In the Beginning

A global hospitality company with 14 hotel brands and 6,000 locations worldwide set an ambitious goal: to become the premier choice for guests, employees, and owners alike.

However, fragmented brand operations threatened this vision. Each brand functioned in silos with independent marketing strategies, leading to brand confusion, diluted identity, and weakened marketing effectiveness across the portfolio.

Meanwhile, legacy competitors boasted decades of brand equity and established reputations, intensifying the challenge. The hospitality market’s rapid growth and increasing traveler options added the risk of market saturation.

Recognizing that differentiation—both from competitors and within its own portfolio—was critical for long-term success, the company knew a comprehensive segmentation study would uncover insights to drive a unified, high-impact marketing strategy, ensuring sustainable growth and a commanding market presence.

How We Drove Change

We partnered with the client to complete focus groups across five countries, exploring needs and motivations through diverse cultural perspectives. Building on these qualitative findings, the research team led the design and execution of a comprehensive survey engaging 12,000 respondents across 11 countries.

This rigorous, collaborative approach led the team to develop tailored country-level segmentation solutions, which were integrated into a unified global segmentation framework. Vital regional, cultural, and demographic nuances were captured, empowering the marketing team to build a cohesive global brand presence while authentically connecting with diverse audiences worldwide.

From Insights to Impact

The segmentation study delivered transformative results:

• Actionable Consumer Segments: Clearly defined, distinct consumer segments empowering each brand to effectively target travelers.

• Unified Global Identity with Local Relevance: A cohesive brand identity was established, seamlessly integrating country-level nuances to strengthen both global and local marketing strategies.

• High-Value Segment Prioritization: Identified the most lucrative segments based on size, value, and growth potential, guiding focused investments.

• Opportunities for Innovation: Uncovered unmet needs and underserved segments, fueling product innovation and market expansion.

The marketing team fully embraced this powerful segmentation, aligning strategies and campaigns to engage priority segments, optimize communication channels, and deliver tailored messaging that drives meaningful connections and business growth.