Marriott is deploying a new e-commerce strategy with destination-specific drops, selling the same decor and furniture found in its hotels as customers continue to impulse-buy based on travel experiences.Marriott announced Design Shop in May, framing it as a new e-commerce arm of its Bonvoy Boutiques retail operation where customers can buy the same decor, linens and table settings that Marriott’s designers use in its hotels.
One of its first collections was W Hotels Living, inspired by the newly redesigned W New York – Union Square property. Pieces include a custom headboard, a platform bed and an upholstered bench, plus accents like lighting, art, glass vases, trays and bookends. It also launched the French Riviera Collection, which draws from Marriott properties in Cannes and Nice with serving boards, linens and decor that lean heavily on ocean-evoking shades of blue.
Peggy Roe, evp and chief customer officer at Marriott, said the Design Shop strategy plays off of the “try before you buy” experience people have when they go to hotels, as well as people’s overall interest in wanting to buy curated, personalized items for their home.
“There’s a higher propensity for someone to buy something and cherish it because they found it in a place where they normally wouldn’t,” she said. “And so we’re experimenting with different ways to bring people into the ecosystem, knowing there are a lot of core products they may be interested in.”
