Hostelworld rebrands to target 'spontaneous adventurers'
Hostelworld, an online hostel reservation company, has rolled out a rebrand to target 'spontaneous adventurers'.
The rebrand has been designed to target Hostelworld’s millennial audience who enjoy meeting people to shape their travel experiences. As hostels providing a unique environment to immediately get talking to other travellers, this inspired the new ‘Meet the World’ proposition.
Hostels as social hubs, are reflected in Hostelworld’s new ‘H’ icon, which features two arrows facing each other to symbolise a meeting point. Orange was chosen as the new colour for the brand, which Hostelworld said provides a "psychological trigger for enthusiasm, optimism and affordability".
Ottokar Rosenberger, CMO at Hostelworld, said the industry is experiencing a "golden age" for hostels. "They’ve become more stylish, more comfortable and better equipped than alternatives while still being affordable, centrally located and, crucially, communal," he said. "This is what sets hostels apart and is the basis for our new ‘Meet the World’ proposition.
“Hostelworld is about real travel, and our marketing celebrates the real people and experiences behind this. You can see this in the imagery, they’re not polished brochure shots but visceral gritty imagery that emphasise living in the moment."
As well as a new icon, the rebrand, which was conceived in collaboration with London-based creative agency Lucky Generals, comprises a new look website, social media channels a smartphone/tablet app and an Apple Watch app. The imagery used across all of Hostelworld’s updates consists of authentic photography, featuring real people in real places.