Academy Plaza Hotel, located in heart of the Dublin City, identified an opportunity to improve its guests experience by enhancing the quality of its food and beverage offering. Being located in a bustling neighbourhood with independent coffee shops, the hotel was missing an opportunity to provide a unique coffee area with a grab-and-go coffee option for their guests. As a team that prioritises continuous improvement and delivering exceptional guest experiences, Academy Plaza team engaged with us to create a new brand & coffee destination within their lobby.
As part of the development of the "Academy Coffee" brand, we held discovery workshops with stakeholders, focusing on guests' personas, visitors to the hotel's facilities and location. Our goal was to create a premium, sophisticated and modern coffee destination.
As a result, we crafted Academy Coffee's brand identity, which features a contemporary and sophisticated palette. It is designed to be clean, simple, and easily recognizable, representing the brand. The etch style illustration adds brand personality, to communications, is also incorporated into various brand assets such as menu boards, coffee cups, and uniforms. This style brings an original visual element that adds depth and character to the overall brand identity.
For the physical environment design, we took inspiration from the history of the Academy Hotel building; leaning into its previous use – a picture house called the Regent Cinema. This led us to create a Regency-era inspired identity and symbol. This, paired with a rich colour palette and etch style illustration, combined with patinated brass countertops, warm oak & rich greens combine to create a true sense of craftsmanship and quality.
The exterior signage showcases gourmet coffee availability, highlighting its organic, fair trade, sustainable and ethically sourced nature. In addition, to support the launch of their new destination, we designed a complimentary suite of social assets.
Academy Coffee has successfully transformed the Academy Plaza Hotel lobby. The collaborative design process, rooted in the hotel's heritage, resulted in a sophisticated and inviting atmosphere. With the implementation of Academy Coffee, the hotel filled a gap in its food and beverage offering, significantly enhancing the overall guest experience. Within weeks, the revenue results exceeded targets.
