Will Saks Personal Stylists Be Welcomed at Luxury Resorts?

Saks Fifth Avenue is extending its Fifth Avenue Club personal shopping and styling service to luxury resorts across the U.S.

Saks’ lead partner in the program is Marriott International and its brands, including The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, but other partners are involved as well. The initiative targets both travelers and local shoppers.

“Building on the success of our iconic in-store Fifth Avenue Club experience, this innovative new format allows us to expand Saks Fifth Avenue’s highly personalized service into new markets and deliver a one-of-a-kind shopping experience tailored to our clients’ unique lifestyles,” Larry Bruce, Saks’s president, said in a press release.

Saks’ Fifth Avenue Club service, typically reserved for VIP customers inside stores, will be brought to life in private suites at partner hotels. Before the appointment, which typically lasts one to two hours, clients consult with a stylist to explore styling preferences, wardrobe needs and sizing. Stylists then fill the suite with a variety of options for clients to select from.

Hotels will promote the offering on social media and guests will be sent emails highlighting the service pre-arrival.

Special events including trunk shows, brand partnerships, charity events, birthday parties and corporate events are planned.

Saks’ styling suites have opened at Alohilani Resort in Waikiki, Honolulu; the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Laguna Beach, CA, and Auberge Resorts in Napa Valley, CA, with ten overall planned this year.

Saks earlier this year formed a partnership that enables Saks’ associates to sell Inspirato luxury travel subscriptions to their clients.

John Antonini, Saks’ SVP and director of stores, told WWD that the hotel partnerships could lead to Saks shops opening at resorts and other collaborations.

“Travel and retail are so symbiotic,” he said. “Customers shop when they travel and they shop for travel. So, I would say the sky is the limit in terms of what the future of our partnerships with hotel brands looks like and what travel means for the future of Saks. Saks wants to be at the heart of our customers’ traveling.”