Mission objective
Ensuring a seamless CX evolution during a major brand transformation.
Context & Background
The Social Hub, formerly known as The Student Hotel, underwent a major rebrand to expand its appeal beyond student accommodations.
As the brand evolved to serve a broader audience—including business travelers, digital nomads, and city explorers—maintaining a strong connection with existing customers while attracting new segments became a priority.
TCXA was brought in to ensure that the rebranding efforts translated seamlessly into the customer experience.
The Challenge
Rebranding in hospitality is more than updating signage or logos—it’s about reshaping every guest interaction to reflect a renewed identity. For The Social Hub, this transition posed three strategic challenges:
Retaining brand loyalty among existing guests, particularly students and long-stayers familiar with the original concept.
Translating the new brand vision into meaningful guest experiences across all touchpoints—digital, physical, and service-driven.
Appealing to new audience segments without diluting the brand’s original community-driven ethos.
Without a clearly defined CX transformation plan, the rebrand risked confusion, reduced loyalty, and missed growth opportunities.
TCXA's approach
TCXA led a cross-functional engagement to align customer experience with The Social Hub’s bold new brand direction.
Voice of Customer Research : We conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative research to understand existing guest sentiment and new audience expectations. This allowed us to pinpoint what should evolve—and what should stay familiar.
Segmented Journey Mapping : We designed future-proof guest journeys tailored to core segments: students, business travelers, remote workers, and city tourists. These journeys ensured consistency in tone, service design, and experience quality—while reflecting each segment’s unique needs.
Brand-to-CX Translation : We worked hand-in-hand with brand, marketing, and operations teams to translate brand values into actionable guest experience principles. From website language to on-site rituals, we ensured every detail embodied the new identity.
Team Enablement & Frontline Alignment : We collaborated with frontline and operational teams to build service rituals and cultural behaviors aligned with the new brand promise—ensuring consistency across properties and staff roles.
Results
Clear brand alignment across the guest journey : Guests immediately recognized the refreshed brand through coherent, on-brand experiences—building trust and enthusiasm around the new identity.
Stable loyalty through the transition : Despite a major change, satisfaction levels remained high, and long-term guests reported a smooth transition with no loss of familiarity or comfort.
Stronger market positioning : With redesigned journeys and a refined CX vision, The Social Hub became more relevant to a broader mix of travelers, resulting in increased brand engagement and new guest acquisition.
TCXA helped ensure The Social Hub’s evolution was not only visible, but deeply felt. By turning brand ambition into real-world experience design, we enabled a transition that honored the past while building momentum for the future.
