Image of brightly lit room, green patterned dress on manequin to the left, small table with flowers and luxury bags on it in the center in front of large window, jewelry case on the right under sign reading "Saks Fifth Avenue Club"
Source: Saks Fifth Avenue

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.”

BrainTrust

“Hospitality and luxury retail go hand in hand and this is a great move by Saks.”

Liza Amlani

Principal and Founder, Retail Strategy Group


“This is a brilliant move, and I totally agree with the symbiotic relationship between travel and shopping.”

Ken Morris

Managing Partner Cambridge Retail Advisors


“As long as there is no pressure, this can be a good idea, but a room full of items to choose from can be a little stressful. They have to strike the right balance for this…”

Zel Bianco

President, founder and CEO Interactive Edge

Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Do you see more benefits or drawbacks to Saks’ Fifth Avenue Club personal shopping service in luxury hotels and resorts? Should sales from such appointments be the most important factor in measuring the program’s success?

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What’s the likelihood that the rollout of Saks’ Fifth Avenue Club personal shopping and styling service to luxury resorts will be successful?

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19 responses to “Will Saks Personal Stylists Be Welcomed at Luxury Resorts?”

  1. Richard Hernandez Avatar
    Richard Hernandez

    Definitely a benefit. It is an extension of the service and brand they offer for their customers. It is a great idea.

  2. Ken Morris Avatar
    Ken Morris

    This is a brilliant move, and I totally agree with the symbiotic relationship between travel and shopping. These curated selections must match the local flavor as well as the client’s preferences. Saks has used brand advocates for in-store shopping, so I believe they know how to make this successful. Also, these sales are not necessarily the driver, but the lifetime value of the customers they serve is. As far as tech goes, they can probably set these rooms up like pop-up stores and have everything running in the cloud. Great concept all around.

  3. Bob Amster Avatar
    Bob Amster

    I predict limited success, but success nonetheless.

  4. Cathy Hotka Avatar
    Cathy Hotka

    This kind of offering could make the haul videos of ten years ago look tepid in comparison. Imagine the social media!

  5. Gene Detroyer Avatar
    Gene Detroyer

    The connection between Saks’ and luxury travel planning that we discussed some time ago makes ultimate sense. This a great idea for the Saks’ profile.

    This idea is fun. I don’t think it should be based on sales generated, but similar to planning luxury travel, it sends a message of what type of retailer Saks’ wants to project.

    Maybe it is time for Saks’ to similarly have a high, high, high end spa offering.

  6. Allison McCabe Avatar
    Allison McCabe

    Wonderful loyalty/customer acquisition play. Those that know Saks will be delighted to have a familiar option to address those inevitable “if I only had” needs that crop up on vacation while those who have not had exposure to Saks in a meaningful way can experience the adventure. The challenge will be a roadmap of impactful methods to continue client engagement post hotel/resort stay.

  7. Liza Amlani Avatar
    Liza Amlani

    Hospitality and luxury retail go hand in hand and this is a great move by Saks.

    The luxury customer expects exceptional experiences and customer service. The Saks strategy is smart and it meets the customer where and how they want to shop.

    Personal shopping and styling is no longer only for the ultra-rich. Extending this personalized service will also encourage a new customer to shop with Saks. The retailer can learn what types of products resonate the best with the patrons of the resorts and leverage these insights to create and curate localized product assortments in physical stores. It’s a good strategy that will undoubtedly drive full
    price sales.

  8. Brandon Rael Avatar
    Brandon Rael

    There are clear advantages and benefits to having Sak’s Fifth Avenue Club personal shopping services in luxury hotels and resorts. This partnership will enable the Sak’s Fifth Avenue brand to reignite and connect with a whole new generation of luxury customers and essentially be the spark that may ignite their comeback story in a very competitive luxury market.

    One of the main elements of the luxury travel and shopping experiences is the interactions with the brand ambassadors. These relationships are critical in helping to build long-term customer connections and a greater bond to the luxury brands. One of the most significant parts of luxury travel is the shopping experience and bringing home some new memories from your trip.

    This is a clear win-win for Saks Fifth Avenue and its luxury travel partners.

  9. ScottJennings Avatar
    ScottJennings

    Personalization & expertise embedded in a retailers channel strategy is smart, in particular in the luxury business aligned with a luxury resort chain. Ideally the outcome of the personal stylist program should be a relationship over time rather than a single transaction, even if large. In a perfect world a customer should be able to be routed to the same personal stylist for similar product expertise & recommendations independent of location over time.

  10. Zel Bianco Avatar
    Zel Bianco

    When you are relaxing and enjoying yourself at a resort, I have found that the occasional shopping experience, can in fact, be fun. Resorts sometimes have tables set up after dinner, outside of course, that promote a more casual shopping experience. As long as there is no pressure, this can be a good idea, but a room full of items to choose from can be a little stressful. They have to strike the right balance for this to be effective.

  11. Patrick Jacobs Avatar
    Patrick Jacobs

    This makes a ton of sense. Having this type of concierge styling service available for clienteling that are likely in “buying mode” (on vacation when wallets seem to be more open) should yield success. It will be interesting to track what that success looks like, but conceptually there is a natural fit.

  12. Doug Garnett Avatar
    Doug Garnett

    This seems like a winning idea – yet we shouldn’t exaggerate how much value it returns to Saks. After all, it sounds like an incredibly expensive service to provide. My question: What evidence suggests it will make enough money for Saks given the effort required?

    1. Gene Detroyer Avatar
      Gene Detroyer

      Maybe it is just like the money losing the objective to have a Flagship store on Fifth Avenue?

      1. Doug Garnett Avatar
        Doug Garnett

        That’s certainly possible. But a flagship store communication value is well known. Not certain here. There IS a promotional value. My instinct is it’s not of the same magnitude. But it might be.

      2. Gene Detroyer Avatar
        Gene Detroyer

        Perhaps, just to get us to talk about it.

    2. Scott Norris Avatar
      Scott Norris

      I do note that the initial deployments are not in store-adjacent markets (Napa a bit of a hike to get to downtown SF), so I suppose they are arguing that cannibalization is minimized. If I were a local luxe boutique in these locations, however, I’d be fuming mad and having urgent meetings with my tourism board and chamber of commerce. The whole point of luxury destination travel is to experience unique settings and one-of-a-kind assortments from regional and Native designers. Those niche retail ecosystems need steady high-end traffic, and this has the potential to starve them.

  13. Craig Sundstrom Avatar
    Craig Sundstrom

    It may or may not succeed, depending on the quality of the services offered; what’s really of interest, I believe, is whether/not the Saks brand gives it any particular advantage.

  14. Roland Gossage Avatar
    Roland Gossage

    Saks’ decision to expand its personal shopping service to luxury resorts is an extremely smart business move. Today’s customers value convenience above all else, and what is more convenient than having destination-appropriate clothes and accessories brought directly to your hotel room?
    While sales will be an important metric for the program, it would also be wise to measure customer loyalty and customer lifetime value, not only at the resorts, but across all other sales channels to see if this increased access helps retain customers or creates new ones.

  15. Allison McGuire Avatar
    Allison McGuire

    I definitely see the benefit of this service in luxury hotels. Especially for international travelers. Pampering your guests and making them feel special is expected in these situations. Certainly the amount of appointments and purchases will be the best measure of success.

19 Comments
oldest
newest
Richard Hernandez
Richard Hernandez
2 months ago

Definitely a benefit. It is an extension of the service and brand they offer for their customers. It is a great idea.

Ken Morris
Ken Morris
2 months ago

This is a brilliant move, and I totally agree with the symbiotic relationship between travel and shopping. These curated selections must match the local flavor as well as the client’s preferences. Saks has used brand advocates for in-store shopping, so I believe they know how to make this successful. Also, these sales are not necessarily the driver, but the lifetime value of the customers they serve is. As far as tech goes, they can probably set these rooms up like pop-up stores and have everything running in the cloud. Great concept all around.

Bob Amster
Bob Amster
2 months ago

I predict limited success, but success nonetheless.

Cathy Hotka
Cathy Hotka
2 months ago

This kind of offering could make the haul videos of ten years ago look tepid in comparison. Imagine the social media!

Gene Detroyer
Gene Detroyer
2 months ago

The connection between Saks’ and luxury travel planning that we discussed some time ago makes ultimate sense. This a great idea for the Saks’ profile.

This idea is fun. I don’t think it should be based on sales generated, but similar to planning luxury travel, it sends a message of what type of retailer Saks’ wants to project.

Maybe it is time for Saks’ to similarly have a high, high, high end spa offering.

Allison McCabe
Allison McCabe
2 months ago

Wonderful loyalty/customer acquisition play. Those that know Saks will be delighted to have a familiar option to address those inevitable “if I only had” needs that crop up on vacation while those who have not had exposure to Saks in a meaningful way can experience the adventure. The challenge will be a roadmap of impactful methods to continue client engagement post hotel/resort stay.

Liza Amlani
Liza Amlani
2 months ago

Hospitality and luxury retail go hand in hand and this is a great move by Saks.

The luxury customer expects exceptional experiences and customer service. The Saks strategy is smart and it meets the customer where and how they want to shop.

Personal shopping and styling is no longer only for the ultra-rich. Extending this personalized service will also encourage a new customer to shop with Saks. The retailer can learn what types of products resonate the best with the patrons of the resorts and leverage these insights to create and curate localized product assortments in physical stores. It’s a good strategy that will undoubtedly drive full
price sales.

Brandon Rael
Brandon Rael
2 months ago

There are clear advantages and benefits to having Sak’s Fifth Avenue Club personal shopping services in luxury hotels and resorts. This partnership will enable the Sak’s Fifth Avenue brand to reignite and connect with a whole new generation of luxury customers and essentially be the spark that may ignite their comeback story in a very competitive luxury market.

One of the main elements of the luxury travel and shopping experiences is the interactions with the brand ambassadors. These relationships are critical in helping to build long-term customer connections and a greater bond to the luxury brands. One of the most significant parts of luxury travel is the shopping experience and bringing home some new memories from your trip.

This is a clear win-win for Saks Fifth Avenue and its luxury travel partners.

ScottJennings
ScottJennings
2 months ago

Personalization & expertise embedded in a retailers channel strategy is smart, in particular in the luxury business aligned with a luxury resort chain. Ideally the outcome of the personal stylist program should be a relationship over time rather than a single transaction, even if large. In a perfect world a customer should be able to be routed to the same personal stylist for similar product expertise & recommendations independent of location over time.

Zel Bianco
Zel Bianco
2 months ago

When you are relaxing and enjoying yourself at a resort, I have found that the occasional shopping experience, can in fact, be fun. Resorts sometimes have tables set up after dinner, outside of course, that promote a more casual shopping experience. As long as there is no pressure, this can be a good idea, but a room full of items to choose from can be a little stressful. They have to strike the right balance for this to be effective.

Patrick Jacobs
Patrick Jacobs
2 months ago

This makes a ton of sense. Having this type of concierge styling service available for clienteling that are likely in “buying mode” (on vacation when wallets seem to be more open) should yield success. It will be interesting to track what that success looks like, but conceptually there is a natural fit.

Doug Garnett
Doug Garnett
2 months ago

This seems like a winning idea – yet we shouldn’t exaggerate how much value it returns to Saks. After all, it sounds like an incredibly expensive service to provide. My question: What evidence suggests it will make enough money for Saks given the effort required?

Gene Detroyer
Gene Detroyer
  Doug Garnett
2 months ago

Maybe it is just like the money losing the objective to have a Flagship store on Fifth Avenue?

Doug Garnett
Doug Garnett
  Gene Detroyer
2 months ago

That’s certainly possible. But a flagship store communication value is well known. Not certain here. There IS a promotional value. My instinct is it’s not of the same magnitude. But it might be.

Gene Detroyer
Gene Detroyer
  Doug Garnett
2 months ago

Perhaps, just to get us to talk about it.

Scott Norris
Scott Norris
  Doug Garnett
2 months ago

I do note that the initial deployments are not in store-adjacent markets (Napa a bit of a hike to get to downtown SF), so I suppose they are arguing that cannibalization is minimized. If I were a local luxe boutique in these locations, however, I’d be fuming mad and having urgent meetings with my tourism board and chamber of commerce. The whole point of luxury destination travel is to experience unique settings and one-of-a-kind assortments from regional and Native designers. Those niche retail ecosystems need steady high-end traffic, and this has the potential to starve them.

Craig Sundstrom
Craig Sundstrom
2 months ago

It may or may not succeed, depending on the quality of the services offered; what’s really of interest, I believe, is whether/not the Saks brand gives it any particular advantage.

Roland Gossage
Roland Gossage
2 months ago

Saks’ decision to expand its personal shopping service to luxury resorts is an extremely smart business move. Today’s customers value convenience above all else, and what is more convenient than having destination-appropriate clothes and accessories brought directly to your hotel room?
While sales will be an important metric for the program, it would also be wise to measure customer loyalty and customer lifetime value, not only at the resorts, but across all other sales channels to see if this increased access helps retain customers or creates new ones.

Allison McGuire
Allison McGuire
2 months ago

I definitely see the benefit of this service in luxury hotels. Especially for international travelers. Pampering your guests and making them feel special is expected in these situations. Certainly the amount of appointments and purchases will be the best measure of success.