How An Underdog In Hospitality Is Reimagining The Guest Experience

Forbes

16-05-2025

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In the world of hospitality, many brands promise comfort, but few deliver the kind of thoughtful guest experience that makes a traveler feel like more than a room number. Sonesta Hotels & Resorts, a brand that once lived quietly in the shadow of larger chains, is now boldly repositioning itself as a wellness-infused escape grounded in authenticity, discovery, and joy.
The transformation is the brainchild of Elizabeth Harlow, Chief Brand Officer at Sonesta, who joined the company amid a surge of unprecedented growth—Sonesta scaled from 60 hotels to over 1,100 almost overnight. But with rapid expansion came a challenge many brands fail to overcome: clarity.
'They were brands in name only. No one could tell you the brand promise for each, who the target guest was, or what made us special,' said Harlow.
That problem is no longer on the table.
At a time when wellness is a multi-billion-dollar industry and travelers seek more than thread count and Wi-Fi, Sonesta rooted its repositioning in consumer research and cultural relevance. What emerged were three core pillars: self-care, discovery, and fun — all anchored by a brand promise that's elegant in its simplicity: "a space to reconnect."
'We found that about 60% of U.S. travelers say wellness is a lifestyle priority, and 16% say they'll make hotel decisions based on well-being amenities,' Harlow shared. 'So we saw that as an opportunity.'
But she also noted a more nuanced insight: coming out of the pandemic, people didn't just want mindfulness. They craved fun. 'There was this craving for joy,' she said. 'So we baked that into our brand DNA.'
This isn't a luxury wellness retreat à la Canyon Ranch. Instead, Sonesta sits squarely in the upscale segment, competing with Hilton and Marriott—but with a refreshingly human-centric twist.
'We're not trying to be a wellness brand per se,' she explained. 'We're offering affordable, differentiated ways to unwind, to be present. It's our own unique spin.'
From my vantage point—having spent decades advising Fortune 500 brands—what Sonesta is doing well is building emotional utility, not just functional benefits. As I've long written, brands grow when they move from being useful to being meaningful.
In one pilot hotel in Fort Lauderdale, a simple affirmation poster placed inside an elevator led to an unscripted guest reaction that struck a chord.
'They stepped back, looked at the poster and said, 'Wow, I love how mindful this hotel is,'' Harlow recalled. 'That was the biggest kind of reward.' That's not marketing. That's resonance.
Sonesta is betting big on its Travel Pass loyalty program—not by mimicking competitors' points mechanics, but by embedding experiences that money can't buy.
'It's those kinds of partnerships we're always searching for,' Harlow explained. 'We want to offer access our Travel Pass members won't get anywhere else.'
The brand's collaboration with Rolling Stone Magazine is a prime example. The program, titled Musicians on Musicians, features intimate performances and conversations between emerging and established artists.
'Last year in Chicago, we launched with Common and NoName,' said Harlow. 'It was amazing. We had this impromptu performance, and Common actually called us out in his freestyle.'
These events create what she called 'money-can't-buy experiences' and elevate brand loyalty from transactional to emotional.
Sonesta's sprawling brand architecture includes 15 brands, with Royal Sonesta focusing heavily on local individuality.
'In Chicago, we had two local artists for our Rolling Stone event. In New Orleans, it's the same—local musicians. It's all about tying back to the city,' Harlow said.
Though Sonesta Hotels & Resorts doesn't prioritize local activation to the same degree, the brand is open to location-specific touches.
'It could be a local Yoga studio, a bookshop, a walk our front desk agent recommends,' Harlow noted. 'Unwinding looks different for everyone.'
In branding, loyalty doesn't come from points. It comes from purpose.
According to David Rosenberg, EVP of SSA Ventures, 'We're seeing a powerful shift among the next generation of travelers — they're choosing destinations that reflect their personal values, especially around sustainability and conservation."
Sonesta is proving that thoughtful, affordable, and accessible hospitality can offer moments of calm in a chaotic world—and do it at scale.
'Every hotel has a bed and a pillow,' Harlow told me with a smile. 'That's not what makes you remember a stay.'
She's right. You remember how a place made you feel.
And Sonesta, with its pillars of self-care, discovery and fun, just might become the brand you didn't know you needed.