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How I Develop New Brands
With Bashar Wali, CEO, Practice Hospitality
Josiah Mackenzie
September 28, 2023
Together with
What does it take to design a new hospitality brand or concept from scratch? Today we're learning from Bashar Wali, one of the most recognized names in hospitality because he's done it all - as a leading operator, investor, and hotel branding expert that 180,000 people follow on LinkedIn alone. In this episode, you'll learn where he starts, who he's thinking about, the role of real estate, and more.
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How I Develop New Brands That Succeed
with Bashar Wali, CEO of Practice Hospitality
Today we have the privilege of learning from Bashar Wali, a legendary hospitality brand design and development expert - who also has extensive experience as an operator and real estate investor. He shares valuable insights on how to approach the process of creating a new brand, and I wanted to share a few key takeaways from our conversation:
Put Your Guest First
When designing a new brand, it's crucial to put your target guest first.
I often argue with owners that you are absolutely the wrong customer for this. In fact, if you come to stay here and like it, I failed miserably.
Bashar emphasized the importance of taking our egos out of the equation and truly understanding who our ideal guests are.
We often as an industry think we know what you want and we want to jam it down your throat when in fact it's nothing that matters to you and that's not what you want.
By listening to the needs and desires of our target guests, we can create a brand that resonates deeply.
Strong Point of View
To stand out in a crowded market, it's essential to have a strong and unapologetic point of view.
Equinox Hotel
Bashar highlighted the example of Equinox, a brand that leaned into fitness and designed its hotels with fitness fanatics in mind. By owning their niche and celebrating it, they were able to create a unique and authentic experience that resonated with their target guests.
That audience is broad in terms of age and wealth and socioeconomics and all that stuff. They had to be somewhere in the middle and their rate dictated what that is. So if it's $600 a night, sure, you'll get some of those people that may afford it once, but they're not our focus. Our focus are people who are going to be able to actually afford this repeatedly and regularly. What do they want and what do they need? Fitness was their thing and they own it.
Personality Over Physicality
While the physical aspects of a hotel or hospitality business’s property and building are important, Bashar reminded us that it's the personality of the brand that truly matters.
I will take the much less attractive building full of life and personality over the perfect building that is boring and soulless.
By infusing a brand with personality and creating a vibrant and engaging experience, we can differentiate ourselves from the competition and create a lasting impression on our guests.
Designing a new hospitality concept is no easy task, but by prioritizing the target guest, developing a strong point of view, and focusing on the personality of the brand, we can create something truly remarkable.
If you're interested in learning more about this, I highly recommend listening to the full episode with Bashar today on the Hospitality Daily Podcast:
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