You gotta admire anyone who has the guts and ability to really commit to a vision.

We talk all the time about how everything communicates, and that every single touch point needs to be integral to your brand’s identity.

But it rarely actually happens. Maybe the initial vision for the brand is strong, but then we inevitably run into “real world” problems — too-lean budgets, too many stakeholders to appease, etc., etc. There’s always a reason to drop this piece or let that one do its own thing.

When a brand gets it right — the combination of a strong vision for the brand, with absolutely every single piece bowing slavishly to it — it practically explodes. Which is why Blow Up Hall is taking Europe by storm.

It’s a hotel, that’s all. In Poland, of all places.

But it’s a whole experience — luxurious comfort, super high tech facilities and personal artistic experimentation. Rather than making you feel comfortable, trying to create the illusion that you’re in your home away from home, like many hotels, Blow Up Hall is designed to foster a distinct “sense of disorientation.”

The centerpiece of the entry hall is a huge video installation called “Blow Up” (referencing the film) by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. It’s a simulation of 2,400 video cameras watching you and the other guests of the hotel, and projects your distorted self on mini digital screens for all to see. And it serves as a starting point for understanding the experience of the rest of the hotel.

There are no room numbers. There are no door keys. Each guest gets an iPhone that recognizes the right door and lights it up for you. Applications are pre-loaded onto the phone to act as a concierge during your stay.

Each of the 22 rooms is unique, each designed by an up-and-coming artist. Bathrooms are hidden behind closet doors, and mirrors are used to further the sense of disorientation.

In committing wholly to their brand vision, Blow Up Hall fully transcends a place to stay and becomes a true (I cringe to write it because it’s such an over-used word, but if the shoe fits…) experience. We all should be so bold.

[x-posted from House of Naked]