The Inn at Willow Grove
A Luxury boutique brand
Brand Identity: Hotel, Restaurant & Spa
Signage, In-room materials
Wedding & Event Sales collateral
Print Advertising & Media
PR & Press Strategy
Conversion-driven website strategy
From launch to Travel & Leisure's Top Resort in the South. Fifteen years of brand stewardship — and still going.
In 2010, a historic 1778 Virginia estate completed a multi-year, multi-million dollar transformation from beloved bed and breakfast to luxury boutique hotel resort. Nestled on 40 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, The Inn at Willow Grove was born — and with it, a brand new challenge: how do you launch a world-class luxury destination in a small central Virginia town and make the market take notice?
As Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, Branderity Founder & Principal Hope Scibal ran with this challenge. What followed over the next 15+ years has been one of the most comprehensive, sustained, and rewarding brand and marketing engagements of her career.
The first order of business was the brand. The Inn at Willow Grove needed a visual identity and market positioning that could hold its own alongside the finest luxury properties in the region — and eventually the country. But it also needed to capture something more specific: the particular magic of a historic Virginia estate reimagined with modern luxury sensibility. Urban meets plantation. Timeless meets contemporary. Old world charm with world-class amenities. The brand had to carry all of that — and carry it across every touchpoint, from the hotel itself to the fine dining restaurant to the full-service day spa.
Branderity developed brand identities for all three — the hotel, the restaurant, and the spa — each distinctive in its own right and cohesive as part of a unified property brand. Signage, collateral, and environmental design brought the brand to life across the physical property. Wedding and events sales collateral positioned The Inn as one of the premier venues in the Virginia wine country — a natural destination for intimate celebrations and corporate gatherings alike. Print advertising campaigns placed the property in front of the luxury travel audiences that mattered most.
Building the Brand(s)
The first order of business was the brand. The Inn at Willow Grove needed a visual identity and market positioning that could hold its own alongside the finest luxury properties in the region — and eventually the country. But it also needed to capture something more specific: the particular magic of a historic Virginia estate reimagined with modern luxury sensibility. Urban meets plantation. Timeless meets contemporary. Old world charm with world-class amenities. The brand had to carry all of that — and carry it across every touchpoint, from the hotel itself to the fine dining restaurant to the full-service day spa.
Leveraging the Branderity creative approach, Hope developed brand identities for all three — the hotel, the restaurant, and the spa — each distinctive in its own right and cohesive as part of a unified property brand. Signage, collateral, and environmental design brought the brand to life across the physical property. Wedding and events sales collateral positioned The Inn as the premier venue in the Virginia wine country — a natural destination for intimate celebrations and corporate gatherings alike. Print advertising campaigns placed the property in front of the luxury travel audiences that mattered most.
Telling the Story
Getting a new luxury property on the radar of the editors, critics, and travel journalists who shape reputation in the hospitality world takes more than a press release. It takes a sustained, strategic effort to build relationships, tell the right stories, and put the property in front of the right people at the right moment. Hope led that effort — pitching editorial placements, supporting award submissions, and positioning The Inn at Willow Grove as a destination worth writing about.
The market responded.
Over the years the accolades accumulated — Forbes Travel Guide 4-Star designation, Travel & Leisure Top Destination Resort in the South multiple years running, Southern Living Hotel Collection, James Beard Foundation Presentee. Each recognition built on the last, and each one validated the positioning and brand strategy that had been carefully built from day one.
The relationship evolved from executive role to long-term consulting partnership — and over more than a decade, Hope continued to support the property’s marketing, brand, and communications needs as the business grew, evolved, and cemented its place as one of Virginia’s premier luxury destinations. Most recently that work included a complete overhaul of the hotel’s website content to drive bookings and revenue — and a holiday gift card campaign strategy that increased gift card sales by 40% in a single year.
Fifteen years later The Inn at Willow Grove is a thriving, award-winning destination resort. And the brand built at launch is still the foundation it stands on.