PART TWO – SECTOR SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS
READ PART ONE HERE: Enter: The Dark Mode (PART ONE) | LinkedIn
Hi there! You won’t make much sense of this unless you read part one, just saying 😊
A week ago I presented my thoughts on the vibe shift that we are currently witnessing, and I took some time to highlight how what makes it interesting is that unlike other “-core” microtrends we have gotten used to, this one is based in macro developments. That is to say, it’s a reaction to today’s economic and geopolitical conjuncture, rather than an endogenous drive within creative circles.
Many in my LinkedIn network operate in the hospitality industry, and today we are looking at potential applications of the wider Dark Mode switch for exactly that field.
And let’s start with…
A FUNDAMENTAL NOTE OF CAUTION
No matter how much you reckon this trend rings true, if you work in hospitality my initial advice is: don’t jump on it.
Yeah, exactly. The reality is that, for most of us, the best course of action is to calm down and just be mindful of what’s going on. Meaningful change in hospitality is slow, and there’s nothing worse than spending a year retooling your hotel concept, to then find out the landscape has started shifting again. We sell buildings, not t-shirts; no matter how much we’d like to act on the zeitgeist, things take time. And when it comes to soft elements you can steer more easily, such as cultural programming, tone of voice or social media presence – if you have a strong brand with a unique positioning, be wary as always of chasing trends. Classics are classic for a reason, hold on to them.
HOWEVER…
There are a few changes most businesses can and should action. And there are specific niches where going the extra mile and owning the Dark Mode switch could give you an edge.
- Stop the “CSR-washing”: Sadly (and unsurprisingly), it turns out that saying nice things does not translate into positive change for the world. Doing nice things, now that’s different – and probably more needed than ever. But plastering your property or website with lofty quotes about saving the world and your fellow humans is a very devalued currency. People have seen that a) élite consensus about what’s right and good does not deliver action, b) companies like to talk but hate to walk. Whether your audience is primarily profit-driven or idealistic, most are tired of nice words. Have you done something great and measurable for the community or the environment? By any means, say it. If not, shut up. Which takes me to the next point…
- Stop passing the bucket on: We had a short golden era of mass civism at the height of the pandemic, but that’s faded away. Don’t give people listicles of things they should do to be better citizens. It’s perceived as you, as a business, not picking up the tab and expecting your customer to.
- Stop being cute (unless that’s your brand): Some people are excited about the future, some are scared. But nobody finds the current scenario cute. So, take down those outdated “live, love, laugh” neon signs – they are tone-deaf. If people want cute, they buy expensive giant plushies or make friends with, you know, real people. Not with businesses.
- Rediscover your essence: It’s a hotel. People paid money to stay there. It’s not home. Rebuild the mystique of hospitality – it has to feel special. Special can mean different things based on your product. At its simplest, it’s the near-clandestine feeling of being a (well-pampered) stranger in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar city. You are safe and cared for, and yet tingled by the newness and anonymity of it all. Too often, recently, we have reduced hospitality to a few pivots: a gateway to all the city can offer (and forget about the hotel, pronto), an interior design showroom (share your selfies on social to project who you think you are), a tech extravaganza where everything has been digitalised (err… well done for being in the 21st century?). But there’s something about simply being in a hotel. Tap into that. Rethink your music playlist, your drinks offering, your copywriting, your staff SOPs. Go with this nocturnal mood. Watch “Lost in Translation” and ask yourself if the magic could have taken place anywhere else but at a hotel.
- Get serious about privacy: Perhaps you already are at the top of your game when it comes to data protection and privacy. If not, invest in it. This is an era of increasing mistrust in corporations, and we are seeing unprecedented mingling between authorities and tech companies. This may not directly have anything to do with your hotels, but it fuels concerns and paranoia in many guests. The last thing you want to have is a PR disaster (either due to a data leak caused by a cyber incident, or because one of your reps has said something politically charged and it’s been picked up by the media). If you can, go aggressively on the opposite stance – own up data security as one of your USPs and brag about it. Embed it in your narrative too: privacy doesn’t need to be a nerdy topic. It adds to the mystique of a hotel, as per above point!
- Bonus Colour palette: You read “Dark Mode” and you probably think black. Well, not necessarily, not only. It’s only February, but Phthalo Green has organically surged out of nowhere and it’s seeping everywhere (see Sacai x Carhartt among others). Mocha Mousse, colour of the year according to Pantone? Not so much. But interestingly, the two go together quite well. One final tip for your content, staging and interiors teams – look at Noah’s AW24/25 range, and at how they incorporated late 70s / early 80s influences.
LUXURY / UPSCALE LIFESTYLE
Let’s start with the segment that has the most skin in the game. At this level, you are not just bound to keep an eye on macro trends: you amplify them and you modulate them. Drop the ball and drop out.
The cue here is escapism and theatricality. The world is absolutely bonkers and unpredictable right now – and nobody knows if we are walking into utopia or dystopia. It follows that morals and mood setting have to be ambiguous in order to be relevant. For those who can afford it (such as your guests), this can be an occasion for more creativity, emerging from upended paradigms. Playfulness has always been a feature of some brands in this segment, and what comes next is just embracing the full gamut of human emotions. Leave rationality and clearly set-out manifestos in the drawer: the now and the awe are more important. Sticking with the 70s parallels raised in Part One, look no further than “Dungeons & Dragons” and its two axes of alignment: we are very much in the Chaotic row. The archetype is the Jester/Harlequin, so throw a party with them in mind. For inspiration, look into sensibilities that have felt wildly outdated until now, such as New Romantics and accessible goth-pop tunes from the 80s (e.g. The Damned’s “Grimly Fiendish”, Echo & The Bunnymen’s “Nocturnal Me”). Chappell Roan provides an existing contemporary bridge into that era. Surprise, confuse, seduce.
MIDSCALE LIFESTYLE
This is a trickier field to move in. Design-led, premium affordable, urban chic properties can move large volumes and have been the “hot ticket” for a long time now. This segment is also rife with copycats, lack of innovation, and skin-deep posturing. The pockets are not as deep with ADR at 100-250 EUR/night compared to say 400 EUR+ in the previous bucket. So appetite for risk is lower, and you think twice before messing it up. And that’s the in-built damnation for this segment, which was posited on being all but predictable.
Nonetheless, there are opportunities here. Play it less safe, indulge a bit more in controversy, go back to the roots of this segment. Think more The Standard 1999 and less Soho House 2024. More speed dating, less meditation. Challenge your guests, through informality, humour, unexpected menu choices. Keep a very close eye on dating trends and reflect that in your promotions and social media – literally flirt with your guests. Be bold in your communication but keep providing strong, high-quality service where it matters. People in this era have more appetite for controversy (How could they not? It trickles down from the top).
In terms of soft elements, here and now, you could still jump on the indiesleaze revival. It’s been around a little while now, it was the precursor to the Brat Summer, but it’s still going and it clicks well with the Dark Mode switch. Just understand that one is a short-lived trend.
BUDGET & CONFERENCE
Ignore everything and do the opposite.
If your USPs are location and price… if you are in a chain and unable to rip off the playbook… if you are not renowned for your unusual design… Please don’t try and act as a “baddie”. It will not resonate, and you will scare your customer base.
Don’t forget that for a lot of people out there, these are uncertain times, and that is – generally speaking – not a feeling most people enjoy. The bulk of travellers are on the road either because they have to (business) or because they worked their ass off to afford a holiday, finally (price sensitive, and very much so). So, if your hotel was chosen because of those USPs above, don’t attempt any shenanigans with the Dark Mode.
What you can do instead is double down on reassurance: brightness, (genuine!) friendliness, cleanliness, privacy, quiet. Make it your mission to be the warm glowing light at the end of the long road: no surprises here, a safe bet, open doors for all who need a roof and a good bed. This is not a bad place to be in, so focus on that and cash in.
INDEPENDENT / BOUTIQUE
This is the last reserve of the idealists. Here, it matters what you stand for. If you find a way to be profitable while sticking it up to The Man, do that. You will get a cult following, and perhaps in a decade or so you’ll have started a little empire, the new Ace Hotel?
But you do need to engage the young.
Don’t come up with a pastiche concept that postures as “hip” but is actually targeting 40-50 years old’s. So, be in touch with your community, find what’s hot, sponsor it, bring it in your premises, no matter how feral and bizarre it seems. Don’t get trapped in the tick-box frenzy of recent years. Maybe drag shows just don’t make sense in your hotel, in your neighbourhood. So then don’t have drag shows.
Are you US-based? How about a radical, militant Xicanx outpost? Or what about a strictly no-tech “f**k you Musk & Zuck” urban oasis? Or maybe go the other way completely and let AI loose in as many parts of your business and identity as you can. Truly tap into that cyberpunk vibe they wrote about and it’s now getting real. But most likely, don’t listen to me, listen to the young, in your community.
We have not seen much truly new in hospitality in decades, if you exclude tech adoption and legal loopholes, both of which have allowed new business models. Reason being, the curse of the first. Very few true trailblazers turn a profit – but we still need those passionate idiots. Or we are going to recycle the same crap all over again.
Leave your thoughts in the comments. I’ll respond to everyone.
