Sun Shines on Ojai
Ojai Valley Resort
One moment away
We led a complete design overhaul of the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, touching every aspect of the guest experience and repositioning the resort from an historic golf vacation destination to a regional hot spot for a new generation of visitors. Central to the transformation was the insight that culinary tourism and more active experiences would attract regional inbound travelers for shorter stays. The “One Moment Away” campaign debuted this strategy and sent occupancy rates through the roof.
Revamped Guest Experience
Changing the story to get people to the resort is one thing. Delivering on that promise is another. We worked in concert with major renovations and amenity additions that were happening on-property. This led to creative work at every level of the guest experience — exterior signage, interior signage, pedestrian wayfinding, naming, identity design, in-room collateral, activities app, retail packaging, menus, coasters, spa, gift shop, group sales, and, yes, even those tiny shampoo bottles.
Key to the repositioning was the connection to Ojai art and culinary culture. Internally, it was affectionately referred to as “Hippie Gourmet.” We tried to think of every guest connection as a chance for a handmade moment vs. more corporate logo applications. Pictured is some of the in-room collateral featuring commissioned watercolor paintings of native plants and flowers.
Key takeaways
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Helped reposition Ojai Resort from a fading golf resort to a hip luxury retreat
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Focused media on an audience of younger, regional travelers for shorter stays
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"Hippie gourmet" design approach created handmade luxury moments
What we did
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Multi-channel consumer, group sales, and culinary brand campaigns
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Redesigned every dimension of the guest experience
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In-room app concept and user interface prototyping
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Branding and environmental design for an on-property experience center
Discover Ojai Experience Center
One of our favorite strategies capitalized on the resort’s premium presence in the small town of Ojai. The concept was to build a Convention & Visitors Bureau for the whole area right at the resort. Guests could learn schedule all types of local activities from horseback riding and wine tastings to action sports and concerts. Discover Ojai made the resort the center of the world for every traveler coming to town. Counter-intuitive to providing information on off-site adventures, the affect has been more traffic and increased spend at the resort.