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Quest apartments in $10m rebrand

Sarah Stowe

Quest has relaunched its franchise business as Quest Apartment Hotels in a $10m rebrand. This will be supported by a multi-channel consumer advertising campaign targeting the frequent business traveller.

The new look was unveiled to 350 delegates at the company’s national franchisee conference this week.

The rebrand will roll out across the 157 Quest (formerly Quest Serviced Apartments) properties in Australasia with a goal of completion by June 30, 2016. Franchisees will get a modernised logo, updated signage and stylish contemporary uniforms.

Quest worked with its franchisee body, the Franchise Advisory Council, on agreeing co-contributions to the branding project – the signage elements take almost $5m; uniforms and refurbishment added in take the total above the $10m.

With a brand new product comes the opportunity to charge higher room rates. As an example, the Doncaster property went from charging $130 per room to $170.

Franchisee Kevin Murphy, who runs the William Street property, was approving of the changes. “The new logo is good, people like to be associated with nice brands. There’s a bit more pride. And the name change is a no-brainer. It’s about getting better results all round.”

The franchisor has committed to continually raise the bar in apartment hotel design and fit out standards.

Quest CEO Zed Sanjana said “We are committed to an ongoing refurbishment program to align this premium standard of accommodation across the Quest network. Six refurbishments were completed in the past 12 months and another six scheduled for the coming year.

“We know how to extract the best value for refurbishments because we are doing new builds.”

The rebranding though is the “icing on the cake” said Sanjana.

Maintaining high standards across the network (some franchised venues have been de-branded to ensure high brand consistency) and ensuring consistency of service delivery are vital. So is encouraging franchisees to get to know their guests – the average stay is four to five nights.

“We’ve recognised customer demographics are changing. In 10 years, Millennials will make up 70 percent of the working population,” said Sanjana.

A personalised service will be increasingly important to the business. It is the theme of the consumer advertising campaign which emphasises how travellers can “live like the locals”.  The campaign focuses on the personal elements of a stay at a Quest property. It could be a working mother wanting to connect with family or a young single man keen to cook for himself while working away from home.

“Market leadership is about continuous evolution; it is vital we lead the industry in meeting the needs of tomorrow’s business travellers. We are modernising and future-proofing the brand,” said Sanjana.

“Our franchising model is our competitive advantage, providing a unified front which ensures consistent delivery of a world-class guest experience.”