Vagabond Executive Inn - Get your message straight!

"Branding" and "message" may be two concepts that don't have much to do with use and usability in product design, but they have something to do with it - without the right message to the user about what the product fundamentally is, users may not know how to approach the product, what to expect, or how it would fit their needs. On that subject, I'd like to present the peculiar creature that is the "Vagabond Executive Inn." Hmm. "Vagabond" is a chain of motels, and I think I know what to expect based on the name: the bare essentials for a wandering nomad, with the unfortunate added connotations of filth or general scuzziness. "Executive" is anything that caters to the (self-)important businessman, who demands service, convenience, and a bit of pampering. So what the heck can I expect at the Vagabond Executive? Sounds like something of an oxymoron to me - and with confused expectations surely come plenty of confused customers. This branding could have been better--and more-usably--designed!

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