Our Bold Rebrand is Paying Off: The Story Behind Relaunching Nordic Choice Hotels as Strawberry

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Today we’re learning about:

• A bold rebrand that opens a world of possibility in hospitality

• Hilton’s new travel trends report

• A conversation with author and new hotelier Jeremy Wells

TOGETHER WITH SOJERN

How Hotel Brands Are Using First-Party Data to Drive Revenue & Build Stronger Relationships

Finding and appealing to travelers online means getting to know them, and that's why first-party data - the information you have about your guests - is so important to providing hospitality today. We did a study on how hoteliers are using this data to drive revenue and build stronger guest relationships, and you can see what we found in this report for free (no registration required).

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The Story Behind Relaunching Nordic Choice Hotels as Strawberry

with Carl Oldsberg, CEO of eBerry by Strawberry

 Could the opportunity for us to provide hospitality be so much larger than we imagined? There's a company I'm watching closely in Norway with hundreds of hotels and restaurants throughout Scandinavia that absolutely fascinates me.

This company used to be known as Nordic Choice Hotels, and you might remember me talking with their VP of strategic growth, Christian Lundén, about what they were doing a little while back.

Since that conversation, Nordic Choice Hotels went through a total rebrand and repositioning to become Strawberry, and today we’re learning from Carl Oldsberg, CEO of eBerry by Strawberry, about the remarkable story of this transformation and how it opens up opportunity for them today. Here are a few key takeaways from our conversation:

Rethinking the Hotel Experience

During the pandemic, Nordic Choice Hotels had to reimagine how they utilized their hotels. They started looking beyond the traditional model of travelers spending a night and going home. Instead, they focused on engaging with the local community and creating a destination experience. By partnering with local retailers, showcasing furniture, hosting pop-up stores, and even incorporating farming solutions, they transformed their hotels into vibrant hubs within their neighborhoods.

Building Emotional Loyalty

Nordic Choice Hotels recognized that their loyalty program needed a shift from being purely transactional to creating emotional connections with their members.

They revamped their loyalty program to offer sustainability initiatives and exclusive experiences like pre-sale opportunities for Live Nation events. By providing a broader range of experiences and benefits, they aimed to become a brand that is top of mind for their guests beyond their hotel stays.

Creating a Platform for Innovation

The rebranding of Nordic Choice Hotels to Strawberry was not just a name change. It represented a shift in mindset and a platform for innovation.

By removing "hotel" from their company name, they opened up opportunities to expand into different verticals and create new growth avenues. This transformation has sparked a wave of energy and engagement within the company, with employees encouraged to think differently and pilot new ideas in their properties.

The story of this transformation shows the power of innovation and adaptability in the face of challenges - and serves as an inspiration for all of us in the hospitality industry to think beyond our traditional ways of doing business and embrace new possibilities.

Listen to our full conversation here now.

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