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21 reasons to stay: how a bold rebrand drove record occupancy in Reno’s midtown

Service Tier : ALL OUT FEAST – The Comprehensive Partnership

Best Bet Motor Lodge is a 21-room boutique hotel in Reno’s Midtown district. The owners needed a complete brand identity that would honour the building’s character and Reno’s casino heritage while positioning the lodge as a design-forward destination — attracting leisure travellers and a growing local community.

Results

Record occupancy rates following the brand launch.
Brand-driven micro-experiences (custom playing cards, branded key tags) generating organic social coverage.
Created a brand concept (‘21’) with built-in extensibility for merchandise, events, and future ventures.

What they say;

Cultivate has been our creative partner across multiple ventures now, and the standard they bring is international-level. The Best Bet brand they built gave us something guests genuinely connect with — people photograph the playing cards, keep the key tags, and tell their friends. That’s the kind of branding that pays for itself.

 

— Piper Stremmel, Owner, Best Bet Motor Lodge
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Solution

We built a striking visual identity around a vivid red palette, paired with black and white for contrast. Red was chosen not only for its bold visual impact, but also for its deep cultural significance in Chinese tradition, where it symbolises luck, fortune, joy, and prosperity. The result is a look that is bold enough to stop people on the street and distinctive enough to be instantly recognisable.

Functional items were designed as brand moments. The key tags became collectible.
Functional items were designed as brand moments. The key tags became collectible.
Comprehensive on brand signage system was developed across the hotel environment, spanning arrival points, to room numbers.
Comprehensive on brand signage system was developed across the hotel environment, spanning arrival points, to room numbers.
The identity extends naturally into digital. Website, booking flow, and mobile experience.
The identity extends naturally into digital. Website, booking flow, and mobile experience.
Micro-experiences that guests photograph, share, and take home. Custom playing cards turn a standard stay into something guests talk about long after checkout.
Micro-experiences that guests photograph, share, and take home. Custom playing cards turn a standard stay into something guests talk about long after checkout.
The ‘21’ concept created natural merchandise opportunities. Guests buy the hats and hoodies because they’d wear them anyway — that’s the test of good brand design.
The ‘21’ concept created natural merchandise opportunities. Guests buy the hats and hoodies because they’d wear them anyway — that’s the test of good brand design.
From branded local guides to operational collateral and playing card-inspired business cards continuing the hotel’s distinctive 21-themed brand story.
From branded local guides to operational collateral and playing card-inspired business cards continuing the hotel’s distinctive 21-themed brand story.
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