BACKGROUND
Chalet Hotels Ltd, part of the K Raheja Corp group, is one of India’s leading owners, developers and asset managers of high-end hotels in key metro cities. In November 2023, the group decided to launch a new chain of luxury hotels and needed more than a name: they needed a brand with a clear identity, a compelling strategy and the architecture to carry it forward.
They approached chlorophyll to build it from the ground up.
Project Duration
2024
IPs
ideantity™ | Brand Strategy | Brand Architecture
The Brief
Chalet Hotels had the infrastructure, the locations and the intent to create a luxury hospitality brand that could stand on its own. What they needed was a cohesive brand strategy, one that could define who this new hotel chain was for, what it stood for and
how it would show up consistently across every guest touchpoint.
The challenge was not just creative. It was foundational. A new brand in the luxury hospitality segment would be entering a crowded, competitive space where differentiation was hard to earn and easy to lose. The brand needed a name, a visual identity and a personality that were genuinely ownable.
The Brief
Chalet Hotels had the infrastructure, the locations and the intent to create a luxury
hospitality brand that could stand on its own. What they needed was a cohesive brand
strategy, one that could define who this new hotel chain was for, what it stood for and
how it would show up consistently across every guest touchpoint.
The challenge was not just creative. It was foundational. A new brand in the luxury
hospitality segment would be entering a crowded, competitive space where
differentiation was hard to earn and easy to lose. The brand needed a name, a visual
identity and a personality that were genuinely ownable.
The Process
chlorophyll began with listening. A session with key stakeholders at Chalet Hotels
surfaced what the people behind the brand most cared about: their vision, their sense
of the guest, their aspirations for the hotels.
This was followed by focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with travellers, to
understand whether the thinking inside the boardroom resonated with people who
would actually stay at the hotel.
This research-led approach was where the brand idea took shape. The insight that
emerged was clear: the brand’s purpose was to create experiences that spark joy.
The Brand Name
From this idea came the name Athiva. Drawn from Sanskrit, the word means ‘extremely’
or ‘to a great extent’, a name that captures the intensity of the joy the brand delivers.
Experiences that leave guests not just satisfied, but extremely happy. The name was
short, distinctive and carried a quiet depth that rewarded those who knew its meaning.
The ideantity™
The visual at the heart of the ideantity™ took its cue from rhythmic gymnastics, a free flowing ribbon that formed the first letter of the brand name.
It was vibrant, fluid, and alive, expressing the brand’s energy and the free-spirited attitude of its guests.
Together, the name and the visual told the same story: an experience that moves people.
The Brand System
With the ideantity™ established, chlorophyll developed a complete brand system to ensure consistency across every application.
This included a colour palette drawn from the energy and vibrancy of the visual identity, a typography system built around the Baloo 2 family and detailed guidelines governing how the brand appeared on everything from visiting cards and letterheads to room access cards and hotel stationery.
Each element of the system was designed to make the brand’s joy-forward personality tangible at every point of guest contact.
The Outcome
Athiva is not just distinctive on a signboard. It carries meaning. The Sanskrit root gives the brand a sense of heritage and intentionality, while the sound and rhythm of the word feel contemporary and global. It is a name that invites curiosity and rewards understanding.
A Visual Identity That Expresses The Brand's Spirit
The ribbon-inspired ideantity™ is immediately ownable. It communicates movement, joy, and a certain freedom of spirit without saying a word. Across different applications and backgrounds, it holds its character and continues to feel like Athiva.
A Brand System Built For The Long-Term
The guidelines that chlorophyll developed give Athiva the tools to grow consistently.
Whether the brand appears on a business card, a hotel envelope, or a room service tentcard, it looks and feels like the same brand.
That kind of consistency is what allows a luxury identity to build trust over time.
A foundation For Brand Architecture
Beyond the visual identity, the process gave the Chalet Hotels team clarity on brand strategy and how the new chain would be positioned within the broader group.
Athiva now has the thinking behind it, not just the look.
Athiva launched as a brand with a clear sense of who it is and what it promises. In a segment where luxury is expected but joy is rare, that is a meaningful distinction .
