By James Wilkinson at the Quest Franchise Conference in Maroochydore
Quest has just revealed a major rebrand of the business, with the company adding the ‘hotel’ tag to its name for the first time.
The new name, as revealed by the company’s CEO Zed Sanjana at today’s (Aug 19) franchisee conference on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, is Quest Apartment Hotels.
Sanjana told the 300 attendees the Quest Apartment Hotels name and brand was about delivering a “premium offering to meet the needs of a new generation of travellers and future-proof the business for continued growth”.
Rolling out across more than 150 Quest properties across Australasia, the AUD$10 million rebrand, curated by the company’s marketing and brand head Tony Gauci, comprises a revamped logo, refreshed signage, new uniforms and an “invigorated franchisee spirit providing a personalised guest experience for tomorrow’s business traveller,” according to Sanjana.
“We are modernising and future-proofing the brand, continuing to speak directly with our guests to ensure we understand their needs in terms of location, product and experience, and adapt accordingly,” he said.
Sanjana said there would also be a greater commitment to upgrading the company’s properties throughout the network.
“Quest is unique to the accommodation industry in that every property is purpose-built to deliver a superior experience,” he said.
“As guests have changed, so has our apartment design and aesthetic, providing flexible, open-plan and intuitive living spaces, which reflect a premium lifestyle while enabling guests to be completely at ease.
“We are committed to an ongoing refurbishment program to align this premium standard of accommodation across the Quest network, with six refurbishments completed in the past 12 months and another six scheduled for the coming year,” he said.
Sanjana also revealed a number of properties have left the network as part of the brand refresh.
“Furthermore, we have de-branded a number of properties that no longer met our high brand standards, ensuring consistency across the guest experience,” he said
Sanjana said Quest properties are also becoming larger, with CBD locations now boasting 100 rooms or more, and regional properties around 80 rooms.
A third of Quest apartments are also now studios, he said, providing the flexibility of a “hotel-like stay, with the added benefits of Quest’s service offerings”.
“Quest truly offers the best of both worlds – the attentive and personalised service of a hotel, combined with the spacious layout and facilities found in an apartment,” Sanjana said.
Quest is continuing its rapid expansion, opening an average of eight brand new properties each year over the last decade.
Quest has 157 properties in the network now and expansion remains firmly on the cards with a further 14 new properties set to open over the next 12 months.
The brand changes are expected to be completed by March 2016.