The Set is a carefully curated luxury brand affiliation company, comprising some of the world’s best, like-minded, independent hotels and resorts.

The Set’s a portfolio consists of non-competing properties, encouraging member hotels to collaborate together in a meaningful way.

While maintaining full control over daily operations and their own hotel brand and identity, member hotels enjoy The Set's wide commercial and brand benefits on a global scale.

Founded in 2011, The Set is a carefully curated group of luxury, design-led hotels that retain their independence while being united by a shared promise of excellence. With a brand rooted in individuality, authenticity, and elevated experiences, The Set supports its members with marketing, loyalty, and strategic guidance across the globe.

Jordan: Hi Kasia! Tell us a bit about your role at The Set, and how you got started in the hotel industry.

‍Kasia: In August 2021, I joined The Set to head up digital marketing. In my current role, I’m responsible for overseeing our global marketing strategy, building global brand awareness for The Set and supporting each of our design-led independent member hotels with their marketing needs. It’s a broad role – one day I might be refining our brand messaging and the next I’m consulting with an individual hotel on a new campaign or partnership. I also oversee loyalty efforts and CRM as part of my remit.

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Jordan: What do you think makes a successful brand-agency relationship?

‍Kasia: When an agency ‘gets’ who you are at a fundamental level, their creative work and strategy align so much better with what you envision. It saves time and feels almost like they are an internal team that speaks our language.

Jordan: Which brands do you admire in the way they go about things?

Kasia: What I admire most about Dior is their ability to remain culturally and creatively relevant across generations. Whether it’s through fashion, fragrance, or beauty, Dior consistently weaves heritage and innovation together, never losing sight of its legacy, but always pushing forward. They’ve mastered the balance of timeless elegance and contemporary expression, which is something we often aim for at The Set, particularly in the way we present and position our hotels globally.

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Jordan: How can marketers utilise agency support when it comes to planning your marketing strategy?

‍Kasia: I like to treat agencies as an extension of our team during the planning phase. We’ll hold joint workshops or strategy sessions where our internal team and the agency team brainstorm together.

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Jordan: If there was one thing you could change about your industry, what would it be?

‍Kasia: Our industry is all about people, the service, the smiles, the creativity in crafting experiences, yet hospitality hasn’t always been seen as the most attractive career due to long hours, relatively lower pay at entry levels and sometimes limited growth opportunities.

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Jordan: How do you balance your strategy to scale The Set’s brand awareness, but also align this to scale properties in your collection with their own brand?

‍Kasia: We’ve defined The Set as an endorsement brand with a deep commitment to authenticity and individuality. It stands for a promise of quality, luxury and individuality. Each property is non-competing and empowered by The Set to maintain full creative and operational independence, while retaining its own brand identity and unique story, with The Set serving as a trust mark that ties them together.

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Jordan: How do you engage and develop your team to retain them in the business and hotel industry?

‍Kasia: I encourage my team to bring new ideas to the table and I give them ownership of projects from start to finish. For example, if someone has a creative idea for a social media series or a partnership, I’ll support them in developing it rather than micromanaging.

Jordan: How do you build and sustain the desired culture, to have the partners/staff keep marketing in mind?

‍Kasia: From day one I’ve emphasised that every team member and hotel partner contributes to our brand. I regularly share feedback, success stories and data with all team members.

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Jordan: Talk me through how you create buy-in internally from senior leaders who aren't marketers.

‍Kasia: I’ve learned to frame marketing initiatives in terms that matter to non-marketing executives. For example, instead of just pitching a branding campaign, I’ll explain how it’s expected to increase direct bookings by X%.

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Listen to the full interview

Catch Kasia Rudnick’s full episode of Against the Grain on Vimeo

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