Nowadays, style superstars are doing more than whipping up bellman uniforms -- they're putting their labels on lodging.
Rome's venerable Bulgari jewelry and perfume house is teaming with Marriott's Ritz-Carlton brand on a super-luxury hotel due to open in Milan in mid-May. Rooms start at about $700 daily.
A half-dozen more Bulgari hotels and resorts are on the horizon, the next one on the island of Bali. Other locations being considered include New York, Miami and Southern California, as well as London, Rome and Paris.
Giorgio Armani just announced that he'll put his elegant imprint on a dozen hotels and resorts in the next six to eight years. In partnership with Dubai businessmen, he plans a lodging in that Middle East playground of the rich and famous, with possible future lodgings in Milan, London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai.
The goal: "bringing the Armani philosophy of design and style to hotels," the fashion icon said in a statement. Details still are sketchy, but hotels will feature Armani furnishings. Staffers, of course, will sport Armani's sleek and elegant designs.
Another Italian fashion empire -- Ferragamo -- has four small lodgings in Florence. The latest is the 43-room Continentale, featuring hot-pink furniture accents and hip artwork.
The trend is part of a larger movement toward "cross-branding" in the travel industry. Gucci and the Gap now do luggage. Samsonite has a line by boutique-hotel designer Philippe Starck.
Looks like a very interesting development. It will be interesting to check out these hotels as they debut.
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Bulgari Hotel, Milan
