Launching a national brand with two writers

Two resort portfolios with two histories, two sets of owners, and two ways of speaking had to become one brand in 2023. The merge was the only moment when the underlying language could actually be set — after launch, every decision hardens.

I was brought in ahead of the launch to help develop brand voice, tone, style guidelines and copy strategy. There were two writers on it. I was one of them.

Write the rules before the copy. A voice described in adjectives does not survive contact with forty people and a deadline. What survives is a specification. I worked on the copy standards that went into the published brand book: a five-attribute voice model, an approved verb, noun, and adjective lexicon, a words-to-avoid list with mandated substitutions, and headline typology.

Make the substitutions enforceable. Never “discount” or “cheap” — say “savings” or “great rate.” Never “perks” — say “benefits.” Never “inventory” or “unit” — say “villa,” “residence” or “accommodations.” Reserve “luxury” for what is legitimately luxurious.

Modulate by audience, and say so in the guide. The standards forbid “vacay” with legacy and Residence owners, because we do not speak that casually to them. Writing the exception down is what makes the rule usable.

• Copy standards published in the HVC brand book (June 2024)
• Launch and campaign copy for roughly 100 integrated landing page experiences
• 400+ projects across lifecycle email, landing pages, paid and organic digital, event campaigns, print and UX copy
• The rebrand carried across more than 20 resort properties — maps, fact sheets, signage, parking passes, in-room collateral
• Voicemail scripts, on-hold messaging and in-villa channel copy, because voice includes the sound of the brand
• Ownership guides and technical documentation, including Your GO Guide for the Kā‘anapali Beach resort

• 3.5 yrsContract renewed quarterly for nearly four years, from pre-launch through July 2025.
• ~100Integrated landing page experiences written for launch and campaign.
• 20+Resort properties carried through the rebrand, so the brand held in the lobby as well as the inbox.

Worked inside GLŌ Creative & Delivery Services, the in-house agency, alongside designers, art directors, account managers, producers, brand leaders and legal reviewers. Named primary or secondary copywriter across all three HVC business units in the 2022 creative pod reorganization, and supported writers across sibling Marriott brands — which meant pivoting between voice guides in the same week.

When my supervisor left the company, I held the copy function on my own through the gap and then onboarded and trained his replacement.