Hotel Branding

Dennis Studio is a hospitality branding studio based in Barcelona and working worldwide. We help independent hotels and hotel groups define what makes them worth staying at, then build a brand that carries that idea from the website to the room key.

A hotel brand turns up in more places than most. Guests meet it on a booking site months before they arrive, then again at the front door, in the lift, on the room service menu and in the bar downstairs. We design all of those moments so they feel like the same place.

Who we work with

We work best with independent and boutique hotels, small hotel groups and developers, usually at one of these points:

– A new hotel, ideally 12 to 24 months before opening

– An established hotel whose brand no longer reflects what it is today, often after a renovation or change of ownership

– A group adding a new property that needs its own identity within the family

– A hotel restaurant, bar or rooftop that needs a brand of its own

Clients include Hotel Regina, Pulitzer Hotels, Eurostars Sitges, Casa Coll Hotels and 8 Holland Street Townhouse.

What’s included

Every project is scoped around what the hotel needs, but most include:

Concept and strategy: brand concept, positioning, guest experience, naming, competitive analysis, brand narrative and brand architecture. That last one matters when a hotel has restaurants, bars or a spa under one roof.

Identity: logo, typography, colour, art direction, copywriting and tone of voice, and brand guidelines.

Across the hotel: signage and wayfinding, room keys and in-room collateral, menus, environmental graphics, website design and development, social media, packaging and amenities.

We also work alongside your interior designer so the brand and the space develop together.

How it works

Most hotel projects run in two phases.

Phase 1: Brand foundations
We get to know the property, the owners, the location and the competition, then define the concept, positioning and name. By the end, everyone involved, from owners and operators to architects and interior designers, is working from the same idea.

Phase 2: Brand identity and rollout
We design the identity and roll it out across every touchpoint, from signage and room keys to the website and launch campaign. We finish with brand guidelines so your team and future suppliers can keep everything consistent.

We can join at the very start, when the idea is still forming, or pick up the project once the direction is set.

Selected hotel projects

Hotel Regina, Barcelona
A rebrand for a hotel with over a century of history. We built the identity from research in the hotel’s archives, designed signage numbers based on the façade and created a standalone identity for Gina’s, the hotel lobby bar.
Strategy, branding, custom lettering, print

8 Holland Street Townhouse, Bath
A guesthouse above the 8 Holland Street gallery. Our irreverent guest book takes visitors room by room through the house, with illustrations by John Broadley.
Branding, illustration, print

Casa Coll Hotels, Mallorca
A new name and brand for a hotel group rooted in Mediterranean living, with a first hotel planned in Palma.
Strategy, naming, branding, print, website

Alení, Hotel Brummell, Barcelona
A night-time pop-up kitchen in the lobby, with an identity built around light and shadow.
Branding, illustration, print

Pulitzer Hotels, Barcelona & Paris
A two-year retainer covering strategy, branding and design implementation, including the tenth anniversary of La Terraza del Pulitzer, regularly voted one of the best rooftop terraces in Barcelona.
Strategy, branding, design implementation

FAQ

How much does hotel branding cost? 
Every project is scoped individually. As a guide, hotel branding projects typically start from €15,000–20,000, depending on the number of venues and touchpoints involved.

When should a new hotel start working on its brand?
Ideally 12 to 24 months before opening. The concept should inform decisions about interiors, F&B and the website, and those are hard to change late in the process.

How long does hotel branding take?
Most projects take between two and six months, depending on scope. Larger projects with several venues, or a full rollout across signage, interiors and the website, can run to a year.

Do you work with interior designers and architects?
Yes, and ideally from the start. On Hotel Regina, for example, we worked alongside Wit Architects. We can also provide recommendations for interior designers and architects who would be appropriate to work with.

Can you create separate brands for a hotel’s restaurant or bar?
Yes. Many of our hotel projects include identities for F&B outlets, like Gina’s at Hotel Regina or Alení at Hotel Brummell. We define how each one relates to the main brand, so it has its own personality but still feels part of the hotel.

Can you help an existing hotel that needs a refresh?
Yes. Rebrands are a big part of what we do. With Hotel Regina, the aim was to modernise the brand while keeping the character guests already loved.

Do you offer ongoing support after launch?
Yes. Some clients keep us on after launch to help with new menus, campaigns, signage and anything else the brand needs as it grows. We worked with Pulitzer Hotels on a retainer for two years, supporting them with strategy, branding and design implementation.

Do you work outside Spain?
Yes. We’re based in Barcelona and work with hotels across Europe and beyond.

Do you work in Spanish?
Yes. We work in English and Spanish, whichever suits you.