When communications director Claire Abeire exchanged the world of Christian Louboutin’s red sole with the world of Burberry checks on the marble lobby and sandy beaches of Carsner International’s luxury resort, she was a fashion contact. It brought more than Rorodex.
Currently serving as Vice President of Global Communications at the parent company of One&Only Resorts and Atlantis Hotels, the executive is part of a growth wave of fashion veterans tapped by luxury hospitality groups for brand building expertise. .
The leading international hotel groups entrust fashion industry professionals to rethink everything from guest experiences to brand storytelling.
Brett Armitage, chief commercial officer at Kerzner International, observed that fashion houses beautifully constructed emotional connections with individuals of the same height that hotels courted. I admitted that the gorgeous Hospitality Playbook needed to be rewritten.
Solution? Use that expertise directly. Within 18 months, Kerzner hired a trio of veterans from the fashion industry. Abeilleé of Christian Louboutin led global communications. Edward Lee of Tom Ford as creative director, and more recently, from Dior to Spearhead sustainability.
“We embrace not only a creative impact, but a holistic perspective on how we approach our brand story,” Armitage said.
The foreground rendering of Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab was set to open soon in Dubai with views of the iconic Burj Al Arab landscape.
Courtesy of Jumeirah
There are many more examples:
Two years ago, Marriott International invited fashion PR veteran Sabalandman to oversee global brand communications at Marriott International. Michael Gleave was appointed Chief Brand Officer of Dubai-based Jumeirah Group last year, and was poached by Gucci where he served as vice president, brand and client. And recently, longtime LVMH Watches and Jewelry PR Director Stephanie Le Badezet joined Accor Group and oversees Orient Express’s global communications strategy.
“We’re excited to announce that we’re a great place to go,” said Landman, Senior Vice President of Global Brands and Portfolio Public Relations at Marriott International. This “translates seamlessly into hospitality PR. In this PR, creating a unique and immersive experience is just as important as the aesthetic appeal of a brand.”
Landmann includes Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bulgari Hotels and Resorts, St. He is responsible for key communications for the company’s portfolio of 30 diverse hotel brands, including RegisHotels and Resorts, Edition, The Luxury Collection, and JW Marriott and W Hotels. . She joined Marriott after major communications with G-III Apparel Group, which owns Donna Curran, Karl Lagerfeld and Villebrekin. Prior to that, he played senior roles at Vince Holding Corp. and Alice+Olivia.
Tina Edmundson, president of Luxury at Marriott International, described her recruitment philosophy as follows: , we need to understand how to create competitive, dynamic, ambitious narratives, leverage and navigate cultural trends, and build emotional connections with consumers. ”
Shared customers across both industries are also important factors in promoting pollination beyond this industry. Abeilleé highlighted the important overlap of their target audience, especially for Kerzner, which operates ultra-luxurious characteristics.
“In the hotel segment, we’re ultimately talking to the same super-net audience, 1%.”
This shared consumer base means that fashion executives bring valuable insight into the preferences and behavior of luxury consumers. “Luxury fashion brands not only command the loyalty with the same customers we cherish, but always reinvent, innovate and respond to change,” Abeilleé added.
The skills required to build and maintain luxury brands will become increasingly transferable across the sector, particularly when it comes to understanding and serving the world’s most discerning consumers.
“The recruitment from fashion is on the hospitality client list,” said Jean Allen, a partner at New York executive search company Heidrick & Struggle.
Communications executives have moved particularly well, she added.
“There are many similarities between fashion and hospitality in terms of understanding how to understand strategy change and the complexity of the matrix. Fashion people see a lot of change and experience the brand. I have worked at a certain level of strength in personality,” Allen said. “They understand the 24/7 nature of social media and everything that really impacts fashion and hospitality than any other industry.”
“The trends in luxury brand talent moving towards hospitality reflect the strategic changes in creating high-end experiences, combining the sophisticated expertise of the fashion world with the focus of hospitality-oriented” in 2024 It was shaped like a Burj Al Arab, which marks its 25th anniversary.
Their toolbox also includes expertise with partnerships, strategic events and media engagement, which “amplifies the visibility and fame of the brand,” he said.
Fashion executives have arrived at hospitality companies amid the explosion at hotels where famous fashion houses have been branded, not to mention Bvlgari, including Versace, Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld and Ellie Saab.
Grieve argued that “pure hospitality players like Jumeirah are uniquely set up to respond with deep expertise in delivering exceptional guest experiences.
“While fashion brands are excellent in design and create ambitious appeal, pure hospitality players have the distinct advantage of operational excellence,” he said in an interview. “Operating a hotel is a complex art that requires seamless coordination of service, food, housekeeping and guest engagement.”
Le Badezet is set to open its first hotel in 2025 by the legendary travel brand, with the opening of the Orient Express Laminerva in Rome and the Palazzo Palazzo Dona Giovanneli in Venice. She said: It finds the right balance between heritage and modern reinterpretation. ”
Another particularly valuable asset that people who have worked in fashion often bring to the role of hospitality is global thinking. “Clients couldn’t hire people who didn’t have global experience. Hospitality companies really couldn’t take that risk,” Allen said. “Fashion brands are well versed in meeting diverse cultural expectations and regional preferences.”
The Jumeirah Group is expanding across the international market with plans to double its portfolio by 2030.
“Jumeirah is an international brand with ambitious growth goals and we are actively raising our profile globally,” Gleave said. Milan-based client engagement activities in Europe and the Middle East.
Grieve will oversee high-profile launches including Jumeirah Le Richemond in Geneva, Jumeirah Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, and Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab in Dubai.
In his view, the gorgeous traveler “seek for a deeply resonant, purpose-driven experience. They want more than amenities – they want memories.”
Gleeve also cited growing interest in health, cultural discoveries, a sense of belonging and “an authentic, memorable culinary journey.”
The transition from fashion to hospitality has its own challenges. Marriott’s Landman pointed out that while fashion PR often focuses on promoting a particular product within the seasonal cycle, hospitality requires a broader, and sometimes more complicated approach.
“We’re not just promoting our products, but the entire ecosystem that includes experiences: location, architecture, services, amenities and lifestyle,” Landmann says.
The newest hotel to be added to Marriott International’s luxury collection portfolio, Casabrera reflects Milanese’s design, art and culture.
The hospitality industry also calls for different types of relationship building. “While fashion campaigns often focus on launches at specific moments and seasonal launches, hospitality PR needs to promote ongoing relationships with media, influencers and guests. Storytelling is a great way to help people understand that We need to evolve while maintaining brand consistency over the long term,” Landmann said.
Fashion industry expertise in partnerships, strategic events and media engagement can help amplify brand visibility and fame in measurable ways. Kerzner pursues partnerships with luxury fashion brands such as Dior and Balmain, creating a unique beach and pool club environment. Similarly, Marriott’s gorgeous portfolio saw an array of unexpected partnerships across fashion, including Ritz X’s late checkout and JW Marriot’s co-branding line with Flamingo Estate.
“Fashion PR taught us the importance of staying ahead of trends,” Landman said, adding that the skill is “wellness-centric travel, sustainable, where consumer expectations are constantly evolving, with wellness-centric travel, sustainable, where consumer expectations are constantly evolving. Practices, or sustainable practices, or superpersonalised services.”
As the boundaries between the various luxury sectors continue to blur, the influx of fashion talent into hospitality could accelerate as operators unveil their ambitious expansion plans.
The growth of the gorgeous hospitality landscape is fashioned by innovative new concepts and fashion-influenced leadership.
“We pushed the boundaries of how we work with our partners, the stories we tell in our creative campaigns, and the spaces that our brands have in the world,” Armitage said. This year, we will open one and only Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana, from Keltzner, the first U.S. destination and first Alpine resort. The company also launched its second wellness-centric Shiro Hotel in Boca location in Montenegro, with additional properties planned for Los Cabos and Riyadh beyond 2025 following the brand’s debut at Wanza Abir in Dubai It’s been done.
Big Sky Montana’s One&Only will open later this year.
Rupert Peace
Meanwhile, Orient Express has launched its Ladolce Vita Orient Express service and is making its own bold move to introduce its first sailing yacht, the Orient Express Corinthian. Orient Express is unique to combine boats, trains and hotels under one luxury hospitality brand. As Le Badezet put it, “The future of luxury is becoming more and more experiential, and hospitality is growing faster than the traditional luxury sector.”
– Contributions from Miles Socha
