A Room That Sells
Retail extras in hotels enhance the hospitality experience.
Hotels have always looked to retail for enhanced services to offer their guests. Apart from their own gift shops, some of New York’s hotels piloted with hosting pop-ups from department stores. Known as the “pop-up architects,” The Lion’esque Group set up temporary shops at the Refinery Hotel with exclusive products from brands like Puma. Some hotels have gone one step further, benefiting from the unique experiences retailers can bring to their guests.
Guests of four W Hotels now have the option to rent a few pieces of clothing from Rent the Runway upon booking their room, which will be waiting for them in their closet when they check in. The location in South Beach offers a collection of beach essentials, while the Aspen branch features ski pieces. Meanwhile, guests of Westin Hotels, another Marriott-owned brand, can request a Peloton exercise bike to be relocated from the hotel gym to their rooms during their stay.
“Collaborating with Rent the Runway…allows us to reinvent the way our guests pack and dress as they travel,” said Anthony Ingham, global brand leader of W Hotels, “skipping the packing process is a whole new level of luxury for our guests and is yet another surprising way to reinvent hospitality.” For retailers and brands, hotel visitors are a valuable base to drive brand awareness, where it can be introduced and managed by hotel staff who know everything about creating great experiences.
Sources: Marriott (December 5, 2019) | Glossy (December 5, 2019) | Modern Retail (December 12, 2019) | Image: Laura Pittaccio