How Dalton Made Waves for Gate Hospitality
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Gate Hospitality Group, the boutique brand behind four of Northeast Florida’s most recognized private clubs, was facing a common challenge for a growing portfolio: years of working with different agencies across different disciplines had left its branding and marketing fragmented. Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, The Lodge & Club, Epping Forest and The River Club each had their own voice, but not a shared one.
Bringing that portfolio under a single, cohesive strategy meant finding a partner who understood both the local market and where hospitality marketing is headed next. After a nationwide search, Gate selected Dalton Agency to lead the work.
The approach centers on treating the four clubs as one connected luxury collection rather than four separate properties. That means aligning branding, creative, paid media, public relations, social media and video production under a single strategy, so each club can sharpen its own identity while still reading as part of a unified whole.
Part of what sets the strategy apart is its use of ideas not yet common in hospitality marketing, including bringing augmented reality into the guest experience. The timing lines up well with physical investments already underway across Gate’s portfolio, including a multi-phase transformation at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, giving the new branding real, tangible moments to build around.
As Amelia Bjornson, Gate Hospitality Group’s director of marketing and brand strategy, put it, the goal is to build brands that are distinctive and recognizable over time.
The work is just getting underway, with more to come as the strategy rolls out across all four properties.