The Missing Link Between Brand Marketing and Hotel/Retail Operations

In the hospitality industry as well as for retail, where brand identities are carefully crafted by global marketing teams and projected across international markets, a subtle yet persistent disconnect often emerges between vision and on-the-ground execution. This gap can have a profound impact on guest experience and brand performance. Here is a closer look at two perspectives that explore this disconnection.

Culture as the Anchor of Employer Branding

In branded hotels, travelers choose these properties not just for their design but because they seek to live the experience of the brand, often with the expectation of connecting to a community of like-minded individuals who share the same values. If front desk staff or other on-the-ground employees cannot engage in meaningful conversations about the brand, sharing anecdotes and specific insights about the brand’s concept, guest satisfaction can quickly decline. It’s not just about the design or iconography. It’s about embodying the essence of the brand through interaction.

Reframing training as a strategic investment rather than a reactive expense is essential. What’s needed is a shift in mindset from short-term staffing solutions to long-term cultural alignment. When teams understand and internalize a brand’s values, and when those values are thoughtfully adapted to local cultural contexts, the result is not only higher employee engagement but also a more coherent and memorable guest experience. Internal culture becomes the silent engine behind brand performance.

For developers and investors, this may seem peripheral: something to be managed by HR or operations. But in reality, the alignment between physical space, service delivery, and brand identity must be cultivated from the earliest planning stages. A property that merely carries a brand’s name can fall short. A property that lives its brand through its people creates lasting value.

Global Brands, Local Realities

In Global Marketing and Advertising - Understanding Cultural Paradoxes, M. de Mooij wrote:

• “Globalization has not produced globally uniform consumers. Although there is a worldwide convergence of technology, media, and financial systems, consumer desires and behaviors are not converging.”

• "Thinking and behavior are equally influenced by culture. Someone who thinks globally is still a product of his or her own culture."

This challenge is amplified when global hospitality brands are operated locally. Consistency is the goal, guests should recognize the brand experience wherever they are. But without cultural sensitivity, what resonates in Paris may feel out of touch in Bangkok. Brand perception is not universal; it is shaped by local habits, expectations, and social codes.

Too often, brand guidelines are delivered to local teams without the cultural translation required to make them meaningful. This results in fragmented guest experiences, misaligned team behaviors, and a brand identity that feels superficial rather than lived.

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Help in Closing the Gap:

The missing link lies in bridging these worlds: the global and the local, the strategic and the operational. With LVS Across Cultures, I work with developers, brand teams, and hotel operators to embed the brand into daily practice, through culturally intelligent training that empowers teams to embody the brand with authenticity and nuance.

When people are trained not just in what to do, but why it matters, and when that message is delivered with cultural fluency, something powerful happens. The brand moves from concept to reality. It is no longer a campaign; it becomes an experience.

For more insights and talk about this topic, feel free to contact me at lamya@lvsacrosscultures.com or connect with me on LinkedIn here!

Lamya Valter Schmidlin

Felicia Bar, Sofitel Buenos Aires, by Lamya Valter Schmidlin