There are few feelings that can match the spark of excitement felt when discovering a cheeky little brand collab while staying at a new hotel. Oh, they’ve got Byredo in the shower! And White Company robes! And, oh yes, a Dyson hair dryer in the bathroom. It elevates your stay in a way you don’t fully realise at the time, but makes you miss hotel living so much more when you return to your Body Shop shower gel and decade-old hair dryer at home.
Yet, these collabs are, by and large, small and subtle. You’re hardly going to snap a pic of the Diptyque miniature you stole from your hotel bathroom, or the inner label of your extra fluffy white towels. Enter the fashion brand. Keen for a slice of the pie and able to offer a more visible, photogenic partnership, this summer has seen the likes of Valentino, Dior, Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana partnering with luxury hotels to kit out their beach club and poolside set ups, making them even more Instagrammable. Take San Domenico Palace, the Four Seasons Hotel where season two of The White Lotus was filmed. While this Sicilian hotel’s poolside is typically laden with plain, navy blue sun loungers and simple striped towels, things are looking extra Italian this summer, with designer towels, pillows and coasters printed with Dolce & Gabbana’s Blu Mediterraneo motif.
