It’s Not a Hotel. It’s a Masterclass in Branding.

This was my third time at Tante Frida.

And still, I wasn’t ready.

Because this isn’t just a hotel.
It’s a story.

Not a generic one.
A fully illustrated, weirdly beautiful, slightly chaotic fairytale—that lands in your mailbox before you even pack your socks.

Meet Frida.

She was a kid who grew up in her parents’ boring hotel. Old people. Boring food. Nothing to climb, nothing to draw on.

So she did what every bored kid dreams of.
She ran away.

Took a hippie bus to Italy.
Learned to cook in Egypt.
Bought a flying carpet at a bazaar and zipped to India.
Then Japan—where she made friends with a robot.
Then L.A.—where she met two parrots.

Now?
That robot (well, his cousin) clears plates in the restaurant.
And those two parrots? They’re chilling at the hotel right now, 100% real.

You get the picture.

It’s not just the murals or the made-up Frida language or the fact that there’s a treasure map hidden in the walls.

It’s that every single thing has a story.

Ramen night? From Japan.
Pasta bar? Recipe from that Italian lady.
Burger bar? Straight outta L.A.
Even the kids’ menu comes with crayons.

There’s ziplining. Wall climbing. A hidden cinema.
And if your kid’s not into any of that?
They’ll probably be too busy painting the table or sliding down a waterslide.

But here’s what I love most:

They didn’t build a hotel for kids.
They built a world.

And everything supports the story. Everything.

This isn’t about family-friendly amenities.
This is about imagination.
This is branding as storytelling.
And storytelling as full-blown experience design.

So here’s your creative challenge:

Don’t just build a product.
Build a story so good they want to live inside it.

Tino

PS: And make sure to watch this video on Instagram (and follow me if you don’t).