Content on 3 Costly Mistakes Hospitality Groups Make When Launching a New Venue
Every new venue is a test; not of design or fitout, but of brand. Because no matter how much you invest in the space, what guests remember is how it made them feel.
Here’s where that connection often breaks down, and how to get it right.
1. Treating the Brand Like an Afterthought
Too often, the key decisions that shape a venue’s identity are made before branding enters the picture. The name’s been chosen, the architect’s sketching, and the bench tops are being ordered. The direction is locked before the story is even told.
You know what works for the space, how it should flow, feel, and function. But your brand designer knows how to turn that vision into a story people connect with. Defined early, the brand sets the creative direction for every touchpoint, from naming to interiors to experience. Bring them in too late, and you’re left with a venue that looks right, but hasn’t shown your audience why they should care, invest, return, or see themselves in the story you’re telling.
The fix: Involve branding from the concept stage. When story and strategy lead, every other decision - design, naming, fitout - falls naturally into place.
2. Confusing Campaign Energy for Brand Equity
A full room on opening night isn’t the same as a lasting brand. Buzz fades; perception remains.
A brand doesn’t live in a logo or a launch post. It lives in your customers’ heads; in what they think when they hear your name. You can build that perception deliberately, through every touchpoint, or leave it to chance.
A big launch might fill the room once. Brand equity is what brings them back. It’s the sense of belonging, consistency and meaning that turns a venue into a habit, not a headline.
The fix: Don’t confuse noise for reputation. Craft perception. Let every detail, from visuals to the first greeting, tone and timing, lead people toward the feeling you want your brand to live in.
3. Neglecting the Sensory Experience
Your brand makes a promise. The physical experience proves it. Too often, that promise is broken the moment guests walk in: menus are printed on cheap paper, the wrong font is used for the specials, and the stemware goes un-etched because "no one will notice". Every detail either reinforces or erodes the brand story. When those cues don’t align with the promise, the perception built on screen collapses in the room. When they do, guests feel something they can’t quite name, but always remember.
The fix: Carry the intent through every detail. When the space and story move in harmony, the brand becomes more than seen. It’s felt.
The Takeaway
Opening night draws a crowd. Brand is what keeps them coming back. It’s the difference between a venue people visit once, and the one they can’t stop talking about.
Want to start the conversation everyone’s having?
Let’s build the brand that gets them talking. Get in touch.