The My Place Hotels Design Department remains hard at work, having touched all things #MyPlaceCon and Stay Rewarded in recent months. We sat down with Design to catch up on their busy year so far and explore what’s next for the department in the latest installment of The Layover.
Describe the Design Department in one sentence:
Alaina: The My Place Design Department is a creative team of people ready to create awesome branded graphics for everybody our brand reaches!
Nicolas: The Design Department: a group of like-minded folks focused on the cohesive image of the My Place brand. Cliché, but true.
What was the department’s biggest takeaway from #MyPlaceCon 2019?
A: One of my biggest takeaways from convention was that while we may not be a giant conglomerate, we can surely pull off events like we are! To have put so much effort into so many intricate details and have that effort show in the end product was such a great feeling.
N: I had the pleasure of holding down the fort back at HQ during convention, but still felt the effects of the big week to the max! I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to the success of such a massive undertaking by helping design materials for the big week.
What made convention so memorable for you this year?
A: With this being the first year that I’ve led and coordinated the design of #MyPlaceCon, it’s become the most memorable for me. Overhearing many attendees talk about the design elements in so many positive ways was a very surreal experience for me! From the Hard Rock Hotel staff all the way to Ron (Rivett) flagging me down and letting me know how impressed he was with our work, the week in San Diego was unforgettable
N: The presentations were the most memorable part of convention for me as I spent a large chunk of my time designing every in-house presentation except for one. I even had the opportunity to create Ryan’s opening presentation!
What can we expect to see from Design in the very near future?
A: One of the most exciting things we’re working on for Design is the new Style Guide! We’re refreshing the face of My Place with a greater people-centric focus, bringing in cleaner, more modern colors that give us the friendly feel that we already stand by as an overall brand.
N: We’re in the process of rebranding a lot of design elements for the brand, so we’ve got a lot to do in regard to developing and updating our collateral. It’ll be exciting to breathe life into our old designs and offer a new and sophisticated, yet fun, glimpse into the heart of the brand in the materials we craft
What makes the new Style Guide so special?
A: I think one of the elements that is going to make this Style Guide version special is the introduction of a new brand font! We’re excited to implement it in our new collateral because it will give us the opportunity to show off the personality that we’ve been wanting to show to our guests.
N: The new Style Guide will reflect the updated feel we’re going for with the brand. A pleasant surprise was seeing how well our new style meshes with the Gen 2 Rooms. It shows that the company is on the same wavelength in terms of how we want to present ourselves to consumers.
Why is design so important in this day in age for a brand like My Place?
A: There are many reasons why design is important and I’m happy to say that Ryan recognizes that and has often mentioned that it is why we’ve kept an internal design team on-hand. Through design, we’re able to keep our finger on the pulse and continually update our materials as we grow, influencing the validity, recognition, and overall feeling of the brand through everything we create.
N: We’re still a relatively young company working to get our name out there in new and exciting markets every chance we get. Through design, we have the ability to make sure that My Place is the obvious option to choose when consumers are looking for best place to stay.
What is the greatest department moment you have experienced as a team at My Place so far?
A: I don’t think I can pick a particular greatest moment out the many that we’ve experienced as a team so far. Some of the best have been when we have a recap all put together and are ready to hit the launch button after hours upon hours of work. Sharing those memories and reliving them with one another continues to be an all-around wonderful experience.
N: The biggest moment for me was when I finished the presentations for convention! I worked extremely hard on every single presentation I created and am still so proud of how they all turned out.
What inanimate object describes your existence the very best?
A: Socks describe my existence the best: they’re warm and cozy, they don’t always have to match, and there are a lot of fun patterns you can express yourself with. I began wearing fun, mismatched socks when I began college to help make my days just a little bit more fun and encourage myself to be a little bolder and haven’t stopped wearing them since.
N: I’m like a tack: I go where I’m needed, I’m sturdy, I’m good at organization, and I can be pretty tac-tful.
