Fashion brands extend further into hospitality with Miami Beach conversion

Hard on the heels of an announcement by the designer Karl Lagerfeld that he is lending his name to a new luxury hotel in Macau, the fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger has said that he too is creating a fancy hotel, this one in South Miami Beach. Hilfiger and his partners are said to be putting up to $100 million into the purchase and renovation of a classic, 105-room Art Deco property they hope will be the first in a collection of Hilfiger Hospitality hotels. Fashion brands have long seen themselves as lifestyle brands, meaning that their customers are not just buying a product, but buying into the sensibilities of a perceived lifestyle. Who, exactly those would-be Hilfiger types are is yet to be seen, but the designer's move into high-end hospitality fits squarely into a trend that is now moving quickly.