Hotel brands: Hilton is not the same as Hilton and Ibis is not just Ibis

Hilton, Hyatt, Accor and other large hotel companies are on one point like car manufacturers: to address various target groups and needs among travelers – from luxury to budget – they have created different sub -stamps. Quasi from the luxury sedan to the small car.

But as it is with the cars: the names themselves do not always realize what awaits you in the end. Although this is not always as important as it can be seen on a trip to the jungle of the hotel names. Let's start at Hilton, the most famous hotel brand in the world. Did you know that Hilton has around 20 under brands?

The cosmos of the hotel names

A little insight: While the classic Hilton is located in the upper class, double-by-hilton hotels are normal upper class and Hampton-by-Hilton houses, duplicate-by-hilton hotels. In addition to the Waldorf-Astoria-Hotels brand, Conrad's houses, named after Group founder Conrad Hilton, and the Signia by Hilton brand stand for luxury.

Do you lose track? Hilton is not just with it. Extract from the list of Hyatt brands: Destination by Hyatt, Caption by Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency. Accor has three undermarkets for the Hotel brand Ibis alone: ​​the classic Ibis, the Ibis Styles and the Ibis Budget.

Call with tourism researcher and marketing expert Prof. Martin Lohmann: What does he think of this variety of brands and especially double brands such as DoubleTree by Hilton and Co? There may be good reasons for the concept of double brands, which he does not know and therefore cannot criticize competently, Lohmann begins.

For him, a good brand is characterized by awareness and familiarity: « I know what I can expect there. » And at best it also arouses a little emotion and desire. « But with a double name like Doubletree by Hilton, it doesn't pop for me, » says Lohmann.

The double -like is not a tree house – but there are cookies

Compared to the car market, Hilton is something like a Mercedes among the hotels. At Mercedes there is an A-Class, a C-Class, an E-Class, an S-Class: With rising letters, the vehicles become larger and more luxurious-a logical symbolism. « But what does doublree want to tell me? That this is a tree house? That doesn't really explain anything, ”says Lohmann.

Literally, you could actually translate double stream with a double tree or twin tree. Does this perhaps stand for a particularly natural atmosphere, or a focus on sustainability? When describing this brand on the Hilton website, there is no such thing-travelers can expect a « warm cookie » for this if they check in in the double-rehearsal.

Wouldn't Bakery by Hilton be more suitable? Florian Kock would not be interpreted too much into hotel names. Kock is also a scientist, he researches and teaches as a professor of management with a focus on tourism and hospitality at the Copenhagen Business School. Kock says brands are used to differentiate between other products. « This is one of your core functions. » What the name could mean is secondary as long as it is only unique enough.

Meaning is irrelevant

As an example, Kock mentions the Munich hotel chain Motel One, which had reported a three -digit million profit in 2023 – so obviously success with its houses. As a term, Motel is not necessarily positive. You may think of highways because you combine it with the rather barren motels of American highways that are known from films.

« Motel One would probably not be an optimal name from the belly, » says Kock with a view to such possible associations. « But we also know from research that the name is primarily there to differentiate between other competitive products – and then the travelers often go over it relatively quickly. »

From a marketing perspective, the fact that hotel companies build different brands is only logical for Kock. Markets are increasingly differentiated. This is powered by the fact that customers can access everything directly online – the options are larger, more transparent. And the hotels have to find paths as they stand out from the mass of the offer. « I think that with hotels there is always a certain individuality, » says Kock. « And if I have a large brand like Hilton, it stands for something, but is basically very interchangeable. »

That is why the group creates under brands like Doubletree from the perspective of Kock: to work more individual and address special customer groups. They should still be connected to Hilton as a well -known umbrella brand – therefore the addition « by Hilton ».

Francophone sounds lively thoughts

Despite all the apparent arbitrariness, hotel names can certainly reflect associations. « The Hotel chain Le Mérida lets you think of a certain distinction with its francophone sound, which of course meets such five-star houses, » Kock gives an example. Such a « country of original » effect, i.e. a country of origin effect, is quite strong in marketing. Booking travelers do not have to know that Le Méridia is now American as one of more than 30 brands of the Marriot Group. But it shows: You can make a lot clear about the naming – if you want.

Tourism researcher prefers local color

Question to Martin Lohmann: How would he call his hotel? « If I have a single house, of course I would make a regional reference – something with the sea, fjord or port, » says the tourism researcher. He lives in Kiel, hence the sea and the fjord. Incidentally, there is also a Hilton in Kiel. Pardon, a Hampton by Hilton.