Leveraging the strong heritage of the Preferred name, this corporate rebrand represents the company’s commitment to a new consumer-focused approach that is designed to elevate core awareness of the brand, drive strategic growth of its portfolio, and improve market share for its member hotels by making it easier for travelers to identify the singular hospitality experience that meets their needs and life and style preferences for each occasion.
SINGAPORE – Preferred Hotel Group, a global provider of sales, marketing and distribution services to independent luxury hotels, announced its move from a multi-branded business model to one master brand, Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Leveraging the strong heritage of the Preferred name, this corporate rebrand represents the company’s commitment to a new consumer-focused approach that is designed to elevate core awareness of the brand, drive strategic growth of its portfolio, and improve market share for its member hotels by making it easier for travelers to identify the singular hospitality experience that meets their needs and life and style preferences for each occasion. The company is now represented by one brand website, www.PreferredHotels.com.
“In a time when seemingly every hotel company is introducing new brands that target specific demographics, we are doing the opposite by transitioning from a house of brands to a branded house,” said Lindsey Ueberroth, President & CEO. “Driven by evolving consumer expectations and changing travel trends, our new brand architecture creates stronger clarity for the Preferred Hotels & Resorts brand within the marketplace and allows us to elevate and focus attention on our world-class collection of independent hotels and resorts.”
Effective today, all of the company’s 650 member hotels and resorts are represented by the Preferred Hotels & Resorts brand. Understanding that travelers have different objectives for each individual trip, each property has been aligned with one of five new collections – Legend, LVX, Lifestyle, Connect, and Preferred Residences – which provide a more intuitive way for consumers to search, consider, and book their lodging based on the type of luxury experience they are seeking. Each collection is defined by a fixed set of criteria across 10 categories, which, in addition to experience, focus on critical service standards, physical facilities, and awards and recognition.
“Today’s travel consumer is not one-dimensional, so it is no longer strategic for us to imply that there is only one definition of luxury,” said Ueberroth. “By defining hotels based on experiences versus brands or stars, we are creating stronger positioning for our member hotels and expanding their opportunities to reach more guests.”
Now showcasing the company’s entire portfolio and suite of experiences, the new brand website features a vibrant, responsive design, strong integration of messaging regarding its points-based iPrefer guest loyalty program, and many innovative ways by which a guest can search for a hotel, such as experiences, location, and price point. In addition to sharing a common website, all member hotels will be represented under one common chain code – PH – on the Global Distribution Systems (GDS). All hotels can still be found under the brand’s master chain code PV.
The new brand strategy is further supported by a multi-million dollar investment in updated advertising, marketing, and public relations campaigns that will be introduced over the next several months.
The Preferred brand was originally established in 1968 by a group of hoteliers as a referral organization for hotels called Preferred Hotels Association. Now in its eleventh year of ownership by the Ueberroth Family, it is the world’s largest independent hotel brand with 250 associates based in nearly 40 cities across the globe.
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