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Hotels by high-end designer houses are sprouting around the world, all to offer the modern jet-setter a luxury lifestyle experience to remember
From Dubai to Jamaica, Australia to Brazil, high-end fashion hotels are mushrooming as growing numbers of luxury travellers seek a taste of the glamour and indulgence that only stardom used to bring.
Offering presidential suites with everything from private cinemas to personal chefs, Italian brands are investing heavily in the latest fad – creating ‘lifestyle experiences’ which guarantee guests designer perfection.
"This is a massive area of investment for designer labels," says Salvo Testa, professor in fashion management at Milan's Bocconi University. "It's no longer just about getting you to wear Armani, for example, it's about getting you to eat, sleep and dream Armani as well."
Despite the economic crisis, Italian labels in particular are a driving force in the sector, with a Bulgari hotel opening in London in April and hotels planned by Missoni and Armani for Kuwait, Oman, Cape Town and Marrakesh.
"Italian brands have been gradually innovating with secondary fashion lines and homeware, and have even broken into the restaurant business – all of which are elements then incorporated into their hotels," says Testa.
As the well-heeled flock to Milan in these days for fashion week, catwalk shows are followed by parties in the Bulgari hotel or celebrity-packed dinners in the city's Dolce & Gabbana, Just Cavalli and Moschino restaurants.
Those searching for a more intimate dining experience can head to the Armani hotel, where it's possible to book a table in the kitchen and watch the chef rustle up fare dreamt up by the billionaire designer Giorgio Armani himself.
The hotel is the 77-year-old's second venture into the luxury lifestyle business – his first opened in Dubai in 2010 – and he regularly checks in on an experience which can cost guests up to 11,000 euros (S$18,520) a night.
The Armani ideal is to welcome guests from any background and make them feel at home – so much so that they have highly trained personal ‘lifestyle managers’ who are on call 24 hours a day to attend to every whim.
"You're heading out to a party and need a fashion advisor? We'd arrange one for you, or of course you could shop in the Armani clothing store downstairs," says Andrea Zeno Villa, the hotel's marketing and communications manager.
"What party? Everything you could ever need is right here," says his colleague Viviana Giussani as she shows off one of the signature suites, which cover two floors and come with a kitchen and private gym or cinema.
The brand's in-house shops also sell Armani flowers, chocolates and books.
