The Challenge

The Vanguard Hotel entered the market balancing three competing needs. The property needed to adhere to corporate brand guidelines, differentiate itself within a crowded hospitality landscape, and speaking to both out-of-town guests and locals considering a staycation. The digital presence needed to feel recognizable, elevated, and trustworthy (especially for the large-name brand loyalists) without slipping into generic boutique hotel territory.

The Strategy

We developed a strategic framework centered on recognition. Every decision was filtered through the guest experience: how the hotel feels to arrive at, how it’s remembered, and why someone would choose it again — whether they’re visiting campus for a weekend or booking a quiet night away close to home. The result was a brand system that fits seamlessly within the ecosystem while still signaling something more considered, local, and intentional.

Design

We worked within established brand guidelines while layering in local nuance, the key being letting the property’s design-forward interiors, materiality, and atmosphere to drive visual decisions. This ensured the digital experience mirrored the in-person one: refined, approachable, and quietly distinctive.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing for the Vanguard Hotel is about keeping the brand in motion; not staged, not stiff, and never disconnected from the city around it.

Rather than relying on overly polished lifestyle shoots that can feel generic in corporate hospitality, we built a collaborative, localized strategy that keeps the hotel feeling current and local. Through ongoing collaboration posts with Ann Arbor creators, businesses, and cultural partners, the Vanguard Hotel shows up as a living part of the city.

This approach allows the brand to stay visually fresh and culturally relevant while still aligning with the big-name brand’s standards. The result is a digital presence that feels elevated but alive, refined but never frozen — appealing equally to visiting guests and locals looking for not just a place to stay, but a place connected to what’s happening nearby.

Social Media + Content Creation

Rather than relying on static, posed lifestyle imagery, content focuses on moments of movement. In collaboration with Shelby Dubin Photography, we paint the picture for everything from quiet mornings and design details to shared spaces and city-adjacent energy.

A significant part of this strategy includes collaboration posts with local partners and creators, as well as cross-pollinated content with La Serre. This approach keeps the feed fresh and culturally relevant while reinforcing the hotel’s role as part of a broader hospitality experience, not a standalone backdrop. The result is a presence that feels polished without feeling overly produced, and recognizable without becoming repetitive.

Influencer Marketing + Events

Influencer strategy for the Vanguard Hotel prioritizes alignment and storytelling. Creators are selected based on audience relevance and narrative strength rather than reach alone. Partnerships are designed to feel experience-driven — often tied to stays, dining at La Serre, or on-property moments — to allowing content to emerge naturally instead of feeling orchestrated.

Events are treated as an extension of this strategy, not a separate initiative. Whether hosting tastings, stays, or intimate gatherings, each moment is designed to generate authentic content while reinforcing the hotel’s positioning and tone. By focusing on quality over volume, influencer marketing supports discovery and credibility without diluting the brand or disrupting its calm, intentional presence.

Project Notes

Hospitality brands don’t earn loyalty by shouting. They earn it through care and consistent presence.

For the Vanguard Hotel, the work reinforced that “uncommon hospitality” shows up most clearly in the details: how often the brand appears, who it appears alongside, and how closely its digital presence reflects the lived guest experience. By prioritizing collaboration and place over one-off campaigns or overly polished moments, the brand stays fresh without feeling forced.

The key takeaway was intentional restraint. Working within an international brand’s standards while layering in local voice and partnerships allowed the Vanguard Hotel to feel both globally credible and distinctly Ann Arbor. When strategy leads and execution stays disciplined, a hotel doesn’t just market rooms. It builds familiarity, trust, and a reason to return.