Rent the Runway is partnering with W hotels in three U . S . cities to supply pre-selected clothing and accessories for guests to wear during their stay . with Rent the Runway at its hotels in Aspen , South Beach , Washington , D . C ., and Hollywood . Through the Closet Concierge service , guests paying a US $ 69 fee can rent up to four pieces from RTR ’ s inventory of designer threads and accessories during their stay . The selections are tailored to each location based on the wardrobe supplier ’ s proprietary data on trending colors , designers , silhouettes and climate . Guests make selections before their arrival , and the clothing and accessories are waiting for them at check-in .
“ The RTR Concierge Closet allows us to have a game-changing impact on the way women travel , enabling them to curate fabulous wardrobes delivered right to their rooms and pack the lightest carry-ons ever ,” says Anthony Ingham , W Hotels ’ global brand leader . Based on the results , he says the service could be expanded to more W properties .
UNDEREXPOSURE / OVERCROWDING
Some pop-ups partner with like-minded companies to accelerate their impact : Men ’ s clothier J . Hilburn , for example , scheduled a pop-up trunk show in conjunction with a bourbon tasting . A beauty brand doing a lobby pop-up also might furnish a limited line of amenities for guest bathrooms . Customized room keys can reinforce the message as well .
A clear branding and marketing vision is vital to the success of any pop-up . “ Alignment matters ,” Gonzalez says . “ You have to keep the customer first , so anything you let into your space has to have the right price point , the right aesthetic , the right image .” In 2019 , wellness and especially CBD-related pop-ups spiked , she says , but “ that ’ s a touchy thing — not everyone is going to say ‘ yes ’ to that .”
For W Hotels , cachet and convenience drove the decision to pilot a partnership
Without media exposure , even the world ’ s hippest pop-up could fizzle . “ You definitely need a media campaign around it . A lot of hotels are getting savvier about that ,” says retail strategist Melissa Gonzalez of New York-based Lionesque Group .
That often means an opening reception and outreach to media and social influencers . Lobby signage , internal email blasts to guests and cross-promotion by the pop-up partner help as well .
Frequency is another issue to consider . Dream ’ s New York properties went through a phase of back-to-back short pop-ups , but Digital Marketing Manager Lauren Saxe says that ’ s been cut down to one or two a month .
“ We don ’ t want to overcrowd the lobby or bombard guests with too much , but we still want them to experience something unique ,” Saxe says . “ This way , brands aren ’ t overlapping and we can put more time and energy into curating a lineup that will fit with our hotels ’ ethos .”
Sometimes pop-up partners want to hang around longer than a week or a month , which forces the hotel to choose between making the relationship official or moving on . “ It depends on the goals of the hotel ,” Gonzalez says . Some pop-ups make absolute sense as a regular tenant , and some hotels have empty real estate to fill . But “ a lot of them like the energy of something fresh and new ,” she adds .
Lionesque set up a shop with Prince tennis gear during the U . S . Open at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City ; the public could check out new racquets and meet some of the players .
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