Goodies and Merchandising: The New Hotel Trend to Extend the Guest Experience

Scented candles, embroidered bathrobes, artisanal ceramics, or exclusive collaborations: hotels are embracing merchandising to captivate travelers and strengthen their brand identity.

In the refined world of luxury hospitality, details have never been mere afterthoughts. They are the raw material of emotion, the invisible foundation upon which the guest experience is built. Among these precious touches, one discreet element is experiencing a meteoric rise: hotel merchandising. Far beyond a simple marketing operation, it has become a genuine extension of the stay—a subtle immersion into the hotel’s brand universe. Scented candles, branded t-shirts, handcrafted ceramic tableware, exclusive playlists, or embroidered toiletry kits—hotels are no longer content with just hosting; they now aspire to inhabit their guests’ lives.

Hospitality as a Brand Home

This phenomenon isn’t new, but it has evolved. Previously reserved for boutique hotels or lifestyle chains, merchandising has become a natural extension of brand identity. In a world saturated with images and offerings, it’s no longer enough to charm for a night; one must leave a lasting impression—a style, a tangible memory. Hotels are thus becoming brand homes in their own right, akin to fashion houses, cultivating a recognizable aesthetic down to the detail of a bathrobe or matchbox.

The American group The Standard Hotels was a pioneer in this area: by selling its striped bathrobes, screen-printed soaps, and pop-colored socks in its online stores and lobbies, it created a desired lifestyle that extends well beyond the stay. More recently, establishments like Casa Cook, Noūs Santorini, or Les Roches Rouges in southern France have been translating their visual and sensory universe into everyday objects—often locally made or in collaboration with artisans.

The Reinvented Souvenir: When Objects Evoke Emotion

What was once called a “goodie” has transformed. No longer mere logo-stamped gadgets handed out indiscriminately, today’s items are conceived as fragments of poetry, carriers of emotion. A recycled paper notebook on a bedside table, an essential oil crafted with a local brand, a wooden hairbrush slipped into a welcome kit—each is a delicate gesture that tells a story.

These objects play a crucial role in the guest experience. They embody an atmosphere, a philosophy of hospitality, sometimes even an aesthetic manifesto. When a guest brings home a soap scented with maquis herbs, they’re not just carrying a product but the olfactory memory of an enchanting interlude. The object becomes a reminiscence. In a world seeking meaning, this added soul makes all the difference.

Creative Collaborations: Blending Design, Craftsmanship, and Storytelling

The rise of hotel merchandising has also paved the way for numerous creative collaborations. Hotels partner with fashion brands, ceramicists, or perfumers to design capsule collections. The Hoxton, for instance, collaborated with London fashion creators Collagerie to produce exclusive items, while Hotel Lou Pinet in Saint-Tropez offers hand-made ceramics by local artisans. At Hôtel des Grands Boulevards in Paris, the verbena soap is crafted by the French house Officine Universelle Buly, and the room fragrance was created with the Bastille design studio.

These items are no longer mere derivatives but genuine collectible pieces. Some hotels even open physical or online boutiques to extend this approach. One can now gift a weekend at Hôtel Panache—or purchase their tableware. The line between a stay and a lifestyle is blurring

A Subtle Yet Potent Strategy

Behind this meticulous aesthetic lies a particularly astute marketing strategy. Offering or selling a useful and elegant object embeds the hotel into the guest’s daily life, well beyond the stay. A candle in a living room, a pair of slippers in a suitcase, an oil in a bathroom become subtle reminders of the experience lived.

It’s also a way to amplify the brand through word-of-mouth, effortlessly. Each time a guest wears a t-shirt emblazoned with their favorite hotel’s logo or shares a photo of an item on Instagram, they become ambassadors. In an era where authenticity and emotion trump traditional advertising, the goodie becomes a loyalty tool with significant emotional power.

Between Desire and Sustainability

This upscale shift in merchandising also raises questions about sustainability. Gone are the single-use items or anonymous plastics. The new generation of travelers, discerning and committed, expects eco-friendly, useful, and often reusable products. Many hotels now turn to local artisans, natural materials, and small-scale productions to offer meaningful items.

It’s also a way to support the local economy, tell the story of the region, and create connections. The goodie is no longer a consumerist symbol but a bridge between the hotel, craftsmanship, and the guest. It becomes a vector of value, both aesthetic and ethical.

In this era where hospitality aims not just to host but to inspire, merchandising stands out as a new grammar of hospitality. More than a commercial gesture, it’s a declaration of style, a promise of continuity, a way to inhabit memories. Far from being anecdotal, the goodie has become a centerpiece of the hotel narrative—discreet, precious, essential. A way to say: you didn’t just sleep here; you lived something. And that, no check-out can ever erase.

Images Courtesy Capelongue Beaumier, Ritz Paris, Lily of the Valley, Hôtel Rochechouard, The Maybourne Riviera, Stay Some Days.

Article updated on May 31, 2025