ROOM007SELECT

Natural smart

hotels

room007 is a Spanish chain of hotels and hostels. Somewhere between traditional hotels and hostels, hostels have gained prominence over recent years to become a significant niche that fits perfectly with the needs and expectations of a younger audience, who value above all a good value for money and a prime city-centre location.

The company also plans to launch a third line: room007Premium, aimed at a more hedonistic, exhibitionist and gourmet clientele. These will be establishments full of social activity and exclusivity but far from the excessive formalism (and prices) of a five-star hotel, thus specifying its commitment to product diversification to meet different needs and customer profiles.

The new room007Select brand represents a leap in product and service quality, as well as in customer profile, compared to the brand from which it derives. Premium locations, medium–high quality facilities, and a clear focus on comfort during the stay and sustainability are the attributes that define the room007Select hospitality offering.

It currently has establishments in Madrid, Lisbon, Málaga and Seville, with two more due to open shortly in Granada and San Sebastián. Future planning also includes openings in Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia and Porto, consolidating its position on the Iberian Peninsula before expanding into the rest of Europe.

It is primarily aimed at an audience older than that of its parent brand, from 25–30 years old, with a higher purchasing power than the young hostel audience. This type of traveller spends little time in their accommodation, using the room mainly to sleep and shower, either because they are working or discovering the city.

For this reason, the brand aligns with the growing trend among some urban hotels to offer rooms with more compact spaces, allowing an increase in the number of rooms per building. Standards in this type of establishment usually range around 9 m² for single rooms, 13 m² for economy rooms and 17 m² for premium rooms. European references for this type of offer include brands such as Max Brown Hotels, Ruby Hotels, The Pilgrm or Arlo Hotels .

Delving deeper into the customer and their concerns, room007Select fits perfectly as an option for a millennial audience who are no longer the young people they once were. They have grown up, matured, and many are now parents… They were the ones who rejected the traditional hotel model and propelled the Airbnb model of the collaborative economy and authentic experience. Now, with the passing of time, they are shifting towards holistic economic models, less focused on products and more on systems, where sustainability is non-negotiable but profitability is essential. The Airbnb backpack or light bag begins to stay in the wardrobe and is once again replaced by the suitcase, as travellers look for new hospitality models that remain true to their interests and concerns (sustainability, technology, etc.), while also adding the extra of design and comfort standards they are no longer willing to give up.

If room007 is the young, exploratory, free, independent and daring brand that wants to see the world on its own terms – fun, active and full of colour – the personality of room007Select is that of the older, more mature and calmer sibling.

We conceived the new brand as that friend who does not need to show off, where stars matter little; one that connects through empathy, is easy to understand and always kind. It is urban, technological and trendy, but far more spiritual than its younger sibling, and much more conscious and cosy. It is a brand that acts as a link between different aspects and needs: global in essence but local in experience; suitable for both leisure and work; where private space and enjoying those small moments within the hotel are as important as exploring the city; where rest and activity coexist; where individual needs are as important as the sense of belonging to a destination; and where design, comfort and a good price are never sacrificed. We summarise this proposal in the concept Natural Smart Hotels.

Natural colour tones are used to speak to that awareness of the environment, with points of light such as an urban, active orange. A thoroughly contemporary typeface like Vulkan Display, which can almost be associated with the graphics of many fashion editorials. A high-contrast photographic style with a lifestyle focus; experiential images in toasted, slightly desaturated tones, with greens and oranges as the leading colours, closer framing of both people and product, and where décor plays a key role through carefully considered environments and spaces.

And a fig as the isotype, one of the few explicit requests from the client. A fruit that has traditionally been regarded as a symbol of wellbeing, whose sweet, gentle aroma evokes the simple scents of home. It helps to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, core values of the new room007Select brand. The graphic universe is completed with a series of coloured background resources, natural shapes that bring to mind the organic forms found in Matisse’s paintings.

At a verbal identity level, this is completed with a young, feminine voice that is pleasant, simple, harmonious and confident, conveying professionalism, warmth, kindness, empathy, closeness and trust. It communicates in a conversational and natural way, using short sentences, simple words and an empathetic tone.