y’ also represents a fork in the road, reminiscent of the nostalgic old alleyways (hẻm) of Saigon. By using a sans serif font for ‘The Myst’ and a serif font for its descriptor—‘Dong Khoi’—we created a contrast between old and new, just like The Myst itself.

TONE OF VOICE

A Magical, Myst-ery Tour

When finding a voice for The Myst, we wanted to tap into the ‘poetry’ of life in Saigon, its rhythms and the nostalgic vibe of its old shophouses and alleyways. The resultant voice sports a mellifluous tone, with a hint of poetry to set a gently intriguing scene.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Cyberspace, Myst-ified

In order to share The Myst’s story with the world (and encourage direct bookings) we created a website that would act as an online storyteller. This visually delightful and descriptive site shares pertinent need-to-know details, while alluding to the gems of the property and locale awaiting guests’ discovery.

Naturally, the booking button is prominently displayed, as well as a chat feature for visitors to instantly communicate with The Myst. The imagery captures The Myst’s unique decor while a super-simple UX makes it effortless to navigate.

In March 2018, The Myst was featured in a write-up on Hospitality Design for its boutique blend of antiques and modern lines.

Enjoyed this article? You can read more about the work we’ve done for some of the world’s biggest brands here.

VISIT WEBSITE

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URBAN LOFT

OUR WORK

URBAN LOFT

A hybrid hotel that blurs lines and pushes boundaries

Last Updated
November 27, 2020

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In 2020, Althoff Hotels appointed QUO to help them define their new brand: URBAN LOFT.

The brand had already been in development for several years, originally imagined as a budget brand before pivoting to a design-led lifestyle product.

While some existing brand work was in place, there was a need to deliver greater clarity in key areas, including target audience and competitive positioning, and to create a strong visual identity, a unique voice along with key roll-outs.

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Visual Identity
Tone of Voice
Brand Video

BRAND CULTURE

More Than a Hotel, It’s a State of Mind

QUO created a bold brand identity for URBAN LOFT. One that addresses the New Localist traveller and energises neighbourhoods by providing an open canvas for mutual inspiration, relaxation and collaboration in creative communities across Europe.

“URBAN LOFT is more than a hotel, it is a state of mind”.

VISUAL IDENTITY

Pushing the Boundaries of What’s Expected

Urban Loft also needed a strongly-defined visual identity that would express its passion for design, which lies at the core of the brand’s DNA. With two properties under construction in Berlin and Cologne, QUO’s creative team developed an unconventional typography treatment at both the brand and property-levels, combining colour clashes, overlapping, unusual cropping and contrasts.

TONE OF VOICE

Meet ‘The Curator’

To that end, we created a voice persona that speaks with rhythmic and punctuated pacing and favours relatively long headlines followed by spare, sometimes fragmented body copy. Their penchant for one-liners, name dropping and parenthetical asides keep readers interested. We called this persona ‘The Curator’.

BRAND VIDEO

‘I Am Urban Loft’

The QUO video team was tasked with crafting a new video for the brand. Our goal was to showcase URBAN LOFT as more than just a hotel. Through a series of short vignettes telling urban stories, the video Phentermine the individuality of the creatives and free thinkers who converge here. Each has a story to tell.

URBAN LOFT Brand Video

MORE CASE STUDIES

HOSPITALITY

How we Branded 'Freedom'

Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Brand Video . Tone of Voice . Visual Identity . Website Development

HOSPITALITY

Honing a Legend

Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Tone of Voice . Logo and Brand Identity . Website Development

HOSPITALITY

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Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Tone of Voice . Visual Identity

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Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Logo and Brand Identity . Visual Identity . Website Development

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INK HOTELS

OUR WORK

INK HOTELS

TAPPING INTO THE SOULS OF VIBRANT CITIES

Last Updated
July 22, 2021

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When Singapore-based hospitality player Next Story Group approached us in 2019 to create a bold new brand for the Gen Z traveller, we knew this would be more than just a hotel…

SERVICES

Brand Culture
Visual Identity
Tone of Voice
Brand Video

BRAND CULTURE

Putting it in Ink

Ink is all about vibrant, playful and comfortable places to make your own and hang out with locals and travellers alike. It is designed to host, connect and inspire a new wave of curious, plugged-in explorers seeking more transformative and creative experiences. Environmentally and socially conscious, Ink delivers genuine value, while guests can expect excellent quality when it comes to the things that really matter.

VISUAL IDENTITY

New Name, Fresh Look

When Next Story Group originally brought the brand to QUO, it was known as ‘Linq’, but they wanted to explore other names with the hopes of finding something that better captured the brand’s distinct and colourful DNA. Naming strategy followed and ‘Ink’ emerged, paving the way for a refreshing logo, photography guidelines and colour palette. The resulting visual identity is free-spirited, creative and more than a little quirky—surprising viewers with unexpected imagery and ultimately priming them to connect, laugh and colour outside the lines.

TONE OF VOICE

Sounds like Fun, Must Be Ink

Ink is also all about inspiring prose. Our content team created a tone of voice and a thorough style guide that conveys the brand’s sense of laidback fun and social energy, positioning it as an inclusive community space that is open to both travellers and members of the local neighbourhood. A new type of hotel for a new generation of curious souls, we wanted to push the boundaries of what a hotel tone of voice can and should sound like.

BRAND VIDEO

Gen Z Are Online Natives

To appeal to an audience that grew up online, we knew that Ink’s website needed to take it to the next level. Balancing an explosion of on-brand words, images and colours with deep functionality, their intensive website covers everything from the brand and property basics to booking and local-approved neighbourhood guides. The first Ink property was launched in December 2019 in the heart of Melbourne’s hip waterfront hub, while a second property is due to open in Singapore this year.

Ink Hotel Melbourne Southbank Video

MORE CASE STUDIES

HOSPITALITY

How we Branded 'Freedom'

Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Brand Video . Tone of Voice . Visual Identity . Website Development

HOSPITALITY

Honing a Legend

Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Tone of Voice . Logo and Brand Identity . Website Development

HOSPITALITY

An Inviting Urban Sanctuary in Pattaya City

Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Tone of Voice . Visual Identity

HOSPITALITY

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Brand Culture . Guest Experience . Logo and Brand Identity . Visual Identity . Website Development

HOSPITALITY