Hotels’ Luxury Brand Pop-Ups Are Creating the Ultimate Vacation Flex
From Dolce & Gabbana lounge liners to Dior-branded buoys, the symbiotic strategy is tailor-made for social media.
Illustration: Lee Kyutae for Bloomberg
On a scorching day in Taormina, Sicily, guests at the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace would usually be worshipping the sun by the infinity pool overlooking the Ionian Sea. But on a visit in mid-June, as I peer around from my perch on a cloudlike chaise, I realize everyone else at this picturesque former convent is more concerned with the towels. The lounge liners, swathed in a cobalt-blue floral motif that looks like Mediterranean ceramic tile, are positively delectable. They’re Dolce & Gabbana and available for purchase at the hotel shop for about €559 ($656) apiece.
In fact, almost everything on the pool deck sports the same fanciful print. It’s all part of a summer resort takeover by the Italian fashion powerhouse: The umbrellas, the floats, the ceramic planters and even the napkins are D&G-branded.