At Luxury Branding, we have worked on a number of stimulating projects that have explored the diversification potential of global consumer brands into the hospitality sector. These include Armani, Calm, Cirque du Soleil, and Paramount. To date, two of these concepts (Armani Hotels & Resorts and Paramount Hotels & Resorts) have come to market successfully.

We are currently in discussion with a world-renowned interior designer about the translation of their brand of style into a proprietary style of hotels and resorts and we were approached recently by a global brand licensing house. They represent an impressive portfolio of brands, ranging from big names in fashion and beauty, entertainment and gaming, sport and fitness, events, trademarks, as well as a surprising stable of media titles, all keen to make the same move.

Evidently, there is significant interest from a growing number of brands to enter into partnerships within the fields of hospitality, events and experiential, especially in the Middle East where there seems to be real appetite and opportunity for these projects. We find it fascinating that in their rush to embrace the experience economy, many household names are apparently so keen to enter to their customer base the offer of board and lodgings as a supplement or value add to their current and core activities.

On this front, the announcements keep coming and a recent spate of putative new entrants into the hotel area were surveyed insightfully by veteran travel and wellness journalist and consultant Laura Powell in her recent piece ‘Consumer Brands Flood into Hospitality’ (published August 2, 2022) for Hospitality Insights.

Luxury Branding Founder, Piers Schmidt, is quoted in Laura’s piece.