Holiday Inn sought to shift its image from a business traveler focus to a family favorite. With the help of Vivaldi, they worked to redefine the brand to resonate with modern families, showcasing the unique experiences Holiday Inn could provide.
Holiday Inn partnered with Vivaldi to analyze trends and study modern family preferences through global research. Vivaldi then crafted a brand positioning to emotionally connect with Holiday Inn's target audience – the modern family.
Vivaldi worked with Holiday Inn to deliver a brand position that resonated with families seeking memorable experiences, thus successfully revitalizing its image as a family choice, successfully appealing to a more diverse audience of travelers.
Holiday Inn, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), has been a renowned and trusted global hospitality brand since the 1950s. With a wide range of offerings, including full-service hotels, resorts, and express properties, Holiday Inn caters to a diverse set of travelers, from vacationers to business professionals. The brand’s commitment to exceptional service, modern amenities, and affordable pricing has earned it a loyal customer base and numerous accolades in the hospitality industry. However, despite its success, Holiday Inn recognized the need for strategic repositioning to stay relevant and competitive in an evolving travel landscape.
Traditionally known for its focus on business travelers, the brand sought to tap into the burgeoning family travel market, capturing the hearts of modern families seeking meaningful experiences during their vacations. Understanding the significance of this transformation and the need to connect emotionally with families, Holiday Inn engaged the Vivaldi team to uncover deep insights into contemporary family dynamics and define a new brand positioning to resonate with families on vacation.
Vivaldi’s approach involved conducting comprehensive trends analysis and global qualitative research to gain a deeper understanding of contemporary family life and the evolving priorities of families during their vacations. The research insights served as a foundation for the development of a new brand positioning, one that emotionally connected with families and emphasized the brand’s role in creating memorable vacation experiences.
By defining an Emotional Intent, Vivaldi captured the desired relationship between Holiday Inn and its target audience, enabling the brand to create meaningful connections with families. Moreover, the research findings and positioning inspired a design system that encompassed brand and experiential design philosophies, along with innovative service and digital advancements, ultimately reinforcing Holiday Inn’s transformation into a family-friendly hospitality brand. As a result, Holiday Inn was able to leverage its revitalized image as a family choice to successfully appeal to a wider audience of travelers.
