Stephani Robson, a senior lecturer at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell, said retail companies
that open hotels had to work with companies that had hotel experience.
Next year, it expects to begin opening boutique hotels in five cities, including Detroit, Charlotte, N. C., and Savannah, Ga.
“It’s more-approachable travel coming to life,” said Peter Fowler, vice president for hospitality and work space at the company.
“A brand like West Elm can signal ‘our brand is experiential’ — reinforce positioning for customers not familiar with the brand,” she said.
There, West Elm, a division of Williams-Sonoma that sells modern furniture
and accessories online and in nearly 90 stores nationwide, has created model hotel rooms.
“The brand has a whole new sense of importance.”
Several hotel brands and chains, among them Westin, Marriott and Hilton, already sell beds, linens and accessories.
Tommy Hilfiger, whose designs include apparel, luggage
and linens sold at Macy’s, Kohl’s and online, purchased the Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach in 2014 and is developing it in conjunction with the Dogus Group, a Turkish conglomerate.
