Raffles International: Positioning the Acquired Swissotel Brand

By Russell Arthur Smith, Nigel Goodwin & Elizabeth Ann O'Neil

Abstract

This case, set in May 2001, finds Diana Ee-Tan, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Singapore-based Raffles International Limited, considering how to position a recently acquired brand within the Raffles International family. Over the preceding decade, Raffles International had built its Raffles Hotels and Resorts brand into one of the world's premier purveyors of luxury accommodations and lifestyles with particular strength in Southeast Asia. In April 2001, Raffles International acquired the international deluxe business chain Swissotel Hotels and Resorts, which appealed to business travellers and had a broader geographic reach. Ee-Tan now faced the challenges of positioning these two brands relative to one another, deciding what degree of brand integration was appropriate and communicating the branding message to customers, the industry and the general public.

Issues: Integrating two brands in the same company, communicating acquisition and integration to consumers, and market segmentation.

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