Online hostel reservation company, Hostelworld, has launched a global rebrand that encourages people to ‘Meet the World’.
The rebrand has been designed to target Hostelworld’s millennial audience who ‘aren’t the average tourist’. Instead, they are spontaneous adventurers who know that it’s other people who shape their unforgettable travel experiences. Hostels put them at the heart of this, providing a unique environment to immediately get talking to other global travellers – inspiring the ‘Meet the World’ proposition.
Hostels as social hubs, are reflected in Hostelworld’s new ‘H’ icon, with two arrows facing each other to symbolise a meeting point. The icon has been designed to hint at more; you might see two travelers conversing with each other, or even two hostels. Orange, the colour of adventure, has been chosen as the colour for the brand, providing a psychological trigger for enthusiasm, optimism and affordability.
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 and smartphone/tablet app, and an Apple Watch app – the first from a hostel brand. The imagery used across all of Hostelworld’s updates consists of authentic photography, featuring real people in real places.
Ottokar Rosenberger, CMO at Hostelworld, said: “We’re 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. 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. It’s hard to pose when you’re dodging tomatoes at the Tomatina Festival or volcano surfing in Nicaragua.”
