Investing in the hotel industry is one of the few occasions where you can bring your creativity to the forefront and actually enjoy the process more than in a typical investment. Who doesn’t love holidays, and who hasn’t, at least once, imagined their own ideal hotel that would perfectly meet their personal needs? And that’s exactly the element you should never forget when entering this industry.
As a Hotel Concept & Strategy Consultant at Destsetters, one thing is always my priority: to help my clients find the balance between numbers and experience and unlock the human side of the investment.
In any case, the hotel becomes their temporary home — a place where they expect inspiration, comfort, and care.
Having already discussed in our previous articles why the hotel concept matters and why hospitality investments are such an appealing field, we are now ready to unlock some special points of success. Get ready to read ideas that go beyond the usual investor tips, because once again, we won’t be talking about numbers — but about the emotional part of the investment recipe for success.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
Navigate between overview and detailed analysis- Hotel investment is both analytical and emotional. Beyond ROI, success depends on how well the property captures a feeling — creating experiences rooted in inspiration, comfort, and authenticity.
- The investor’s personal vision sets the foundation. A clear “dream-hotel recipe” ensures that design and budget decisions serve a coherent concept, not random compromises.
- Architecture must express the brand story. As seen in Dubai’s Museum of the Future, form can embody narrative and set expectations before guests arrive.
- Focus on people, not just design. Understanding guest and staff personas enables human-centered spaces that feel relevant, not formulaic.
- Caring for staff multiplies returns. Well-designed operational areas improve retention, service quality, and long-term culture.
- Emotional clarity drives profitability. Hotels aligning storytelling with design enjoy higher value perception, loyalty, and pricing power.
- Who:
- Hotel investors, developers, and consultants merging creativity, design, and emotional intelligence for profitable hospitality ventures.
- What:
- A guide to building hotels as living brands where concept, architecture, and human connection define sustainable success.
- When:
- At the concept and planning stage — when emotional vision can still influence architecture, operations, and brand identity.
- Where:
- Globally applicable, inspired by design-driven hospitality projects such as Destsetters Eco Hotel Concepts in Greece.
- Why:
- Because hotels are emotional ecosystems — guests buy feelings, not floor plans. Balancing data with emotion transforms an asset into a living, profitable experience.
Create the initial brief by writing down your dream-hotel recipe
Even if this sounds funny, it can be one of the most important steps toward shaping your hotel’s future experience. When writing down what you personally expect when visiting a hotel, this brief can help prevent future investment decisions from being driven purely by budget, and instead keep attention focused on what truly matters for the guest, the aesthetics and the experience.
For example, if privacy and calmness are important to you, having them clearly stated in your initial notes makes it much more likely that you’ll invest in proper soundproofing for the rooms, leading to a superior guest experience. Now, imagine developing an even more detailed list: noting the role of aesthetics in your own perception of comfort, the importance of design and functionality, the impact of breakfast on your mood and your overall review of a stay, or even the subtle messages that catch your attention while waiting in a hotel lobby.
The result will be a more conscious and inspired selection of professionals, from the talented interior designer who will translate aesthetics into comfort, to the F&B consultant who will shape a memorable breakfast experience, and even to the technology experts who will design in-room systems for communication and guest interaction.
All these decisions originate from a single starting point, the investor’s own authentic vision of hotel living. That initial emotional clarity becomes the foundation for a concept that can later be developed strategically into a profitable, guest-centered investment.
Design the hotel as a brand and not as a simple building
At the first stage of a new hotel investment, people tend to focus on the more technical and structural parts of the building, often thinking less about the fact that, in the case of a hotel, the building itself is a major part of the product. The problem occurs when the investor and the team fail to notice that the building will be the most visible expression of the brand, and as it is now almost clear, you have to design the brand, not just the building.
That means it is vital to define the brand concept before the architectural design even begins, as the building should reflect the brand’s values and experiential goals. This point becomes clearer through the following example, which, although not a hotel, is a true masterpiece in how a building was designed as part of a brand’s storytelling and experiential mission.
The case study is none other than The Museum of the Future in Dubai, and it hardly needs explanation, just a single image. From the very name of the museum, the promise and visitor expectations are instantly clear: they expect to encounter something truly futuristic, and the investment team took that mission seriously.
The building of the Museum of the Future is not just modern, it is, at a glance, an architectural marvel, making the boldest possible statement for the project. The job is done with a single view of the structure. Of course, it doesn’t stop there: innovation continues inside, both in the technical and aesthetic dimensions, creating the most obvious case study of a building designed as a brand.
Keeping this example in mind, and paying close attention to how your building’s form and structure reflect your brand promise, one thing is certain: your hotel will be love at first sight.
Pay attention to the human side of the investment, focusing both on guest personas and the future staff community.
If there is something you should always remember as a hotel investor, it is that hotels are micro-societies, composed of people who interact both with the product – the entirety of the hotel, including building and experience – and with each other. That makes it necessary to think carefully about who will form your own community, including both guests and staff.
Starting with the guest, the most important shift is to move from a demographic focus (e.g., nationality, age, etc.) to a persona focus that reveals character and expectations. Exploring personas will uncover insights you might never have considered — data that will help you make wiser choices when it comes to decisions for your hotel.
For example, if your mix includes the persona of design-field professionals (believe me it is a very strong one), then you should consider what would make your hotel appealing to them. That could guide your team to choose characteristics such as stronger interior design storytelling, a conference hall that also functions as a gallery curated by local designers, or even cocktails with architectural semiology. Naturally, these elements will make your property irresistible to the design community — and, of course, a unique choice for everyone.
More or less the same applies to hotel staff. Especially now that finding the right people is more challenging than ever, keeping in mind who your future employees will be — and caring for them — can be a decisive advantage. We don’t negotiate the basics: thoughtful operational design that makes procedures easier and more effortless (this includes carefully planned staff spaces, shelving, etc.).
We are referring to more sophisticated approaches that connect employee personas with your hotel so that retention becomes a given. For example, if a common persona is women employees with children, a long-standing challenge is childcare.
A small, smart space for kids’ recreation — even if it requires a supervisor — could be a competitive advantage that changes the game. The example may sound ambitious, but it makes the point: think beyond the obvious and include real staff needs.
Eventually, the Smartest Strategy Is Not to Forget Your Human Side
As some of the above may sound romantic to a more systematic investor, it’s important to keep one thing in mind: Travellers don’t care about the hotel owner’s financials — but they do care deeply about their own experience.
Even if it’s not your cup of tea to get involved in all these aspects, it’s important to realize that this entire way of thinking, what we call concept and branding, is just as essential to a hotel investment as the feasibility study, architecture, and other technical services.
For that reason, budget this procedure carefully and always hire an experienced team, even if you have the appetite to contribute.
Concept development requires both methodology and expertise — and with the right professionals on your side, you’ll see your hotel investment truly thrive.
FAQ
Why should investors start with their own emotional vision?
Because it’s the only way to align design and strategy around something authentic. When an investor begins with a clear emotional understanding of what a “great stay” means, every professional decision — from architecture to F&B — gains direction and coherence.
How can a building reflect a hotel’s brand?
By treating architecture as storytelling. The building should express the brand promise in its form, materials, and atmosphere. Guests should understand what the hotel stands for the moment they see it — long before they check in.
What is the most common mistake investors make when designing hotels?
Focusing on structure before identity. Many projects start with floor plans and budgets before defining the brand and the concept, which later leads to inconsistencies and costly redesigns.
Why is focusing on guest personas more important than demographics?
Because demographics show who people are, while personas reveal why they travel. Understanding motivation, character, and emotional triggers helps design experiences that people connect with — and are willing to pay more for.
How does caring for staff influence hotel success?
Hotels are living systems built on people. When the staff experience is positive, authentic, and aligned with the hotel’s concept, guest satisfaction and retention rise naturally. Employees who feel part of the story deliver it better.
Can emotional thinking really increase ROI?
Absolutely. Emotional clarity leads to consistent design, stronger storytelling, and higher perceived value. That combination directly translates into better pricing power, stronger brand loyalty, and long-term profitability.
