The Three Hs: Hotels, Hospitality and Holidays: Strategies for Successful Place Brands in the Post-Pandemic “New Normal”

The Three Hs: Hotels, Hospitality and Holidays – Strategies for Successful Place Brands in the Post-Pandemic "New Normal" examines how place branding is being fundamentally reshaped in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. As global tourism, hospitality, and holiday industries confront disrupted mobility, accelerated digitalisation, heightened sustainability pressures, and shifting consumer expectations, destinations are increasingly required to rebuild trust, resilience, and authenticity in an uncertain and volatile environment. Conceptualising hotels, hospitality services, and holiday destinations as the interconnected "Three Hs", this book positions place branding as an integrative, multi-stakeholder discipline that extends beyond traditional marketing communication. It explores how territorial identity, cultural narratives, digital technologies, and strategic governance interact to shape competitive and sustainable place brands in the post-pandemic "new normal". Bringing together leading international scholars and practitioners, the volume offers theoretically grounded and empirically informed insights into how destinations respond to crises, manage their reputations, and co-create value with residents, visitors, and institutional stakeholders. The book addresses critical contemporary themes, including digital transformation, artificial intelligence, smart destinations, sustainability integration, stakeholder engagement, authenticity, and crisis resilience. Structured across five interconnected sections, it moves from foundational perspectives on place identity and cultural meaning, through technological and digital innovations, to strategic marketing and management approaches, global comparative case studies, and future-oriented research agendas. Together, these perspectives highlight how innovation, technology, sustainability, and storytelling are redefining competitive advantage across diverse geographic and cultural contexts. Designed for both academic and professional audiences, this volume provides rigorous frameworks, global case evidence, and practical insights for researchers, graduate students, destination marketers, hospitality executives, policymakers, and urban planners. By combining conceptual depth with applied relevance, The Three Hs offers timely guidance for building resilient, ethical, and technologically enabled place brands in the evolving global tourism and hospitality landscape.