"The brand has to be the hotel, not a wrapper around it. Sign the building, curate the library, name the bar. When every surface belongs to the same idea, the stay makes sense."
IV Whitman, ESQUE
Overview
ESQUE builds identity systems for boutique hotels, Curio Collection properties, and independent destination hospitality. Our hotel work spans mountaintop resorts, urban boutique properties, and wellness retreats. Every mark we design lives across monument and architectural signage, wayfinding, guestroom collateral, uniforms, websites, and art programs. One system, held to the same standard on the facade as in the bedside reading light.
Our approach
Start with the property. Before we name a bar or set a typeface, we walk the building. The views, the materials, the circulation, the local story. That is where the brand actually lives.
Design the full guest journey. Arrival. Check-in. Corridor. Room. Restaurant. Spa. Turndown. Each touchpoint is a surface for the brand. We design every one of them as a single system.
Treat art and books as brand assets. A photograph on a guestroom wall and a book on a lobby shelf both carry the brand. We commission photography, curate libraries, and direct interior art programs so the rooms speak in the same voice as the logo.
Selected work
Deliverables
Services
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designs brand identities for boutique hotels in the Southeast?
ESQUE, a brand strategy and design studio in Chattanooga, Tennessee, designs brand identity systems for boutique hotels and independent properties across the Southeast and nationally. ESQUE's hospitality work includes Cloudland Hotel, a 245-room Curio Collection by Hilton property at McLemore Resort, and Selah Spa. The studio was founded by IV Whitman, a brand strategist and creative director with over twenty-five years of hospitality branding experience.
What is included in a boutique hotel brand identity system?
A complete boutique hotel identity includes naming and narrative, the primary mark and logo variants, typography and color systems, monument and architectural signage, interior and guestroom wayfinding, menu and amenity collateral, uniforms and merchandise, website design and build, and a brand guidelines document. ESQUE also curates art programs and libraries for hotel interiors, commissioning original photography and curating physical book collections that give a property a distinctive voice and sense of place.
How long does a boutique hotel branding project take?
A complete boutique hotel identity, from strategy through rollout across every touchpoint, generally takes six to twelve months. The timeline depends on the scope of physical signage and wayfinding, the number of sub-brands within the property (restaurant, spa, bar, event spaces), and the construction or renovation schedule. ESQUE typically phases delivery so early assets like the primary mark, monument sign, and naming architecture can deploy before later assets like uniforms, print campaigns, and interior art programs.
Can ESQUE curate an art program for a boutique hotel?
Yes. ESQUE curates original art programs and library collections for boutique hotels. For Cloudland Hotel, ESQUE commissioned former National Geographic Senior Photo Editor Kim Hubbard for more than 275 photographs placed throughout the property, and curated a library of over 700 volumes for the guest lounge. The studio treats art programs as a brand deliverable, not a decor afterthought.
Does ESQUE work with hotel groups or only independent properties?
ESQUE works with both. Cloudland is part of Hilton's Curio Collection, and ESQUE developed the full brand architecture and identity system that operates within the Curio guidelines while expressing the property's own sense of place. The studio also works directly with independent owners, developers, and operators on new-build hotels, renovations, and rebrands.