You don’t buy a Rolls-Royce for its technical spec. You buy it because owning a Rolls-Royce fulfils a deep emotional desire; because it offers prestige and exclusivity and makes you feel incredible.
NB: This is an article from 80 Days
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Visit the Rolls-Royce website and you won’t easily find specs and prices. What you’ll find are stories. Emotionally driven narratives that stir desire and curiosity and make readers feel what it’s like to look at, drive, and own a luxury vehicle. This is their differentiator, over and above the physical product.
For hospitality brands fighting tooth and nail to stand out and drive demand, could this be the way forward?
More experiences, fewer ‘things’
While amenities are crucial to the guest experience, they’re no longer enough to differentiate one property from another. Not on their own. Today’s premium traveller craves something more meaningful: soul, personality, vibe.
They want to feel like what they’re buying – hotel room, dinner reservation, or another experience – is different and special. They’re want that Rolls-Royce feeling.
We know that almost 4 out of 5 travellers prioritise a hotel’s ‘vibe’ when making booking decisions. We know that spending on experiences is up 65%, compared to 12% for ‘things’, since 2019.
There is an unignorable industry shift towards delivering experiences, particularly for premium and luxury brands. The question is, what’s the most effective way to sell experiences in your marketing?
One powerful answer, you guessed it, is storytelling.
Every touchpoint should feel like ‘being there’
Your biggest differentiator as a luxury brand isn’t what you have – it’s how you make people feel. Storytelling can turn an abstract promise (like a uniquely relaxing and comfortable stay) into something readers believe with utter conviction.
A great example is our recent work with Hotel Excelsior in Venice. It’s a five-star hotel and beach resort just a few minutes from the bustling, historic centre of Venice. It would be easy to vapidly describe the benefits. To say, “we’re an extraordinary oasis of calm”.
But to immerse the reader in the experience, to let them feel what it’s like to be here, we needed copy that was more active, sensory, and specific; copy that could only be Hotel Excelsior.
Extrapolated across the entire site – with thoughtful imagery and design – this kind of storytelling doesn’t just inform; it seduces.
