ABOUT
Canoe Place Inn & Cottages in Hampton Bays, New York has welcomed guests in various ways for more than 300 years. The most recent owners envisioned a new era for the property, and recognized the need for a new brand that would position the destination for today’s mix of affluent travelers. As ownership set about on a rebrand, they thought they faced a stark choice: rest on history or lean entirely into the next generation.
Canoe Place turned to FerebeeLane, a South Carolina-based advertising agency, to chart the inn’s brand overhaul. The decision was clear: instead of an either/or approach, the refresh and subsequent campaign would incorporate Canoe Place’s varied past as ingredients to create a future that would resonate with today’s guests. The explicit goal was to redefine luxury hospitality for a new generation of travelers.
The process began with FerebeeLane crafting a comprehensive brand identity and playbook that guided every guest touchpoint, including the color of the guest room sheets, the design of the restaurant menus, the artwork on display throughout the property, and the hotel staff uniforms. These individual details fused together to ensure consistency with the new brand identity.
FerebeeLane handled the project with clear, nuanced balance. Canoe Place would reflect the site’s multiple incarnations. From its speakeasy era in the ‘20s, to serving as a destination for Lucy and Desi in the ‘50s, on to its time as a popular disco in ‘70s and ultimately serving as a nightclub/concert venue that hosted performances by The Ramones; those distinct periods were recaptured through exuberant typography and with icons such as “The Disco Crab,” which recalled both the location’s maritime harvesting past as well as its dance floor glory days.
With the new look and the updated story in place, FerebeeLane developed a series of “micro experiences” intended to bring the feel of the brand to life for Canoe Place visitors. For example, it partnered with Jeep to use the automaker’s Wagoneer to bring guests to and from airports, nearby beaches, vineyards, and other local attractions. FerebeeLane also designed walking paths throughout the property — allowing guests to explore the expanse of the location with quiet, intimate moments as though they had their own private enclave.
With that groundwork set, FerebeeLane launched a street art campaign in New York City to complement the rebrand and bring the Hamptons to the city streets. The concept would also draw a direct line bringing city travelers out to Canoe Place; they were invited to conceive it as their “First Stop Out East.”
The result of this extensive effort was the successful reopening of the property, now featuring 20 guest rooms and five multi-bedroom cottages.
With Canoe Place, and the guiding theme of “rewriting history,” FerebeeLane has helped the inn draw on its rich heritage, ensuring that the property’s colorful past remains a vibrant part of its present to explore future paths of hospitality.
