Why the Boldest Brands In Hospitality Are Partnering With Design Studios

Updated: December 22, 2025

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Strategic Design Solutions For Forward-Thinking Brands

You can’t charm your way to market share with mints on the pillow anymore. Guests in 2025 want more than a nice room and a strong Wi-Fi signal—they want storytelling, surprise, and seamless tech that feels like magic. Hospitality brands that understand this are skipping the cookie-cutter agency model and teaming up with design studios that bring agility, innovation, and a little irreverence to the table.

These aren’t just vendors, they’re the secret ingredient behind the guest experiences people can’t stop posting about. Here’s how forward-thinking properties are making the most of creative studio partnerships and why it’s time to consider one yourself.

Speed To Market, With Style

Hospitality thrives on seasonality, trends, and headline-grabbing launches. The right studio isn’t just fast, they’re fast and brand-savvy. They know how to turn around a new concept without turning your story into fast food.

Example: We Are Ona, the Paris-based pop-up restaurant group, collaborates with designers such as Willo Perron to deliver highly immersive, short-term dining experiences (e.g., their Paris Fashion Week pop-up in Jardin des Tuileries) with zero lag and full creative coherence.

Tech-Driven Touchpoints (That Don’t Feel Like Gimmicks)

In 2025, guests expect tech to be frictionless, not flashy. The best studios know how to integrate AR, AI, motion, and mobile design into moments that actually improve the stay or spark joy.

Example: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas introduced Rose, an SMS-based chatbot with a witty, brand-centric personality, in early 2017. Developed alongside R/GA, Rose responded to 80% of guest inquiries and provided a range of services—from restaurant reservations to in-room requests. Guests who engaged with Rose reported 33% higher satisfaction and spent approximately 30% more during their stay.

Differentiation That Hits Every Touchpoint

A great brand isn’t just a logo on the wall. It’s the voice on your app, the menu typography, the scent in the lobby, and the tone of your in-room snacks. Creative studios are masters of cohesion—translating vibe into visuals, systems, and guest-facing touchpoints that feel seamless and intentional.

Example: Roman and Williams led the redesign of NoMad Hotel London in a Grade II–listed former magistrate’s court. Their custom furnishings, cinematic lighting, and richly layered interiors created an extraordinary, almost film‑set quality that won global design acclaim.

Flexibility That Keeps Up With The Hustle

Need to launch a pop-up dining experience in three weeks? Rebrand your spa in six? Creative studios move at lightning speed and can plug in wherever you need them most.

Example: Gurney’s Resorts partnered with New York–based agency The Charles to debut eight thematic, heated igloos across their Newport and Montauk locations. The “Winter Igloos” campaign was installed in weeks, sold out opening weekend with over 500 reservation requests, and generated buzz from Travel + Leisure, Forbes, Town & Country, and Departures.

Creative That Converts

Design isn’t decoration—it’s persuasion, positioning, and conversion. When done right, it leads to higher bookings, longer stays, stronger engagement, and that elusive "I need to tell everyone I know about this place" energy.

Example: Moxy Hotels, Marriott’s millennial-focused brand, has become known for its playful, tech-savvy design and strong local identity. Agencies such as Sideways and Cummins & Partners have helped shape location-specific visual storytelling—from bold lobby branding to social-first content strategies.

Hospitality brands that win in 2025 will be the ones who know that "good enough" isn’t good enough anymore. The future of guest experience lives at the intersection of bold creativity, thoughtful tech, and fast, flexible strategy. Want to stand out? Partner with a design studio that’s fluent in experience—and fearless about what comes next… like Hart House Creative!

We’re a boutique studio built for 2025: nimble, strategic, and creatively fearless. We tell your story in design, craft surprise in experience, and build tech that feels like magic. Let’s make your brand buzz-worthy in the year ahead.

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Everything we share here is meant to be helpful and inspiring. We’re speaking from experience. Please consult a qualified professional to help make decisions. You are responsible for how you choose to use this information, and we are not liable for any loss, damages, or issues that may arise. We can’t be responsible for how things play out, but we’re always rooting for your success!

Credits

Author: Hannah Heine

Editor: Jenn Hart (More About Me)

Associate Editor: Sarah Dawoud

Art: Sharon Bakas

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Brand First, Confetti Later: Why Your Experiential Marketing Needs A Backbone

Cool Moments Need Clear Branding

So, you’re planning an epic pop-up, an over-the-top launch party, or an interactive in-store moment that’ll have people reaching for their phones and their wallets. Love that for you. But before you blow your budget on balloon arches and neon signs, let’s get one thing straight: your branding better be doing some heavy lifting.

Because if people walk away saying, “That was fun… what was it for again?” you didn’t create an experience. You hosted a cute distraction.

Wait, What Is Experiential Marketing?

Quick refresher: Experiential marketing is the IRL arm of your brand—events, activations, installations, and pop-ups that bring your brand to life in a way people can touch, feel, post about, and remember. It’s powerful, especially in a world that’s tired of static screens and templated everything.

But here's the kicker: if your brand isn’t nailed down before you go big with an experience, all you’re doing is throwing glitter at a question mark.

A Logo Isn’t A Brand (And A Vibe Isn’t A Strategy)

Let’s get this out of the way: branding is not your logo. Or your font. Or your color palette. Branding is the gut feeling people get when they interact with anything you put into the world. It’s the tone, the visuals, the voice, the values, and the consistency that makes all of it stick.

And that consistency isn’t just for the big moments. Strong branding makes every touchpoint, from a text reminder to a storefront sign to the smile your staff gives at check-in, feel intentional and aligned. Great experiential marketing doesn’t start at the event entrance and end with the swag bag. It’s baked into the entire customer journey…digital, physical, and human.

So if your event is “on brand” but your website still screams 2012, or your signage looks like it came from a stock template graveyard, don’t be surprised if no one remembers a thing you did.

Feelings > Features

People don’t walk away from a great experience talking about your bullet points. They talk about how it made them feel. That’s where brand storytelling comes in. It’s the emotional arc that turns a product demo into a memory or a pop-up into a narrative. And when done right, your story doesn’t have to be shouted—it’s felt in the lighting, heard in the music, seen in the visuals, and remembered in the follow-up.

That’s what branding does: it wraps the whole experience in meaning. A strong brand identity makes every detail, from your invitation to your Instagram post to your playlist, feel like it belongs.

So no, branding isn’t the boring part you check off before the fun begins. It is the fun—when you do it right.

Sloppy Branding Kills Great Ideas

Let’s play a quick game:

• Campaign A: A beauty brand launches an immersive experience with dreamy lighting, branded scent diffusers (yes, really), and visuals that match their packaging and online presence. It’s all connected, and it works.

• Campaign B: Another brand throws together a vibey event with zero messaging, generic fonts, and a QR code that leads to… nowhere? People come for the selfie wall, leave, and forget it ever happened.

The difference? Branding. One built an emotional connection. The other built a paper mâché moment that crumbled by Tuesday.

The TL;DR For Business Owners

If you're spending money on experiential marketing without tightening up your brand first, you’re just decorating a house with no foundation.

No one’s telling you not to have fun. But the brands that actually convert attention into loyalty know the truth: Strong branding doesn’t stifle creativity—it gives it direction.

Before you book the venue and order custom napkins with your catchphrase on them, ask yourself: Is my brand clear, consistent, and ready to be experienced?

If the answer is “uhhh... maybe,” start there.

Need help building a brand that people actually feel something for?

Let’s chat. You bring the confetti—we’ll bring the backbone.

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Everything we share here is meant to be helpful and inspiring. We’re speaking from experience. Please consult a qualified professional to help make decisions. You are responsible for how you choose to use this information, and we are not liable for any loss, damages, or issues that may arise. We can’t be responsible for how things play out, but we’re always rooting for your success!

Credits

Author: Hannah Heine

Editor: Jenn Hart (More About Me)

Associate Editor: Sarah Dawoud

Art: Sharon Bakas

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Graphic Design Is Having A Rococo Moment

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It’s Detailed, Dramatic And Delightfully Extra

Curves Ahead: The Rococo Rebellion

Graphic design is stepping out in full regalia again. Forget subtle. Forget sterile. This moment belongs to drama, detail, and unapologetic indulgence. Rococo, that gloriously extra 18th-century aesthetic, is twirling its way onto the mood boards of today’s boldest creatives. Romantic. Ornate. Visually unapologetic. It demands attention—and earns it.

This revival isn’t some nostalgic fling with history. It’s purposeful. It’s strategic. It’s what happens when brands ditch whispering and go full voice, full color, and full personality. Graphic design is rediscovering its flair for the theatrical, and Rococo is the muse. It’s design with intention and a wink—flourished, fabulous, and firing on all visual cylinders.

Palette With A Past

Rococo was never beige. It arrives in a cloud of soft pastels, creamy whites, and generous hints of gold. These colors are more than decorative—they create an emotional temperature. They feel gentle without being weak, luxurious without being cold.

Graphic designers are embracing this palette to build rich, inviting visuals that feel refined and romantic. From boutique packaging to visual identity work, these hues signal elegance without sliding into stiffness. They soften the message while elevating the impact.

All The Right Curves In All The Right Places

If minimalism is all sharp angles and clean breaks, Rococo is its curvy, charismatic cousin. Think ornamental scrolls that frame the page, flourishes that guide the eye, and layered lines that dance instead of march. These visual cues offer rhythm and warmth—something many modern brands are missing.

Smart designers know it’s not about decorating for the sake of it. It’s about storytelling. A hand-drawn embellishment can pull a viewer in. A whimsical border can create hierarchy. A well-placed swirl can do the work of ten arrows. Rococo’s power lies in how it engages people visually and emotionally, especially when used with restraint.

The Art Of Looking Expensive (Without Trying Too Hard)

Done well, Rococo-inspired graphic design signals taste, charm, and unmistakable personality. It lets brands show off, but in a way that’s thoughtful and rich in story. This is not fluff. This is design that knows how to make a first impression and a lasting one.

The trick is balancing beauty with purpose. Use a script font with flair—but make sure it reads. Add a frame—but make it functional. The best Rococo-inspired work doesn’t scream luxury. It whispers it, smirks, and leaves a lasting impression.

Brands That Are Owning The Aesthetic

Luxury brands have already jumped in with both feet. Diptyque’s packaging blends antique elegance with sleek presentation. Pat McGrath Labs wraps bold pigment in baroque glam. Gucci leans into the layered and the lavish with visuals that are anything but forgettable.

And the trend is trickling beautifully into smaller brands. From stationery sets to boutique chocolate packaging, designers are applying Rococo elements to elevate everyday items. Turns out, a well-placed swirl has staying power.

Give Your Brand A Little Drama

This moment isn’t about recreating Versailles. It’s about channeling its energy into something fresh. When brands embrace Rococo’s curves, color, and confidence, they unlock a visual language that is both timeless and unforgettable.

Graphic design doesn’t have to be flat or quiet. It can feel again. And when that feeling comes wrapped in scalloped edges, gilded frames, and playful typography? That’s strategy with style.

So go ahead. Say it with a flourish. Say it with feeling. And let your brand take center stage.

GET THE GUIDE

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Everything we share here is meant to be helpful and inspiring. We’re speaking from experience. Please consult a qualified professional to help make decisions. You are responsible for how you choose to use this information, and we are not liable for any loss, damages, or issues that may arise. We can’t be responsible for how things play out, but we’re always rooting for your success!

Credits

Author: Hannah Heine

Editor: Jenn Hart (More About Me)

Associate Editor: Sarah Dawoud

Art: Sharon Bakas

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Subscribe to The Squeeze on our little piece of the internet to get design promotions, resources, stories about other creatives, and inspiration for your eyeballs and brainstorms.

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Keep creating Hartists! Follow @harthousecreative on Instagram and Linkedin.