Travelers in the luxury lifestyle hotel segment still want all the bells and whistles, but they also want levity, experimentation and fun, according to Crystal Vinisse Thomas, Hyatt Hotels Corp.'s vice president and global brand leader.
Andaz, a brand under Hyatt's Boundless Collection, recently unveiled its first global brand refresh in eight years called "Be Like No One's Watching." Vinisse Thomas spearheaded the campaign.
The Andaz luxury lifestyle brand first launched in 2007.
According to the Hyatt's website, there are 29 Andaz resorts open across the globe and 17 in the pipeline, including the Andaz Doha, Andaz Miami Beach, Andaz Turks & Caicos, Andaz Libson and Andaz Bangkok.
The desire among today's travelers to mix opulence with lightheartedness helped guide the Andaz campaign.
"We wanted to showcase Andaz not just as a hotel brand, but a place that empowers guests to unlock new sides of themselves, ones they may have never known or were too afraid to explore before," she said in an email interview. "We tried to tap into these ideas through as many facets of the campaign as we could."
Vinisse Thomas said her team has infused feedback from its guests and loyalty members, including catering to the expectations that new generations have for experiences at Andaz properties.
"We’ve incorporated small changes; for example, every hotel now stocks plant-based milks in line with changing consumer preferences and dietary preferences. But we also have larger considerations — what do millennials, Gen Z or even Gen Alpha look to us to bring to the table? They often want hotels that feel sophisticated without being stuffy. They don’t mind alternative, quirky decor and unconventional experiences as long as they reflect the local destination. Even within the marketing, they’re looking for brands with authenticity and diversity. We took all of this into consideration as we crafted the campaign," she said.
As the sea of luxury brands deepens across the industry, Andaz is digging into the core of what "luxury lifestyle" actually means to consumers as well as what it means to Andaz.
To bridge that connection, Vinisse Thomas said a brand must know who they are and what they stand for. Andaz used storytelling to drive the campaign and welcome everyone's personal style.
"'Be Like No One's Watching' is about harboring unfulfilled desires and ambitions and having the rare freedom to unleash them when you travel. These are incredible and authentic emotions that we all experience but hotel brands rarely highlight in their interactions with guests," she added. "By focusing on these universal and genuine feelings, we hoped to create a message that resonated with audiences emotionally and distinguished Andaz from other luxury lifestyle brands."
She said it was also important to integrate local culture at each of Andaz's hotels.
As part of the campaign, the brand introduced experiences in which guests could immerse themselves in unique cultures — from leaving a creative mark through graffiti art at Andaz Prague to embracing a desert safari at Andaz Dubai The Palm, Vinisse Thomas said.
"Leaning into the journey of transforming and exploring your identity during travel is something we know everyone can relate to. That shared connection allowed us to highlight the unique and locally inspired ways each Andaz property could help guests do just that," she said.