For brands in the hotel amenity space, it can be difficult to break through and gain market share. An approach to reach a broader audience is building a reputation within the hotel amenities industry with hotel partnerships. Some brands have been fortunate enough to secure a lucrative marketing opportunity: having their products featured as guest amenities in hotels (Masters, 2024). This not only allows for brand awareness to potential customers but also is a revenue stream for the brand itself. While some brands rely heavily on the revenue brought in by the hotels, some approach this method as not a sales channel but rather a marketing channel for the brand. Isabelle Pierre-Emile, MALIN+GOETZ Global Marketing Group Director, stated ““For us as a true lifestyle brand, it gives us an opportunity to be visible where our core consumer or potential consumer is present” (Masters, 2024). MALIN+GOETZ see working with hotels as a marketing channel because the more hotels they work with the more exposure they will receive.
To be able to have a contract with world renowned hotel brands can make the difference for brands in the hotel amenities industry. For one company, Pharmacopia, they were struggling financially in 2009, when a lifeline appeared in the form of Hunter Amenities International, a supplier of hotel amenities and guest supplies (Masters, 2024). This allowed the company to receive royalties from the hotels which in turn allowed the company to focus on the business and their customers. This contract with Hunter Amenities International also allowed for the Pharmacopia to be distributed globally on multiple channels. Whether the brand was in a hotel chain, boutique hotel, cruise line, or resort, over 500,000 used and saw their products daily. This exposure allowed for the brand to sell their products via e-commerce on their own website, Pharmacopia.net and on their Amazon storefront.
While for many brands having a relationship with a hotel brand to have their products can be life changing, many brands today are able to have many different global marketing channels. Those channels would be selling their products through a third party, Direct to consumer via their website, social media, and in hotel gift shops. Today for brands to be noticed they need to be in front of the consumer and hotels, restaurants and gyms are great places for brand exposure and where awareness can begin. For the brands that are in hotels, this gives them the opportunity to receive feedback firsthand from customers as they can fill out hotel surveys and many can go online to the brand itself and leave a review. This is another way brands can tailor their product to certain clientele along with designing new concepts to attract customers.
References
Masters, K. (2024, March 26). ‘It’s Not A Silver Bullet’ Say 3 Brands Who Are Hotel Guest Amenities. Forbes. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kirimasters/2024/03/26/its-not-a-silver-bullet-say-3-brands-who-are-hotel-guest-amenities/?sh=66ef9fb85420