"Hotel marketing will move from demographics-what we look like on the outside-to psychographics-what we look like onm the inside.
Historically, guest profiles have been based upon age, race, socio-economic status, and gender. The truth is we live in an age when those old boxes don't mean anything-we're not as predictable as we used to be. Psychographics-our feelings, values, and interests, is the new way to connect with a guest.
Brands are mirrors-a reflection of how customers see themselves. Boutique hotels have taught us there are psychographic niches in the population who aren't being served by the generic,. big box hotels. These guests are seeking identity refreshment. Hotels need to learn they are not just selling sleep, they are selling dreams.
Joie de Vivre has done this with our 16 boutique hotels and resorts by defining a magazine that is the barometer for each new property we create. We then define five words that define that magazine-whether it be Rolling Stone or Metropolitan Home. Those five words become the identity of our new hotel, but more importantly they become the aspirational identity refreshment we create for our guests. So, after three days at our New Yorker hotel (San Francisco's Hotel Rex), you leave feeling a bit more sophisticated, worldly, artistic and clever."
- from Hotels magazine, January 2000