Are the big names in fashion too cramped for space on the catwalks of Paris, New York or Milan? Having already put their names to perfumes, make-up and household linen, they are now putting their names to hotel shop windows. This diversification was kick-started in 2000 by Versace, who created the first establishment of its kind with the Palazzo Versace on Australia's Gold Coast. Recognised as one of the most beautiful hotels in the country, this complex reflects everything you would expect from Donatella Versace: the elegance and opulence of a classic building; 204 rooms adorned with pillars, marble, crystal chandeliers, coffered ceilings and superb fabrics. At the end of the year, the fashion designer is due to open a second Palazzo Versace in Dubai, and is said to have further plans to establish a veritable hotel chain.
Since her debut on the hotel scene, Donatella Versace has set an example. Now almost all the big names in fashion are working in the sector, led by the Italians. Missoni, Armani, Ferragamo, Moschino and the jeweller Bulgari, to name but a few, have entered the race. The French, like Christian Lacroix, have followed suit, as have the Americans with Ralph Lauren, who designed the rooms at the Round Hill Resort in Jamaica, and Diane Von Furstenberg, with the suites at Claridge's in London.
Bringing these two worlds together may be perplexing, but there is a real logic behind it. "We live in a world where the weight of the brand is increasingly important. Particularly among the 35-55 age group, the typical clientele for luxury hotels. And the names of fashion designers are known the world over. This is not the case for hotel chains".says Thimotée de Roux, Managing Director of Exclusive Hotels, which markets the Maison Champs-Élysées, including 17 suites renamed "Sewing have been designed by Martin Margiella. "More and more high-end clients, used to staying in standardised hotels, are happy to be able to enjoy a unique setting".says Thimothée de Roux to explain these very trendy developments.
As with a wardrobe, hoteliers choose their designers according to their reputation and what they evoke through their collections. Among the major international groups and hotel developers to have succumbed to fashion: Marriott, through its Ritz-Carlton chain, approached Bulgari; Accor asked Kenzo Takada to decorate the Sofitel So Mauritius Bel Ombre; Emaar Hotels & Resorts called on Giorgio Armani to create a new chain under its name, while Rezidor approached Missoni.As a result, the first Hotel Missoni opened in Edinburgh in 2010, followed by a second in Kuwait City last May. Before Oman, Antalya and Ilha de Cajaiba in Brazil. "The combination of design, lifestyle and technology creates a unique experience. From the moment you walk through the doors, you'll know you're in a Hotel Missoni".says Kurt Ritter, Chairman of Rezidor.
Giorgio Armani, meanwhile, has opened its first hotel in Dubai's Burj Khalifa tower. "In my mind, Dubai was the Las Vegas of the Middle East. In other words, the opposite of the minimalism I'm so fond of. I wanted to create something that people would remember".explained the Italian when the hotel opened in April 2010. The result remains sober, with soft curves in the rooms and clean lines.
Rosita Missoni, for her part, is influenced by the spirit of the place in each of her establishments. In Kuwait, she drew her inspiration from the Persian Gulf and oriental culture, which is reflected in the bold use of bright colours and, of course, the original motifs characteristic of the Italian house, such as its famous multicoloured stripes. "Hotel Missoni Kuwait offers a surprising combination of style, glamour and hospitality. The interiors have been designed to put guests at ease. The vibrant gold and turquoise colours are inspired by the Kuwaiti landscape and sea. I am particularly proud of the creation of the terrace garden, adorned with palm trees and cacti, reflecting local nature".explained the designer at the inauguration.
A range of designer hotels
LVMH, rather than highlighting the name of one of its many brands "sewingInstead, LVMH has launched its own hotel chain under the Cheval Blanc name. This new LVMH subsidiary has a hotel in Courchevel, and two more are planned between now and 2012 in Oman and Egypt, before opening in Paris in 2014 as part of the refurbishment of the Samaritaine. But the first LVMH-branded hotel already bears the discreet but distinctive hallmarks of its flagship brand, Louis Vuitton. In the end, only those in the know will know that they are staying with the famous saddler. Just another coquettish gesture?
The big hotel groups are not the only ones to call on the stars of haute couture to reinvent their establishments. Independent properties are following the same approach to differentiate themselves. Not to mention the advertising impact. "An independent hotel or a small chain has neither the resources nor the media coverage to get the word out and seek out new customers on its own, but when it relies on the communications of a big name in fashion, it immediately gains greater visibility.continues Thimotée de Roux.
1 ) Clean lines and sober colours in Dubai for the debut of Armani Hotels, which is expecting the second piece in its hotel collection in Milan this year.
2 ) To decorate your guest house In Provins, Stella Cadente has taken her inspiration from children's stories to create a hotel in her own fairytale image.
3 ) In Milan, the Moschino House revisits the ball gown that drapes the bed, transforming it into a veritable velvet cocoon.
Moschino's label can be found at one of the Milan properties of the small Hotel Philosophy group, Azzedine Alaïa's at 3 Rooms in the Marais district, and Christian Lacroix's at the Notre Dame, Bellechasse and Petit Moulin hotels in Paris. These establishments are as different from one another as the collections of these gentlemen have always been. At Maison Moschino, for example, the Italian couturier has taken the essentials of women's fashion into the bedrooms, while Alaïa has taken inspiration from a famous Milanese establishment, Corso Como, to create three 100 m2 flats in Paris, drawing on his own personal collections for the decor.
Total look and lifestyle
However, the encounter between the world of fashion - by definition ephemeral - and the world of hotels - anchored in the long term - could be confronted with a major question: how can we prevent fashion designers' hotels from going out of fashion as quickly as their collections? Because there's nothing worse than a lobby that looks as if it's just a few seasons old. "The philosophy of a brand remains the same. With accessories and small rearrangements, we can continue to create themes and tell a story, just like at Moschino".says Bernd Neff, vice-president of brands and marketing at Design Hotels, whose collection includes Moschino, the Portuguese Farol Design Hotel, where every room has been designed by fashion designers, and two Lungarno Hotels in Florence, Salvatore Ferragamo's hotel brand. So, to avoid going out of fashion, without renovating hotels from top to bottom, it's the details - the furniture, the objects - that change over the years to keep up with the times.
But when you think about it, what do these couturiers converted to interior design have to offer that the usual five-star designers can't? "The 'total look', to use one of the fashion industry's terms, transformed into a lifestyle".says Sabha Abbedian, spokesperson for the Australian group Sunland, which developed Palazzo Versace. "Guests who choose a fashion hotel do so because they love a brand and what it represents. They want to experience it in this lifestyle version.
And because these customers have such an intimate relationship with the brand, it makes the experience even more intense, multiplying the spirit of luxury tenfold".But be careful, when you've decided to visit a designer establishment, it's best to avoid a lapse in taste. You don't go into Missoni dressed from head to toe by the Italian designer. That would be taking things too far. "total look. An absolute faux pas!
Sofitel chooses Kenzo Takada to dress its new Sofitel So Mauritius resort. The designer has dotted the hotel with details featuring a stylised hibiscus flower, which can be found on bedspreads, bath towels and cushions, as well as on staff uniforms.
Abstract shapes, a multiplicity of fabrics, multicoloured mille-raies In a Hotel Missoni, the customer immediately finds all the distinctive elements of the haute couture brand, which has joined forces with the Rezidor hotel group to develop a joint hotel brand.
