In 2018, we partnered with citizenM to help them reinvent their customer journey and better live up to the brand mission. Together, we realized the “contactless” travel experience.

Today’s hospitality customers increasingly value guest experiences that are convenient and personalized but also contactless and connected. Before partnering with citizenM, the hotel’s guests already cherished the personalized treatment they received from the staff. These interactions form the backbone of the citizenM customer experience.

The intent for citizenM’s digital transformation was to infuse their human, personal, and playful brand DNA into the entire travel experience. They sought a partner to integrate this brand identity into digital interactions, revive the hotel's innovative image, and extend the guest experience beyond the hotel.

We rose to the challenge of boosting customer lifetime value for citizenM. Our mission: enhance and simplify the guest experience at every step of their journey.

Joyful yet absolutely functional digital design

Travel goes beyond hotel stays. citizenM’s colorful interiors and super friendly staff have earned them many avid fans. As citizenM’s guests hold the brand values dearer than guests of most other hotels, it was those values that formed the foundation of the project. We invested heavily in understanding the brand and journey. From sleeping at the hotel, to back-of-house tours, to talking to staff and the customer support team. This led to a roadmap, strategic document, and brand guide, all reflecting these valued brand principles.

Instead of starting from features, we prioritized the creation of a brand book. This made all touchpoints align seamlessly. Functionality and playfulness can often be at odds. We blended a focused, super-functional UI with lively colors, animation, imagery, and copy that make you smile – the citizenM brand in a nutshell.

A single source of truth for all touchpoints

After creating the brand book, we laid the cornerstone for our design language – the citizenM design system. This dynamic document, housed in Frontify, serves as the nexus where all design elements converge, fostering a shared understanding across all departments. The design system meticulously outlines the usage and placement of each component, instilling a sense of ownership over all touchpoints and garnering enthusiastic support from stakeholders.

Our efforts extended to building a robust digital brand presence. We explored and established digital design standards to ensure a consistent and cohesive visual identity. We defined templates and modules, serving as the foundation for a modular and scalable website structure. This approach simplifies implementation and facilitates future expansion. Our commitment didn’t end there. We helped citizenM grow its own capabilities by transferring digital design expertise and building design libraries for lasting mutual benefit.