Challenge
With the luxury travel sector under serious scrutiny, luxury brands are having to redefine what they stand for. Luxury travel can no longer be wasteful or superficial; instead, it’s about rejuvenation and reconnection for travellers who value meaningful social experiences over destination alone.
Our challenge was to elevate Sofitel from a global leader in hospitality to a French luxury lifestyle ambassador. We needed to reinforce its luxury credentials, broaden its customer base, and put French-ness at the heart of its iconic brand.
Solution
This French-ness, while core to the Sofitel brand, was being articulated in a way that felt limiting. We reframed the French spirit as a mindset that joyfully embraces the paradoxes central to French culture – namely, that of tradition versus rebellion.
This helped create the framing principles that allow Sofitel to express its French-ness in a way that feels new and relevant. The evolved brand is about living life to the fullest but choosing quality above everything; being proudly French yet passionately local; balancing style and elegance with effortlessness and spontaneity. At its heart is the idea of celebrating the life-enriching effect of bringing two worlds together.
Visually, we embraced Sofitel’s iconic ‘cultural link’ symbol to marry the iconic French ‘zest’ with local destination culture. Sofitel is the place where evenings glow, where stories begin and where life lives. It’s a brand that’s inherently vibrant, and that balances the cultural fusion of French and local cultures with elegant new visual elements and graphic combinations.
Impact
Sofitel’s new brand now lives throughout the guest experience, from communications, interiors and digital platforms to resort offers and partnerships.
Following the November 2023 launch, Sofitel’s website saw a 612% increase in organic traffic, with 95% of users reporting that the new brand felt consistent with its positioning in the luxury market. Social results were similarly impressive: a nine per cent increase in average engagement rate across all social channels, 38% on LinkedIn alone.
The work has also had a significant impact on the hotel development pipeline. Prior to launch, Sofitel had 14 hotels in the pipeline, but now has more than 32 in development – representing roughly 30% of the network. In their own words, Sofitel has become the “most desirable luxury hotel brand for developers across Accor Group’s 40+ brands”.
Sofitel won Gold in the Best Brand Evolution (Consumer) category at the Transform Europe Awards 2025.
