A vision that grew worldwide

How it all began

Back in 2012, Marius Donhauser, Co-Founder & CEO of hotelkit, set out with a clear mission: to simplify internal communication within his own hotel. To bring this vision to life, Marius teamed up with three developers to create a solution specifically tailored to the needs of hotel teams. It all began in room 404 of his hotel, and shortly after, hotelkit was born—a platform designed to redefine collaboration within hotel teams. A solution created by hoteliers, for hoteliers.

What began as a small, local startup in Salzburg quickly evolved into an industry-leading international scale-up. Today, we are a team of 110+ employees, proudly serving over 3,500 clients across 80+ countries, including the Radisson Hotel Group, H World Hotels, MHP Hotels, and many more.

Our mission: Simplifying everyday work

Our mission remains as strong as ever: to provide hotel teams with a central platform that simplifies their everyday work. However, who we are and what we stand for have evolved over the years. It’s now time for our brand to reflect our growth and, more importantly, our future direction. We're excited to share a major milestone with you as we unveil our new brand and dive into the journey that led us here.

Why hotelkit needed a rebranding

When we first started, we were a young, colorful startup navigating rapid growth. Over time, we've evolved into a successful international scale-up, serving major hotel chains and enterprises across the globe. Along the way, we've built a solid foundation, developed a competitive product, and maintained a clear, focused mission.

Throughout these years, we've made gradual adjustments to our brand—simplifying the design and reducing the use of color—to reflect our evolving identity. However, these changes led to inconsistencies, particularly as our logo no longer aligned with our website or marketing materials. It became clear that our previous brand no longer represented who we had become or what we stood for.

"As our company grew, it became clear our brand needed to evolve. We aimed for an identity that reflects the clarity and innovation we deliver daily. This rebrand now aligns with our goals and the future we’re building together."

Our rebranding journey

Values, Vision, and what sets us apart 

Our rebranding journey began in early 2022 when we first explored the idea of a rebrand. However, we weren’t ready at that time and put the project on hold. We picked it up again in spring 2023, starting with a theoretical foundation. Through workshops and sessions with both internal and external stakeholders, we sharpened our core values, unique selling propositions, and future vision.

We discovered that what truly sets us apart is our industry-specific solution, tailored to the needs of hotel teams. Developed by hoteliers for hoteliers, it directly addresses the unique challenges hotel teams face every day. As a result, we needed a new visual identity to reflect the professionalism and clarity of our solution.

“Our new brand is a promise to the world, reflecting our commitment to making hotel operations simpler and more efficient every day.”

From concept to creation – our visual style  

In autumn 2023, we started shaping our new brand identity, leading to 356 logo drafts and countless hours of design work. By Winter 2023/24, we had finalized a logo that truly represents our brand, company, and product for the years to come. Over the following months, we refined our corporate identity, focusing on typography, icons, and visuals.

Visualizing simplicity: The essence of our new brand

Our new brand embodies our dedication to simplifying daily operations for teams worldwide. Featuring a modern, clean, and instantly recognizable logo, along with refreshed typography and a vibrant color palette, our rebrand represents our commitment to efficiency and clarity. Let’s dive deeper into how our new visual identity captures the essence of what we do and sets the stage for our continued innovation.

A logo with a story  

Emphasizing simplicity and effectiveness 

In designing our new logo, we aimed to capture the essence of hotelkit in a more approachable and straightforward way. We wanted an icon that reflects our core competencies: simplifying communication, streamlining collaboration, and enabling teams to complete tasks more efficiently. By emphasizing simplicity and effectiveness, the new icon perfectly aligns with our mission to enhance team communication and boost productivity.

“A brand is more than just a logo – it’s the essence of who we are. In our branding process, we focused on creating an identity that reflects our core values. At the heart of this brand is our mission to simplify everyday work.”

A bold new element 

We’ve introduced a bold new design element that symbolizes our focus on clear, fast, and easy communication. The speech bubble represents our commitment to enhancing team connections, boosting team spirit, and streamlining communication within hotel teams. It highlights a crucial aspect of our tool: fostering seamless interaction and collaboration to drive efficiency and strengthen teamwork.

In our brand communication and imagery, we want to focus on the people. We’re putting hotel teams at the center of our messaging, making it more personal and directly addressing those we serve. It’s about connecting and empowering the people behind the operations. 

Connecting a global community  

At the heart of hotelkit is a strong sense of community and collaboration. Our new brand reflects this philosophy – approachable, trustworthy, and aligned with the values we share with our clients and partners. We invite you to explore our platform and discover how our solutions connect hospitality teams worldwide. 

How this affects working with hotelkit 

Our commitment to simplifying daily tasks and fostering efficiency continues to guide our product development. We’ve always focused on efficiency, simplicity, and clarity, and with our rebrand, we’re doubling down on these principles to further enhance the hotelkit user experience. Users can look forward to ongoing updates that improve usability, introduce modern design elements, and deliver an even more streamlined look. This evolution ensures our mission remains at the core of both our brand and the solutions we provide. 

Shaping tomorrow 

Wondering what’s next? We’re just at the beginning of this exciting new chapter. The hospitality industry is evolving rapidly, bringing new challenges and opportunities every day. Our rebrand positions us not only to tackle these challenges but to lead the industry forward with innovative solutions that are as dynamic and adaptable as the teams we support.

As we embrace this next phase, we remain committed to maintaining the clarity and simplicity that our new brand embodies. Our focus continues to be on making the daily work of teams easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable.