Turning the first local luxury hotel chain in Saudi into an icon
What is luxury in a market where luxury is everywhere? How to shift perspectives in a country where everything coming from abroad is perceived as better?
MFB’s mission was to transform hospitality into an Art, where local heritage meets international excellence.
When the founder of Vivienda Hotels approached us, he had a clear ambition: turning his local hotel into an iconic chain with international standards. Stemming from Riyadh, the aim was to grow locally, regionally and internationally.
The founder, who is a prominent real estate developer in Saudi, ventured into hospitality as a logical continuation to his path. Being an expert at building luxurious compounds, his vision was to create a hotel where Saudi clientele can experience the comfort of their traditional villas, yet with a 5 star luxury hotel service.
When he approached us, Vivienda had 4 locations in Riyadh, however, the hotel struggled to align their brand with their quality service and expansion strategy. Vivienda needed to redefine who they were to be able to turn their vision into a reality.
Assessing Vivienda
Assessing the history and present situation of Vivienda was key for our understanding of the brand. After in-depth observation of materials, interviews with management, founders and staff, hotel visits, were we able to understand the status of Vivienda.
Our brand assessment and research revealed a major disparity between the quality of the hotel and its portrayed image. Some touch-points in the experience where extremely high in quality and emotion, others were not reflective of a luxury experience.
Elevating the experience
Vivienda needed to become an iconic destination where all senses would be triggered throughout the guest journey, whether digitally or physically.
We developed an emotional user jouney’s map, from the moment a guest hears about the hotel, until the after stay. This map guided the entire process and actions that followed.
Turning the mundane into the extraordinary
Defining key encounters with guests allowed us to surprise them where they expected it the least. We challenged the traditional experience and redefined it to bring magic in. This was possible through a number of ways, whether on a service level, procedures, communication, or genuine interactions.
Redefining the Vivienda Visual Identity
Vivienda needed a recognizable brand that would resonate with the new values and status of the Hotel.
The uplifted visual identity captures the refined, authentic and “comfortable” aspects of the hotel. Looking at nature in and around Vivienda, as well as witnessing the level of comfort and sophistication of the hotel, the new logo brings together two images: the feather and the palm tree. Authentic, universal, irregular
Building the vivienda community
How to remain discreet yet engage in a conversation? How to create bonds without invading privacy? To become an icon, Vivienda had to grow genuine connections through their relationships with guests. By integrating small thoughtful interactions between the front staff and the guest, as well as digital engagement through emails and social media, Vivienda started to create a network, a Vivienda community .
Forming a cocoon called Home
It was essential in the user journey to have a clear distinction between the outside world and stepping into Vivienda. The guest had to step into a different world, a bubble where senses and mind come together in a serene, warm and safe haven. Inviting natural elements in such as flowers, noble materials, or simply by creating new privacy norms we were able to achieve this tucked away cocoon.
The 10 year celebration, the journey’s next step
Looking ahead, 2022 seems very promising for Vivienda as it will be celebrating its 10th year anniversary. We are extremely proud to be part of this journey in partnership with the founder and the General manager. We are looking forward to celebrating this key milestone with them.