Client study · Guest research · Proposed brand identity · Cala d'Or, Mallorca
Understanding what value meant to Karin’s guests.
Karin Apartments had a 4.7 rating for value. We used that as a starting point to examine guest expectations, identify practical improvements, and explore how the apartments could present themselves as a more recognizable hospitality brand.
The proposed wordmark applied to the property's whitewashed entrance arch. Concept.
Type · Research and recommendations, plus a proposed identity
Scope · Guest research, pricing, identity concept
Location · Cala d'Or, Mallorca
The question behind the 4.7 value rating.
Guests rated the apartment 4.85 overall. Value, at 4.7, was the only category under 4.8. That gap is the whole question: not whether guests were unhappy, because they were not, but what a stay would need to feel unambiguously worth its price. We treated 4.7 as a signal to investigate rather than as a verdict, and went looking for what guests were actually describing when they scored it.
What the reviews and the market showed.
Ten of the eleven four-star reviews named the same small, fixable comforts: a two-burner hob, a warm bedroom with a two-hour air-conditioning timer, a bathroom vent smell, and "no-frills" décor. None of them were about the price itself. Benchmarking 43 nearby apartments showed the nightly rate was in line with, and in places below, comparable listings. The friction was in the stay, not the number.
Practical recommendations, in order.
Fix the kitchen kit. Fix the bedroom heat before peak season. Fit a one-way vent valve. Warm the interior with textiles and lamps. Then speak directly to the climbers who come for the nearby coves in October. Each carried a cost and an estimated return: the air-conditioning alone was roughly €600 to €900 to install against an estimated €10 to €15 more per night. These are recommendations. We have no follow-up measurement, and we make no claim that the rating, the rate or the booking volume changed.
How could separate units become a recognizable hospitality brand?
Once the stay matches the price, presentation is what carries the value. Multiple units under one owner were listed separately, each listing, sign and guest touchpoint speaking in its own accent. We proposed unifying them under one name, Karin Apartments, Cala d'Or, so an arriving guest recognizes one deliberate experience rather than several accidental ones. This section is a concept, developed by us and not yet implemented.
Proposed identity and guest-facing applications.
The entrance mark was designed for whitewashed stone archways rather than screens: a restrained, organic wordmark, readable from the street and quiet in the garden. Alongside it, a six-card editorial postcard set built from terracotta textures, coastal light and architectural detail, turning ordinary guest collateral into something people take home. Both are concepts, shown here as mockups.
Guest research and market benchmarking were carried out for the property. The identity, signage and postcards are proposed concepts and have not been implemented. No claim is made about changes to ratings, pricing or bookings.
How we worked
Study
We stayed at the property, shot the photography ourselves, and read every review.
Distill
A 4.7 value rating against a 4.85 overall, with the same fixable comforts named again and again.
Translate
A short list of practical improvements, each with a cost and an estimated return.
Create
A proposed identity concept: wordmark, entrance signage and a postcard set.