The world’s famous designers are not only living in hotels anymore - just like Coco Chanel in her famous Suite at the Ritz Paris - they are bringing them to life. Hotels and Fashion Designers alike benefit from those collaborations.
The renowned Karl Lagerfeld did signed several projects in the world's most luxurious hotels. At the Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo, he featured the hotel’s swimming pool Odyssey with a stunning fresco-style installation made up of 15 glass panels portraying Ulysses’ journey, gardens and Joël Robuchon’s third restaurant within the hotel. He had as well designed two stunning Suites at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris over the recent hotel refurbishment as well as the entire concept of the SO/ Hotel in Singapoure.
Talking about SO/, hotel groups such as Accor Hotels have been making it part of their strategy in order to seduce their millennials prospects. They are giving a unique atmosphere and identity to each of their hotel such as the SO/ Bangkok designed by Christian Lacroix or the brand new SO/ Paseo del Prado La Habana thinked by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. They clearly assume the goal to create a scenography thanks to which clients will share their emotions on social medias and become ambassadors of those Lifestyle Hotels. At the same time, Fashion Designers find a very interesting asset in these Lifestyle Hotels. They target customers who can identify themselves in the brand, not only wearing it, but living it to its full extent by sleeping in rooms designed by their favorite Fashion Designer. The lucky employees wearing their fashioned uniforms parade along the customers as professional models ! One of the best example is probably the Armani hotels in Milan and Dubai using Armani Casa furniture and products, incarnating Giorgio Armani’s values and life spirit.
I find this kind of collaboration a very interesting way for both hotels and Fashion Designers. Hotels benefit of a unique selling point to differentiate themselves from the competition. They do grant a memorable experience and scenography to their privileged guests. Fashion Designers do enjoy a powerful marketing tool to increase visibility showcasing their art in beautiful and trendy hotels. The unbeatable luxury group LVMH chose years ago to expand their portfolio into the hospitality industry. Their fourth luxury hotel Cheval Blanc will be a quintessential example in Paris, opening this year.
