Welcome to the Relais & Châteaux Brand Book. This book is designed primarily for those in our corporate and regional offices, providing them with the information and inspiration they need to consistently present us to the world. It is also intended for our members, giving them a richer understanding of the brand and recommendations on how they can reflect it in their own communications.
Relais and Chateaux brand book
Every element of this book is shaped and inspired by the Relais & Châteaux story. The core elements of our story serve as a reminder of who we are and the unique place we hold in the world. This Brand Book has guidelines on how to present Relais & Châteaux, verbally and visually, ensuring a more consistent treatment in all communications. The book concludes with a member-specific section that offers ideas and examples to help each property convey its uniqueness while benefiting from and contributing to the Relais & Châteaux brand.
This Brand Book is a living document, and sections will be added to it or refined as more visual elements of the brand are defined.
An Introductionto Branding
Factories make products. But what people buy are brands. That’s true of Hèrmes scarves, Apple iPhones and weekend stays at hotels. A brand is more than a logo or a name or a typeface. A brand is the complete experience around a product, from the way the phone is answered, to the way the communications materials are presented.
An effective brand communicates how it’s different from the alternatives. It offers a unique promise of value to consumers, creating a series of expectations in their hearts and minds that they come to anticipate, rely on and want realised, again and again.
In the multi-layered world of branding, consistency is critical. Consistency starts with the way a brand presents itself to the world: more specifically, the way it talks, the way it looks and the overall messages it conveys. The more consistent a brand is, the more powerful and focused it will be in a crowded and competitive marketplace. Consistency helps a brand break through the noise of other messaging, connect with people and set an expectation. The better a brand is at establishing an authentic, ownable and defining expectation, the greater will be its distinct ability to attract potential customers and create loyal ones.
The Relais & Châteaux brand is no different. Our brand is more than a logo on a plaque or a flag. It’s a common set of passions. It’s a collective pursuit of art de vivre. It’s a shared promise of unique experiences that will enrich the spirit and awaken the senses of our valued guests, showing them just how wonderful life can be. Just as our beliefs are unified, so too must be the way in which we present those beliefs. We must be consistent, and it is for this reason that this Brand Book exists.