Exclusive Collection

The first 12 months was just about establishing the proposition + the broader principles. We established a brand proposition — ‘Creating happiness in amazing places’ – + used it to spearhead internal training + service principles for the 1,000+ strong team.

We realised, during the research phase there really was a unique culture at Exclusive Collection, driven largely by Danny Pecorelli’s passion and enthusiasm – many people worked there because of Danny. 

Not many hotel groups could carry off such a heartfelt proposition as ‘creating happiness’ but due to their unique culture, driven largely by Danny’s passion + enthusiasm, we thought they could + so did they. All of our work during the first 12 months was about establishing the proposition and the broader principles within the business before we did, or discussed, the brand design work.

The new proposition was launched across 6 hotels and (at the time) 900 employees, over a 3 month period resulting in greatly improved internal comms + actions instigated by the numerous workshops that navigated 30 unique customer journeys.

The hotels each have their own quirks + personalities. They are different but similar. Identifying these idiosyncrasies allowed us to create an iconic portrait of each property.

An extensive brand book (due to expand with the inclusion of an 8th hotel, eco lodges + new F+B brands) covers the group + estate propositions, purpose + personalities along with tone of voice guidelines + detailed technical information to ensure correct use of the brand identity for internal teams + external agencies.

The visual identity had to express the purpose + shake off the pomposity of exclusivity. It was designed to express an accessible form of ‘country house luxury’ that is mindful, forward thinking, modern without being trendy + considerate of its place in the world.

The design approach to external signage + wayfinding stays true to Exclusive Collection’s commitment to sustainability with a timber found within the grounds of each property used as the core material + sourced via local timber merchants.

A great example of this commitment in practice is the wayfinding + room signs for the refurbished Terrace Wing at Pennyhill Park that repurpose the existing acrylic , non-recyclable signage + enhance it with a native timber.

We aren’t treated like an external agency. For a fairly long time now, we have been treated like part of the team, + exposed to all the tricky commercial issues, innovation + payoff, not just brand design + marketing concerns. We now know what it’s like to run a hotel or a chain of hotels. We understand the complexities + we know how to create + deliver identities that work.