A special edition Brics tote bag covered in a painting of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. — senseoflake.com
I was on vacation a couple of weeks ago on Mykonos in Greece when I spotted a thirty-something tourist carrying two bags. One was Dior, the other was a brown tote from the Four Seasons Astir Palace in Athens.
I immediately started doing the maths: The Dior tote sold for about US$3,000 (RM13,050), or roughly as much as a two-night stay at the Four Seasons in peak season this summer.
Later that day, the woman next to me at a seaside bar in Little Venice dressed down a sundress with a cap from Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, a top resort in the south of France, about 1,900km away from Greece.
Back in London, I started seeing hotel merchandise even on the trains. Among all the designer backpacks and Daunt Books tote bags, commuters were also carrying bags from the luxury resorts One&Only and Newt In Somerset.
Wearing swag from a beloved property had suddenly become the hottest fashion flex.
Luxury hotels are investing more in merchandise, whether it’s a branded pink-and-green US$218 (RM948) nylon tote from the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, an US$88 (RM383) baseball cap from Le Bristol Paris or even US$770 (RM3,351) silk pyjamas from the Peninsula London.
The Olivia von Halle capsule collection with Peninsula London includes this set of pyjamas. — oliviavonhalle.com
It’s a tantalising source of additional revenue, but according to Barbara Czarnecka, associate professor at London’s South Bank University Business School, it’s also a savvy marketing play. “It is making consumers feel like they will somehow join the club if they buy a product branded by a luxury hotel.”
In other words, these fashionable accessories function the same way a concert T-shirt does: It reminds you of a fun time while also signalling your status-symbol values. Long after the Instagram stories from that epic European summer vacation have faded, the merchandise will keep telling everyone that you’ve been to a top hotel – or at least bought the T-shirt.
Over the past decade, fashion influencers have cycled through various “-core” trends. Normcore was a reaction against maximalism and branded fast-fashion labels. Gorpcore drew inspiration from sporty, utilitarian clothing, bringing the great outdoors in. And who could forget last summer’s bubble-gum-pink Barbiecore?
Let’s call this current moment, “resortcore”.
A symbol of status
Aman, considered by many to be the most luxurious hotel company in the world, says its ecommerce business has doubled in size over the past year. Among other items, its online shop sells a US$2,700 (RM11,752) monogrammed “A” tote bag. Mandarin Oriental offers a cotton-and- leather bag with the group’s signature fan embossed on it for £126 (RM720). The Hotel Eden in Rome, Italy hawks a handmade yellow canvas bag inspired by the city for €450 (RM2,166).
“Merchandise is a status symbol for a lot of people, depending on whether the hotel is an upscale or meaningful destination,” says Leora Lanz, associate professor at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration in the United States.
Aman resorts’ classic tote, which costs more than you’d expect, comes in several colours. — aman.com
She says hotel swag gives off a sort of “if-you-know-you-know” quality, especially for Millennial and Gen Z consumers.
Jennifer Alfano, a New York stylist who writes The Flair Index newsletter, agrees. “Our souvenirs are different now,” she says. “It’s harder to find unique things when you’re travelling – everything gets a little ubiquitous. This is a way to bring something back that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Hotels have been selling merchandise in shops on-site for years, of course. But the recent push into ecommerce was partly fuelled by the extended closures during the Covid-19 pandemic, when brands were looking for ways to connect with guests who couldn’t visit in person.
But once guests piled back into hotels at the end of the lockdowns, the trend morphed from mere memento to statement maker.
Stephanie Phair, the former chair of the British Fashion Council, says she’s seen more luxury brands expand into hospitality partnerships. “People have been wanting to put their money into travel and experiences post-Covid-19,” she says.
“So fashion brands and hotels have been thinking, ‘How do we capitalise on this now?’.”
Luxury loungewear company Olivia von Halle recently launched a capsule collection with the Peninsula London that includes £620 (RM3,543) silk pyjamas inspired by the hotel’s sweeping views over Hyde Park. American fashion brand Frame teamed up with the Ritz Paris.
Some Hollywood celebrities have been seen wearing this special edition cap. — ritzparis.com
In July, Paper London partnered with Four Seasons Hampshire, selling items like stylish £150 (RM857) sweatshirts and bags that go with the country- chic vibe of the resort.
“Despite this being our inaugural venture into the hospitality branded merchandise realm, several styles from the collection sold out within the first few days,” says Philippa Thackeray, founder and CEO of Paper London.
The five-star Paris hotel Le Bristol also launched its first clothing line this year. The collection includes €150 (RM722) leggings adorned with the crest of the hotel alongside matching tops.
Valentina de Santis, the Italian hotelier behind the celebrated Passalacqua and Grand Hotel Tremezzo, both in Lake Como, has started collaborations with fashion designer Emilia Wickstead and Italian luxury brand Brics.
On her ecommerce site, Sense Of Lake, de Santis sells pieces inspired by the gardens and shoreline of Lake Como, such as a €550 (RM2,647) carry-on with a vintage-looking print of the hotel’s facade on the front. She expanded the product line less than a year after winning the inaugural best hotel in the world award at the 50 Best Hotel awards in 2023.
“We created the boutique as a promise both for our guests to take unique memories away with them and for every traveller that wanted to begin dreaming about Lake Como,” de Santis says.
Newt In Somerset, a luxury accommodation set in a country estate in England, sells understated tote bags like these on its website. — thenewtinsomerset.com
This team-up just makes sense, says fashion executive Phair. “Passalacqua speaks to everything that’s beautiful and refined about the Italian lifestyle on Lake Como, and Emilia Wickstead speaks to the same audience. It’s a perfect collaboration in this way,” she says.
There’s even a growing second-hand market for these items. Katherine Hughey runs the retailer Alabaster Jones, which sells vintage coasters from the Ritz London for US$250 (RM1,088) and tote bags from the Beverly Hills Hotel. She says that interest in hotel merchandise in particular has risen since she started her business in 2017.
“We do market research – a lot of these hotels are just extremely popular,” she says. “The pieces make great conversation starters.”
Phair says she thinks this trend will continue, as fashion brands try to reach their audience where they’re at-and for many of those clients, where they’ve been this summer is at many of these luxury hotels. “Fashion is one of those categories that really crosses over,” Phair says.
“It’s been in sports, music, and now it’s moving into experiences and hotels.” – SARAH RAPPAPORT/Bloomberg
