Sometimes, being one of the most luxurious hotels in London just isn’t enough…

Because while the Sofitel London St James really is an unforgettable place to stay, it’s not the only five-star central London hotel to choose from.

Which is why Sofitel asked us to reposition the St James and give it a more engaging, stand-out story to tell.

And when they asked for us to stay a couple of nights in the process, well, who were we to say no…

Searching for Sofitel’s soul

Positioning a brand is about finding its true identity — one that inspires the people behind the business and that intrigues the target audience. To do this, we took Sofitel through the Woven ‘soul-searching’ brand process, where we:

- Gave them a brand archetype — a ‘personality genre’ that would inform the positioning and creative process.

- Cemented their purpose with mission and vision statements.

- Defined their culture through new brand values.

- Produced tone of voice guidelines.

- Put it all together with a creative look-and-feel.

The result would be a brand that knew what it stood for, knew how to appeal to new and existing audiences, and knew how to stand out from a very elite crowd.

The ultimate love story

To help Sofitel stand out, we had to look beyond the usual benefits of location, luxury and service. At this level, such things are a given, so our job was to make Sofitel unique by giving it a unique story.

Following a number of exploratory workshops with Sofitel’s senior team, we saw that the key wasn’t in what they offered — but in how they offered it. 

The Sofitel St James oozes class, but it’s also charming, warm, a little quirky. It’s a Botticelli painting with a neon-lit frame. It’s a place where you feel like you’re staying with friends. 

In short, it’s all done with love.

We knew this was the heart of their story, and it’s what we based their brand on by giving them a Lover brand archetype. Et voila. The very soul of the business was born.

Luxury as a love language

Inspired by the Lover archetype, we crafted a mission, vision and series of brand values that reinforced Sofitel as a welcoming, friendly place where every stay becomes a love story.

We also uncovered another theme within the brand: that of the wonderful contrast. Sofitel might be in the heart of London but it’s also secluded. It’s elegantly French yet boasts bold British pop art. It’s sophisticated but approachable, inviting and a touch informal.  

By fusing these wonderful contrasts with Sofitel’s Lover soul, we’ve given the hotel a unique and compelling narrative to build on — and to attract a younger target audience. 

The result

With the theory locked down, we wanted to show Sofitel how this would look and sound in practice.

We created comprehensive tone of voice guidelines that gave their copy a more laid back and natural feel — without ever compromising the hotel’s sense of beauty and elegance. 

And we created a series of designs to help bring this repositioned brand to life, focusing on the contrasts that make Sofitel such an intriguing proposition.

The result is a re-energised Sofitel London St James brand that’s every bit as beautiful, enchanting and engaging as the hotel — and the people who run it.