At the corner of 16th and Court Place, resting below the towering Sheraton Downtown Denver hotel, was an empty space waiting to have its identity discovered. Sheraton came to AOR with the idea to turn this empty space into a place to entertain, host guests, and make connections. They wanted to make the new space feel like drinking a craft beer by the fire, while still embracing its urban uniqueness. A space that’s infused with carefully curated and elevated comfortable luxury. Yes, many contradictions, but that’s exactly what this space is — casual elegance — the perfect contradiction.
After discovery, we embarked on our first order of business — what is this place going to be called? We landed on Parlur — a unique spelling of the Old French word ‘Parlour’ or ‘Parloir,’ meaning “to speak,” more commonly known as the word used to reference a room where people gather before entering the main household.
Ultimately, the name came from the two most true things we knew about this space from the beginning:
And so, Parlur was born.
How do we position Parlur as being the quintessential downtown experience and destination that would attract such a wide breadth of clientele looking to host their next event?
We took into account the audience — social groups, event planners, brides/grooms, and corporate groups — and what we learned in discovery, and thought deeply about who Parlur is.
Is Parlur comfortable? Is Parlur authentic? Is Parlur sophisticated? Is Parlur influential?
The answer is yes. All of the above.
With those key adjectives in mind, we worked to craft a detailed messaging platform complete with a brand story, brand personality, tone & voice guidelines, and key differentiators — all of which aligned closely with our development of the visuals.
Sheraton had worked with an interior designer prior to our partnership, and using a slight twist on their color palette and interior inspiration, we developed the visuals that will define Parlur’s identity from the moment they open their doors.
One of the staple interior pieces within the space will be a large chandelier situated in the center of the main gathering area. The jeweled charm in our simple, sophisticated yet approachable logo, reflects the main sentiment of the brand, comfortable elegance while paying homage to the chandelier which has inspired much of the brand identity.
Parlur’s look went from a construction site without any floorboards, to a fully realized brand born from the inspiration of the interior vision. Although its doors haven’t opened to the public just yet, this brand is so perfectly representative of what it feels like to gather with people you love and admire, anyone would be happy to host their event at Parlur. Sheraton is beyond excited to get moving on this project, and to finally see the smiles on guests’ and hosts’ faces as they dance or chat their way through the halls of Parlur.
