In copywriting there is no tell, just show. This is especially the case for an upscale brand like Cheval Collection – which much boast luxury in a non-obvious, non-salesy kind of way.

So, the very early stages of this project demanded research. Ample research. The marketing team at Cheval Collection booked a Discovery Day with Artwork Creative’s lead writer and storyteller Neely Khan; this involved an in-person tour of all the London residences, as well as plenty of rest breaks for brand conversations and almond croissants.

While visiting the residences at Cheval Gloucester Park, Cheval Three Quays, Cheval Knightsbridge, Cheval Harrington Court, Cheval Thorney Court, Cheval Calico House, Cheval Phoenix House, and Cheval Hyde Park Gate, Neely interviewed key team members (from concierge, reception staff, and professional cleaning and maintenance). Each team member provided an insight to each luxury residence – all of which are sub-brands within themselves. These interviews also gave Neely the opportunity to better understand the company culture at Cheval Collection – which is hugely important when writing to a specific tone-of-voice.

Cheval’s residences are nothing short of exceptional. Touring them in person allowed Neely to learn the nooks-and-crannies of each property. This included counting the number of hangers in every cloakroom, and writing down the names of every luxury brand providing grooming products to each property (details that can easily go amiss when working with a remote copywriter who doesn’t specialise in luxury hospitality).

The end-result of this research phase was a nuanced understanding of every Cheval residence, and surrounding areas, in London.

It is estimated that website visitors spend no more than eight seconds carving a first (and long-lasting) impression of a brand.

With this in mind, our lead writer started writing the new copy for Cheval Collection’s homepage.

A wireframe (website design) had already been confirmed by this point; so Neely was aware of the space, layout, and design guidelines the team were working with.

The homepage copy was benefit-focused (the main headline: Your luxury lifestyle in London); and therefore, immediately spoke to the target clientele of the company. Neely also ensured that all the homepage copy was easy to understand for guests from all corners of the world – without losing any finesse in style and tone.

For the ‘About’ page, Neely led with a story framework that Artwork Creative has become known for. The idea was to provide meaningful context to Cheval Collection’s decades of expertise in the luxury hospitality market, while also connecting this to the desires and stories of guests. Corporate jargon was replaced with nuanced, brand-specific language. Self-indulgent expressions were swapped with promises of service.

The residence descriptions (by far, the meatiest part of this copywriting project) were written, edited, and perfected over a two-month period. Neely spent many hours working from Cheval HQ in Knightsbridge – where the team was at-hand to fill in any gaps as necessary. This collaborative approach meant that as the brand’s tone-of-voice evolved through Neely’s expertise, the brand and marketing team were there to adapt to it in real-time, too. We felt this was a much more immersive way of bringing this project to light, rather than simply emailing a few Word documents across.

It should be noted, during the copywriting and editing phase, Neely and the team continued to explore the residences’ neighbourhoods. This allowed the new website copy to be rich in genuinely useful information – such as details of nearby eateries, entertainment venues, malls, transport links, etc.

Cheval’s team even took the liberty of talking Neely through the process of collecting deliveries at each five-star residence, as a number of the company’s long-stay guests enjoy meal deliveries and online shopping.

It may sound old-fashioned; but a website remains the ‘shop window’ of any business. When you have a brand as upmarket as Cheval Collection, it becomes even more important to make sure it looks – and reads – the part. Not only this, but the luxury accommodation market in London is heavily saturated. One trip-up on a website; and it’s easier than ever for guests to spend their hard-earned money elsewhere.

What was initially briefed to us as a simple ‘copy rewrite’, evolved into a project that breathed life and luxury to Cheval Collection’s digital presence. This is often the case when working on large website copy projects. Attention is given to brand tone-of-voice, guest avatars, brand values, ethos and story – before we even get to writing. (Anything less and we suspect you may not be working with a true professional).

Cheval Collection’s website has evolved further over the years, as it rightfully should. However, at the time of launching the website with the new copy that Neely Khan was responsible for, direct booking rates soared by 16% and website bounce rates (particularly on booking pages) notably reduced. The company has since launched an app and expanded into Scotland and the Middle East.

We’ve also been particularly impressed with Cheval Collection’s social media identity over the years. It seems the rebirth of their website copy has inspired them to refine copy across all marketing platforms and guest touchpoints. Of course, we cannot take all the credit; but we’re quietly clinking coffee cups somewhere – in pride of our hard writing work.