(Updated on Oct. 4 to amend the number of nights required for the VIR program in the 12th paragraph and the name of the Franchise Owner Relations Group in the 19th paragraph.)
Seeing a permanent shift in the market, Hyatt House has launched a major marketing campaign and announced a brand redesign.
Hyatt House — which has more than 120 properties in its brand portfolio — will unveil its new prototype sometime in 2023, said Emily Wright, Hyatt Hotels Corp.'s global brand leader.
Under the banner “Home is Where…”, the campaign reflects changes in Hyatt House's customer base over the last couple of years as more leisure travelers have sought out extended-stay options, especially residential-style accommodations. Wright said the brand ID redesign has been rolling out over the past couple of months and features a “refreshing color palette and new visual vernacular.”
Hyatt House's new prototype is still in the works but will involve a “doubling down” on the brand’s emphasis on making guests feel at home, Wright said.
“We want to think of the next generation of room product,” she said. “How can we help folks feel at home when they’re on the road?”
In the past, Hyatt House had focused on midweek business travelers staying five or more nights. With the arrival of more couples and families during the pandemic — as well as business travelers staying on weekends to visit friends and family or see the destination — customers are using the spaces in new and different ways.
“We are not neglecting our original market and still recognize that they are core to our audience," Wright said.
But as more people have been working remotely, guests might show up at the office periodically while using the hotel the rest of the week.
“I think we are forever changed as a society, and we want to continue to offer a relevant product for all occasions," she said.
Wright said the digital campaign includes both business and leisure imagery and centers around specific key lines that include “imperfect human experiences,” which show that Hyatt House is a place “where you can take business calls in your sweatpants or your dog might wake you in the morning."
Paid social and paid search began last week while a “big” video component will be added on Oct. 3, she said.
While the average stay at Hyatt House has shrunk from between four and five nights to between two and three nights as a result of the shifts in the customer base, the brand will maintain its Very Important Resident — VIR — category, reserved for guests who stay 21 nights or more, Wright said. Those guests already receive certificates toward the brand’s H Bar — a signature brand concept that offers premium drinks and light meals — and some complimentary laundry benefits.
But next year, changes are coming, Wright said.
“We will be looking at dusting that off and rethinking the inclusions,” she said.
All these initiatives are aimed at shifting Hyatt House's brand mindset to recognize all the occasions that guests come to the hotels, whether for the short or long term, Wright said. Hyatt House aims to stand out from its competition through its apartment-style layouts, residential-inspired features, free breakfast, the H Bar and the fact that the majority of properties are pet-friendly.
Wright has been with Hyatt for 16 years, and she recalled that the company acquired Summerfield Suites and rebranded them Hyatt Summerfield Suites before eventually settling on Hyatt House just over a decade ago. That brand ID has served the company well “and has had great legs,” which the new look and feel will continue to build on, she said.
Hyatt has more than 40 hotels in the pipeline for Hyatt House and its sister brand Hyatt Place. Wright said the two brands are operated together internally but marketed as distinctive products to the consumer.
Among the locations for the 40 hotels under development, 16 new markets are represented — including urban, suburban and college. She said urban locations “are a particular point of pride" with 90% of properties in the U.S. Hyatt also plans to expand Hyatt House and Hyatt Place in Latin America, Canada, Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
While a handful of properties are owned and managed by Hyatt, the majority are franchised. Wright said a Franchise Owner Relations Group has been formed in recent years to strengthen the relationship between Hyatt and owners, including roundtable discussions around design, development and more.
Looking ahead, Wright said there is tremendous opportunity in extended stay “and that is why we are establishing a campaign that will be relevant into 2023; it won’t be a one-hit wonder but just the first step forward.”