Reliably
Different
VOCO
Somewhere dependable, but by no means vanilla. Embracing independent character whilst delivering quality and comfort guests can trust.
A year or so on from leaving IHG and setting up AboundStudio, James continues to provide the team with direction to support the commercial and creative growth of the voco™ brand. Most recently looking to inspire a fresh look at growing and designing the brand across an ever expanding ‘new build’ pipeline in Europe, Asia and Australasia.
From check-in to check-out, the brand has been designed to bring familiar yet distinctive touches across the guest experience. By offering a softer approach – a sympathetic design style comes together with a more thoughtful experience. It’s seen the introduction of enviro-friendly bedding made from plastic bottles, locally inspired welcome treats and single-use plastics banished across the estate. voco™ has spearheaded a fresh ‘softer’ look at hotel refurbishment and gone on to challenge outdated operating habits too.
A new world
voco™ has streamlined the development process, with 50 properties open in more than 20 countries across the globe and many more in the pipeline. It's become IHG's fastest growing brand.
Different for guests, different for owners, and different for the hotel industry.
Extensive brand standards, complex operating procedures and ‘style over substance’ design guides, can make global hotel brands difficult to deliver, costly to convert and slow to roll-out. Moving from paper concept to global brand launch in twelve months, InterContinental Hotels Group launched voco™ – a brand that’s easy to deliver, yet just as hard to forget. Somewhere dependable, but by no means vanilla.
Prior to setting up AboundStudio our Creative Director, James Huntly, was responsible for leading the design and build-out of the voco™ brand and experience in-house at IHG. Commissioning agency partner ForPeople to translate the company’s vision into a compelling brand narrative and identity. Reflected through an unstuffy, upbeat world of vibrant colour and a refreshingly unscripted tone of voice. Collaborating with the highly creative team at ForPeople proved to be the highlight of his time at IHG. voco™ originates from Latin - meaning ‘to invite’ and ‘call together’ fitting for a family of properties with independent character and an experience for all occasions.
Anything but vanilla
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Adaptable Living
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Locally Led
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Human Hosts
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Small changes, Big Impact
From it’s inception voco™ was designed to layer and flex sympathetically across softer hotel touch-points – always working with, and to enhance, an existing hotel’s character. It’s meant a refreshingly easy-to-use design kit and palette of accessories, artwork and furnishings that continues to breathe a new lease of life into pipeline properties.
Acknowledgement of Country.
AboundStudio acknowledge this country's First Nations peoples and their ongoing strength in practising the world's oldest living culture. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters on which we live and work, and pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.