Ritzy Room

Rebranding Hospitality: How Ritzy Room Elevated Experience and Maximized Growth | Tourism + Hospitality

Sector

Sector

Services

Brand Strategy
Brand Identity
User Experience
Technology

The Problem

Impact of OTA Fees on Growth:
Ritzy Room was losing up to 15% of each booking to OTA platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. This amounted to $260,000 annually—funds that could have been reinvested to expand their portfolio in Los Angeles and Palm Springs. The OTA reliance stifled their ability to scale, delaying their entry into high-demand markets.

Customer and Operational Challenges with OTAs:
Guest communications were fragmented across platforms, leading to operational inefficiencies and inconsistent guest experiences. Additionally, reliance on OTA branding diluted Ritzy Room’s unique identity as a luxury corporate housing provider. This created unnecessary competition with properties that did not offer comparable quality or service.

Pre-Project Positioning:
Before the rebrand, Ritzy Room struggled to stand out on OTA platforms. While their properties offered luxury and curated experiences, their market presence did not effectively communicate these advantages. They were “just another option” in the crowded short-term rental marketplace.

Brand Strategy

Insights on the Ideal Audience:
We identified a niche of traveling professionals seeking long-term stays, typically for corporate assignments or relocations. This strategic pivot allowed Ritzy Room to target a high-value, underserved market segment, reducing competition with mass-market short-term rentals.

SEO-Driven Strategy:
A detailed competitive analysis revealed untapped opportunities in organic search. We targeted keywords like “corporate housing Los Angeles” and “extended stays Dallas,” creating a content strategy focused on blogs and landing pages tailored to corporate travelers. This approach capitalized on longer-stay bookings, which provided higher revenue per guest.

Incorporation of Local Market Trends:
In Los Angeles, the strategy emphasized properties near urban centers and co-working hubs. In Dallas, we highlighted privacy and space—ideal for professionals relocating with families or seeking quiet work environments.

Brand Identity

Conveying Flair and Luxury:
Drawing inspiration from high-end travel and hospitality brands, the logo and typography choices featured luxurious, flowing styles to align with the properties’ modern and mid-century design aesthetics.

The messaging emphasized exclusivity, with the tagline “Your Extended Escape, Perfectly Tailored.” The brand identity drew parallels with five-star resorts, positioning Ritzy Room as more than just a short-term rental provider.

User Experience

Pre-Redesign Challenges:
While the guest booking process on OTAs functioned, the fragmented approach required manual oversight, leading to inefficiencies and potential inconsistencies. Guests often compared Ritzy Room properties to competitors on OTA platforms, reducing conversion rates.

Post-Launch Improvements:
By centralizing bookings on a self-managed OTA (via Lodgify), guests could only compare Ritzy Room properties. This streamlined user experience increased direct bookings and strengthened brand consistency. Bounce rates dropped, and time-on-site metrics improved, signaling a more engaging user journey.

Technology

Platform Choices:
Squarespace enabled seamless content management, while Lodgify provided an industry-leading booking engine tailored for short-term rentals. This combination balanced functionality with aesthetics, creating a luxurious online experience while maintaining operational efficiency.

Integrated Guest Communications:
By unifying all bookings on one platform, we eliminated the need to manage separate guest communication systems for Airbnb and VRBO. Automated workflows for check-ins, payments, and guest interactions reduced staff workload and improved consistency.

Innovative Solutions:
Automating operations through Lodgify allowed real-time revenue reporting and occupancy tracking, giving Ritzy Room a competitive edge in data-driven decision-making.

The Results

Quantifiable Impact:

Booking Fees Saved: $260,000 annually, redirected toward property acquisitions and market expansion.
Instagram Growth: From 500 to 11,000 followers, establishing brand authority and increasing organic reach.
Web Traffic Spike: A threefold increase in website visitors.
Direct Bookings: Reduced reliance on OTAs from 100% to 70%, while overall bookings grew by 30% in the first year.

Long-Term Profitability:
The cost savings and revenue growth enabled Ritzy Room to reinvest in their portfolio, securing a stronger foothold in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.

Broader Impact

Competitive Positioning:
Ritzy Room is now the go-to brand for corporate stays in Dallas and has begun establishing a strong reputation in Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Their consistent ranking as #1 on Google for professional short-term stays underscores their leadership in the space.

Unexpected Wins:
The consolidation of OTA reliance revealed the hidden cost of fragmented bookings—beyond financial impact, it exposed the operational inefficiencies and missed opportunities to build guest loyalty. The project highlighted how focusing on direct bookings generates long-term ROI and paves the way for sustainable growth.

Alignment with Industry Trends:
This project tapped into key hospitality trends: personalization, streamlined operations, and direct booking platforms. It positioned Ritzy Room as a forward-thinking leader in corporate housing.