Aven Hospitality

Aven Hospitality powers how hotels sell, distribute, and deliver guest experiences, with technology trusted by more than 35,000 hotels around the world. Formerly Sabre Hospitality Solutions, Aven launched as an independent company with a new name, a new brand, and team members in 20 countries.

Industry

Products and Services

Capabilities

Strategy Artificial Intelligence Websites Video and Motion Print Experiences Packaging

Services Provided

Design Thinking
User Experience
Specialty Packaging
Brochures and Sales Collateral
Custom Illustrations and Iconography
Branded Apparel and Swag
Microsite Design
UX and UI Development
Sizzle Reels
Print Production Management
Fulfillment Planning
International Shipping Logistics

Project Overview

Challenges

Welcoming new hires into a company whose name and identity were brand new.
Showing that the new Aven is organized, thoughtful, human, and more than a name change.
Connecting the people at a technology company to the hospitality at the heart of its work.
Giving the same welcome to new hires in offices and remote roles across 20 countries.

Solutions

Created the Aven Arrival Experience, an onboarding program built on the language of travel.
Designed a suitcase-inspired box and a kit of keepsakes that new hires open before their first day.
Built a preboarding home base that carries the experience online.
Planned fulfillment for kits shipping to new hires in the U.S., India, Poland, Uruguay, and beyond.

Results

New hires meet the Aven brand before their first day.
A physical and digital welcome that tells one connected story.
A repeatable program Aven's team can run as the company grows.

The Aven Arrival Experience

Aven is in the business of welcoming people. So the work started with a simple question: what if starting a new job felt like arriving somewhere you were expected? The answer became the Aven Arrival Experience, a journey that treats a new hire's first days like the start of a trip. They check in, unpack, and set out with a clear sense of where they're headed.

Angled front view of Aven onboarding box on a yellow background

A Suitcase Full of Welcome

The box takes the shape of a suitcase—crisp and clean to match their sophisticated brand. Travel stickers on the outside mark the places Aven operates, so a new hire in Krakow or in Texas open the same welcome kit, and are met with the same global team.

Printing, swag production, fulfillment, and shipping was all done with the help of Rule29's parent company, O'Neil Printing. The O'Neil team helped navigate the challenges that are often associated with international shipping, making sure the kits reached new hires around the world.

Opened view of Aven onboarding box interior showing welcome message and swag items on a light blue background

Looping animation of Aven onboarding stickers appearing on a yellow and orange background

Inside, a passport booklet fits neatly into its own passport holder. It introduces the Aven A's (Ambition, Action, and Acumen) as passport stamps, then closes with a reflection page where new hires write down where they want to grow in their first 90 days.

Along with the passport items, a t-shirt, an embroidered quarter zip, and a debossed luggage tag round out the kit. A hotel-style key card invites them to learn more at the onboarding microsite. Their online Aven journey begins with a quick scan of a QR code.

Aven passport booklet mockup on a dark gray background

Aven keycard mockup on a dark gray background

Working with Rule29 has been one of the best partnerships I've had. We've brought them so many creative projects, and they have wowed me again and again with what's possible.

“Their designs are beautiful, but what makes them special is what they put into the relationship—they are patient, fun and dedicated. They feel like an extension of our team and are just as excited as we are about the success of whatever we're launching. They work with you at every step, from a back-of-the-napkin idea to a finished creation you never could have dreamed up yourself.

I can't say enough good things about them, and I'd recommend Rule29 to anyone looking for a creative partner who truly cares.”

Mackenzie Egan

Sr. Manager, Learning & Development, Aven Hospitality

A Home Base Before Day One

The welcome starts before the box arrives. New hires get a link to an online experience, where a welcome video, a look at the first 90 days, a map of Aven's offices, and words from current team members help them feel connected early. The office map reuses the stickers from the box, so the website and the suitcase share one look. Aven's team manages the site, and it has room to grow with new videos and office guides.

Woman sitting in a public space looking at the Aven onboarding website login page on a laptop

Aven onboarding microsite admin dashboard screens

Every new Aven hire now starts the job the way a great hotel stay starts, with a proper check-in.

150+

Arrival kits produced for the first run of new hires.

20

Countries where Aven has team members, all welcomed by one experience.

90

Days of onboarding the experience prepares new hires for.

Continuing the Journey

The Aven Arrival Experience was built to keep going after its first run, with new hires receiving kits on a regular schedule as they join the team. By adding new videos, guides, and stickers as Aven opens new locations, we can ensure every new team member, in any office and in any country, starts their Aven story the same way: expected and welcomed.