An Untapped Opportunity in Hospitality Retail?

Why I think hospitality brands are sleeping on their e-comm advantage.

Hotels have quietly accompanied nearly every turning point in my adult life. They’ve served as backdrops to a career in luxury communications, and as deeply personal spaces of transformation.

I remember my first hotel bar date in the West Village—The Crosby. My, my, my, was I feeling myself. If they sold a 24-hour lip stain, I’d have bought two.

Equally vivid are the 16 nights I spent at The Wynn in Las Vegas—six months pregnant, and between two Lady Gaga press events involving back to back concerts and helicopters. I was not feeling myself then. But I became so attached to the Wynn’s boundless and theatrical hospitality that I ordered a full set of down pillows in two sizes before I check-out. They were waiting for me at home!

Most lifestyle brands spend millions to manufacture the kind of emotional attachment that hotels evoke so effortlessly. So why do so many hotel groups treat e-commerce like an afterthought? Why not sell something with sentiment?

The Pendry Manhattan West is where I hid away to write the business plan for Anastasio Home. I became a regular there towards the end of the pandemic, and this is a selfie I took in my first complimentary room upgrade. It was so special.

(and just after I took this selfie below, I landed my first retailer for Anastasio Home. It was a very memorable stay. )