London Fog Takes Retail Expertise Into Hospitality with Homestead
December 12, 2005
NEW YORK, New York — Come next year, guests of the Holiday Inn Express will be able to experience the new SimplySmart bedding initiative being manufactured by none other than fashion giant, London Fog.
According to David Greenstein, president and CEO of London Fog, this is the largest single sheet order ever to be placed.
SimplySmart bedding includes a decorative top sheet, a medium weight duvet blanket and 200 thread-count sheets. The duvet blanket is between two top sheets. It also includes four pillows, in either soft or firm comfort levels.
"We chose London Fog to manufacture our SimplySmart bedding because the brand resonates with our guests. Much like Holiday Inn Express, London Fog is known for producing quality products with attractive and modern designs," said Verchele Mills, vice president of brand management for Holiday Inn Express.
Greenstein, also founder and owner of Homestead – the retail/commercial bedding division of London Fog – said his company felt hotels were looking to be more creative in "top of bedding" design and were looking for more options besides a bedspread.
"The bed is the place where you're spending a majority of your time in the hotel room," he said. In came London Fog to give the hospitality industry those fresh ideas and options they were craving, along with the ability to problem solve and turn the product around at retail-speed.
According to Greenstein, Homestead and London Fog wanted to reinvent the way beds "Research revealed that bed coverings present a terrific opportunity to positively influence guests' perceptions of hotel cleanliness and overall guest satisfaction," Mills said.
"Holiday Inn Express has always been known for its fresh, clean and modern properties. The new bedding program now embraces these attributes in the guestroom as well as erases the negative stigma sometimes attached to hotel bedspreads."
Mills said while triple sheeting isn't new to the hospitality industry, it is a relatively new concept within the limited service segment.
"We have raised the bar on feel and look," Greenstein said of the cotton/polyester decorative top sheet with the yard-dyed stripe, which ties back to the dobby-striped sheet.
Homestead reinvented the bed with smart fabrics and funded it by throwing out the bedspread – a very expensive piece, Greenstein said.
A throw blanket was also added. These aspects will give Holiday Inn Express boutique qualities, putting them on a level above the big hotels in their service group.
"The new SimplySmart bedding is the third in a series of system wide brand innovations from Holiday Inn Express, designed to create meaningful and guest preferred upgrades to the stay experience," Mills said.
"There's a lot of innovation in Express brand," Greenstein said.
According to Mills, "the SimplySmart bedding program is a $53 million bedding makeover for the brand's more than 1,400 properties in the U.S. and Canada."
"As consumers become exposed to higher quality bedding, their tastes and expectations increase. Our new bedding will provide guests a level of comfort and luxury they probably have not experienced before at other limited service hotels, but will now come to expect based on their experience at Holiday Inn Express," she said.
The hospitality bedding and uniform divisions of London Fog are a relatively new undertaking for them, on the heels of an enormous American re-launch of the brand, after Greenstein bought the company. The company received a complete makeover, boosting it up to a whole new level of sophistication.
"We're the new kid on the block, but we've taken over the block fairly quickly," he said. Greenstein formed Homestead in 1997.
He said his company is able to bring unique approaches to the industry as a home textile company that bought an apparel company.
Greenstein said hospitality is becoming an important segment for the company, with David Dee serving as vice president of the division.
Dee is the founder and owner of David Dee & Company, the hospitality and cruise ship fabric specialist that was acquired by Justin David Textiles in July.
"We're very fortunate to find David," Greenstein said. He said Dee will translate the company's capabilities to hospitality environments and do most of the selling to distributors.
London Fog is also creating Pacific Trail uniforms for Holiday Inn Select, through collaborative branding.
Dee expects to produce "superior products in top of bed, bedding and bath towels for one-to-five-star hotels at very competitive prices," he said. "We're taking this same approach to uniforms as well."
Dee has 20 years of experience in the hospitality marketing of textiles and expects to leverage London Fog's sourcing expertise in apparel and home furnishings fabrics in their hospitality effort. As the company tries to translate their abilities in fashion to hospitality, Greenstein said they face a daily challenge, with the line between commercial and decorative being so thin.
"What we're doing for London Fog is what we're doing for hospitality," he said.
Bottom line – the company brings the same passion and design energy to every project they approach.
According to David Greenstein, president and CEO of London Fog, this is the largest single sheet order ever to be placed.
SimplySmart bedding includes a decorative top sheet, a medium weight duvet blanket and 200 thread-count sheets. The duvet blanket is between two top sheets. It also includes four pillows, in either soft or firm comfort levels.
"We chose London Fog to manufacture our SimplySmart bedding because the brand resonates with our guests. Much like Holiday Inn Express, London Fog is known for producing quality products with attractive and modern designs," said Verchele Mills, vice president of brand management for Holiday Inn Express.
Greenstein, also founder and owner of Homestead – the retail/commercial bedding division of London Fog – said his company felt hotels were looking to be more creative in "top of bedding" design and were looking for more options besides a bedspread.
"The bed is the place where you're spending a majority of your time in the hotel room," he said. In came London Fog to give the hospitality industry those fresh ideas and options they were craving, along with the ability to problem solve and turn the product around at retail-speed.
According to Greenstein, Homestead and London Fog wanted to reinvent the way beds "Research revealed that bed coverings present a terrific opportunity to positively influence guests' perceptions of hotel cleanliness and overall guest satisfaction," Mills said.
"Holiday Inn Express has always been known for its fresh, clean and modern properties. The new bedding program now embraces these attributes in the guestroom as well as erases the negative stigma sometimes attached to hotel bedspreads."
Mills said while triple sheeting isn't new to the hospitality industry, it is a relatively new concept within the limited service segment.
"We have raised the bar on feel and look," Greenstein said of the cotton/polyester decorative top sheet with the yard-dyed stripe, which ties back to the dobby-striped sheet.
Homestead reinvented the bed with smart fabrics and funded it by throwing out the bedspread – a very expensive piece, Greenstein said.
A throw blanket was also added. These aspects will give Holiday Inn Express boutique qualities, putting them on a level above the big hotels in their service group.
"The new SimplySmart bedding is the third in a series of system wide brand innovations from Holiday Inn Express, designed to create meaningful and guest preferred upgrades to the stay experience," Mills said.
"There's a lot of innovation in Express brand," Greenstein said.
According to Mills, "the SimplySmart bedding program is a $53 million bedding makeover for the brand's more than 1,400 properties in the U.S. and Canada."
"As consumers become exposed to higher quality bedding, their tastes and expectations increase. Our new bedding will provide guests a level of comfort and luxury they probably have not experienced before at other limited service hotels, but will now come to expect based on their experience at Holiday Inn Express," she said.
The hospitality bedding and uniform divisions of London Fog are a relatively new undertaking for them, on the heels of an enormous American re-launch of the brand, after Greenstein bought the company. The company received a complete makeover, boosting it up to a whole new level of sophistication.
"We're the new kid on the block, but we've taken over the block fairly quickly," he said. Greenstein formed Homestead in 1997.
He said his company is able to bring unique approaches to the industry as a home textile company that bought an apparel company.
Greenstein said hospitality is becoming an important segment for the company, with David Dee serving as vice president of the division.
Dee is the founder and owner of David Dee & Company, the hospitality and cruise ship fabric specialist that was acquired by Justin David Textiles in July.
"We're very fortunate to find David," Greenstein said. He said Dee will translate the company's capabilities to hospitality environments and do most of the selling to distributors.
London Fog is also creating Pacific Trail uniforms for Holiday Inn Select, through collaborative branding.
Dee expects to produce "superior products in top of bed, bedding and bath towels for one-to-five-star hotels at very competitive prices," he said. "We're taking this same approach to uniforms as well."
Dee has 20 years of experience in the hospitality marketing of textiles and expects to leverage London Fog's sourcing expertise in apparel and home furnishings fabrics in their hospitality effort. As the company tries to translate their abilities in fashion to hospitality, Greenstein said they face a daily challenge, with the line between commercial and decorative being so thin.
"What we're doing for London Fog is what we're doing for hospitality," he said.
Bottom line – the company brings the same passion and design energy to every project they approach.
