CSA: Sydell Group
Sydell Group
CROSS SECTIONAL ANALYSIS (CSA) : A deep dive into the marcom behind notable + interesting brands. What’s the strategy + impact?
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+Details:
A collection of hotels including NoMad, The LINE, The Ned, + Saguaro.
A partnership was penned in the Summer of 2019 with MGM in which MGM has a rumored 50% stake in the company.
The family previously included The Freehand, although they were sold in the fall of 2019 to Generator Hotels for $400 million.
+Mapped Out
Los Angeles, CA: NoMAd + The LINE
Washington D.C.: The LINE
Austin, TX: The LINE
San Francisco, CA: The LINE, coming soon
New York, N.Y.: NoMad
Las Vegas, NV: NoMad + Park MGM
London: NoMad
Palm Springs, CA: Saguaro
Scottsdale, AZ: Saguaro
+Brand Synopsis:
I believe we are all head over heels in love with the Sydell Group, so my infatuation is far from quirky. I was partially influenced by my dear chef friend who experienced, first hand, the impact of NoMad during its East Coast glory days, before being diluted by the consistent expectations of Angelenos.
It’s hard. N.Y. and L.A. beckon two different cultures, and to drop a paramount New York eatery into the developing D.T.L.A. without making tweaks feels like authenticity, but is… tricky to manage.
Not to mention, the bane of any hotel chef’s existence is the never-ending requests for Caesar salads, cheese burgers, and other palate-friendly meals.
Regardless, my love for Freehand and The LINE was already immense, and the NoMad just palpitated my heart further.
Sydell remains the ultimate trend setter and in 2018 there wasn’t an influencer or content creator not ambling to be seen near an in-room bathtub.
+Comp Set:
My own beautiful Proper Hotels.
Hoxton, if only because they dwell in similar urban settings and get a little cheeky with their marketing.
Honestly, Sydell is a bit of it’s own comp set as their hotels all target The Creative. The removal of Freehand eliminated a bit of that cannibalism, I assume.
The Edition. Especially when you compare Marriott to MGM. Both of which are scaling their lifestyle hotels to capture the free spirit who otherwise wouldn’t be tempted by a corporate entity.
+Financials:
Hotels have become the ultimate conglomerate, comparable to department stores in the fifties. And as someone who considers my identity enmeshed with the hotel industry, I’ve been feeling a little like crypto-currency.
Investors are now building hotel portfolios to sell. Often prioritizing brand value over company culture.
It’s a model that relies on multiple tiers, starting with a sparse, albeit trendy, nominal service hotel that operates with a heads-in-beds and butts-in-seats mentality. The capital then feeds into the high-touch, luxury branches in the chain that amp up the ultimate perceived value of the hotel family.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Sydell Group does post-quarantine. If it scales rapidly as MGM touts. If it can avoid the pitfalls of SoHo House.
+Marcom Channels:
Social: It’s hard not to recognize the vibe of a Sydell image, regardless of which hotel it’s coming from.
Web
Mass emails, as they continue to be leaders in hotelier creative content
Drew Barrymore, Brice Vine : “Room at the Seguaro” providing the ultimate organic notoriety.
Plethora of press & awards
+Aesthetics:
The hotels themselves are all stunning and vibey. It feels like your incredibly rad friend’s house, each one indicative of a different type of creative. While NoMad continues to be the unattainable, trust fund, artist kid, The LINE is that of a gender fluid minimalist, obsessed with urbanite culture, someone who could teach Marie Kondo a thing or two. Does your gender spark joy? While Seguaro is a dessert-dwelling hippy who’s never had to work. And how did these individuals meet? Most likely during a stint at a very expensive rehab.
They're a feast for the senses, from textures to colors. And they do an excellent job at capturing it through their social. It’s the light play that really gets me. And the glossy, saturated images.
+The Emotional Connection:
There’s the tangible brilliance to it all, and as a patron you’re then able to connect with others over an understanding of co-coolness. It’s the underlying implication of profound art, arrogantly mixed textures, expensive food, expensive cocaine.
It’s a collection that dares to be saturated, in a world where everyone else prefers to be faded and bleached out.
“@thenedlondon is officially back open and our NHS heroes receive 50% off their entire stay…”
“More moments like these. @freehandhotels#freehandmiami…”
“Spoken English is a new Tachinomiya-style restaurant @thelinehotel by @erikbruneryang…”