Most hotels want their guests to spend time in them; however, for millennial travellers, the priority is to get out and experience the city. Assembly is a new hotel brand from Criterion Capital, designed to inspire people to make the most out of their trip.
Branding agency Ragged Edge partnered with Criterion to define a proposition aimed at young urban travellers, and bring it to life across every touchpoint, from identity right through to the customer experience. The first Assembly hotel opened last month on Charing Cross Road.
A single-minded focus
In today’s ultra-competitive hotel market, affordable hotel chains must achieve 97% occupancy to succeed. This drives many of them to try to be all things to all people. Criterion saw the market differently, aiming to deliver a compelling offer for a specific audience of experience-hungry travellers with distinctive wants and needs.
Out went mini bars, towelling robes and tvs, in favour of the things that really matter – best in class beds, showers, sound-proofing and wi-fi and most importantly, a unmatched location to go and explore the city.
Get up and go
“Young travellers don’t come to the West End to hang out in a hotel room,” said Max Ottignon, Ragged Edge Co-founder. “So we set out to fuel their sense of adventure. The brand idea – Get Up and Go – reflects Assembly’s disruptive approach, and informed every element of the offer, from identity through to customer service.”
An adventurous identity founded on a bespoke typeface
The identity was designed as the antidote to the inoffensively bland aesthetic favoured by other millennial-focused hotel brands.It was built around ‘Assembled’, a bespoke typeface designed to reflect the diverse range of experiences on the hotel’s doorstep. The eye-catching letterforms are used playfully throughout the customer experience, scattered across layouts in a visual representation of the brand idea.
Bringing the brand to life
The agency delivered a full range of assets, from room art, purchased from locals in the area, right through to disruptive takes on the expected suite of hotel collateral. They also designed and wrote a website that aims to capture the energy of the hotel experience, far away from templated feel adopted by much of the category.
Built to scale
“We’ve created a powerful proposition designed to meet the distinct needs of young, urban travellers. That single-minded focus has allowed us to create a brand that combines an incredible location, affordability and comfort, without compromising on character or excitement. Assembly has already been a resounding success in London, paving the way for planned new sites in some of Europe’s most vibrant cities,” said Asif Aziz, Criterion Capital.
