Unprecedented growth in East African hospitality prompts Hemingways Collection rebrand

The family-owned hospitality and travel group, which operates in Kenya and Rwanda, turned to Greenspace to reposition itself as the leader in luxury African travel. The UK-based creative consultancy reimagined Hemingways’ brand strategy, visual identity and marketing assets.

With a portfolio of boutique hotels that stretch out across Nairobi, Maasai Mara and Watamu in Kenya, Hemingways Collection recently ventured into Rwanda, with its new retreat based in Kigali.

The hospitality company prides itself on responsible tourism practices and bespoke accommodation, so Greenspace needed to elevate its brand. Also important to the project was the idea of preserving Hemingways’ distinctive heritage.

Adrian Caddy, founding director at Greenspace, explains, “Our role was to create an identity and legacy strategy that didn’t just compete in the luxury market, but set a new tone for it.”

Aiming to balance timeless sophistication with a warm, human touch, the revised Hemingways identity incorporates a harmonious logotype, elegant colour palette and destination-specific patterns. This allows the brand’s three hotel types (City, Safari and Coast) to stand out from each other through the use of colourways and motifs.

The new tagline, ‘Every Stay a Story’, hopes to demonstrate the brand’s deeply personal approach to luxury.

“With ‘Every Stay a Story’ as the legacy cornerstone, Hemingways now has a platform for distinctive storytelling that can flex across every touchpoint as the group expands,” adds Caddy.