Naming

nounHospitality branding

The process of finding a name for a hotel, restaurant, spa or product that fits its positioning, can be owned, and still works on a sign, a menu and a booking confirmation.

In use: “The naming shortlist was tested on a mock menu before anyone voted.”
Also called: brand naming · name development

How do you name a hotel or restaurant?

Naming is the process of finding the word a place will be called for the rest of its life. A good name fits the positioning, can be owned — as a trademark and a web address — and still works when it is painted on a sign, printed on a menu and read out by a receptionist. A clever word that fails any of those tests isn’t a name yet.

Where does naming start?

With the positioning, not a brainstorm. Until you know who the place is for, what it charges and why a guest picks it, every name is a matter of taste. Once the positioning is settled, it becomes the brief: a name for a quiet, expensive beach house sounds nothing like a name for a loud neighbourhood grill.

How does the process run?

In three rounds. First, routes: several directions — descriptive, evocative, a place name, an invented word — each with a handful of candidates and the reasoning behind them. Then screening: trademark and domain conflicts, social handles, and a sense check in the languages your guests speak. Finally, testing: the shortlist set on a sign, a menu, a key card and an Instagram grid, so the decision is made on real applications rather than on a list.

A name is chosen on a sign and a menu — never on a list.

What makes a good hospitality name?

It is easy to say after hearing it once, and easy to spell after seeing it once. It has room to grow — a name tied to one dish or one street can trap a concept that wants to change. It suits the price. And it can be protected: a name that someone else already owns in your market is a rebrand waiting to happen.

How long does it take?

A name alone takes two to three weeks. Formal trademark clearance by a lawyer should follow before the name is registered. A full identity built on the name — logo, colour, type, applications and guidelines — takes six to ten weeks.

Common questions

Should a restaurant be named after its founder or chef?

It can be — it is honest and personal. But it ties the brand to one person, which matters if you plan to sell the business, open more sites or change the kitchen.

Should a hotel restaurant share the hotel’s name?

If it mainly serves hotel guests, often yes. If it needs to win diners from outside the hotel, it usually needs a name of its own — that is a brand architecture decision.

Do you check trademarks?

We screen shortlisted names for obvious conflicts, domains and social handles. Formal trademark clearance and registration should always be done by a trademark lawyer before launch.

What if we already love a name?

Then test it the same way: against the positioning, for conflicts, and on a sign and a menu. Good names survive the tests; the rest are better replaced before the signage is ordered.