Marriott converts rooms into showrooms for brand exposure

Megan Turner • August 3, 2026 • 2 min read

Marriott design shop turns hotel rooms into showrooms, letting guests purchase the décor, linens and furniture they see, boosting brand exposure and e‑commerce

Marriott is turning its hotel rooms into showrooms as part of a new e‑commerce push called the Marriott Design Shop, letting guests buy the same décor, linens and furniture they see while staying at its properties.

How the Design Shop works

The initiative launched in May under the broader Bonvoy Boutiques retail umbrella. Its first collections include “W Hotels Living,” drawn from the freshly renovated W New York – Union Square, and a French Riviera line inspired by Marriott hotels in Cannes and Nice. Items range from custom headboards and platform beds to lighting, glass vases and serving boards, all bearing the same design language found in the hotels.

Marriott markets the shop through hotel‑specific digital channels. Guests see shoppable QR codes on in‑room TVs, postcards, and URLs printed on invoices. The company also sends email offers to rewards members, allowing points to be used for purchases. Early data shows Design Shop orders are four times larger than the site average and contain twice as many units per order.

According to Peggy Roe, executive vice president and chief customer officer, the approach builds on the “try before you buy” experience travelers have when they stay at a hotel. “There’s a higher propensity for someone to buy something and cherish it because they found it in a place where they normally wouldn’t,” she said. The impulse‑buy factor aligns with research indicating about 85 % of travelers make unplanned purchases, with roughly 55 % of those being retail‑oriented.

Travel‑related shopping has risen recently; a PwC survey found vacationers spend an average of $198 on souvenirs and other purchases. Hotels are responding by blurring the line between hospitality and retail. Other brands, such as JW Marriott in San Francisco, have already used wholesale platforms to sell locally sourced goods, while Ace Hotel has long offered location‑specific merchandise like books and vinyl.

Marriott’s move builds on a pandemic‑era shift toward e‑commerce. Product sales grew 26 % in 2020 as guests, confined at home, bought items that reminded them of travel.

Roe says the shop reinforces Marriott’s brand identity by offering guests tangible reminders of their stays. “You can take something home that’s curated from your trip or find something you can give to somebody else that you found only because you’re part of our ecosystem,” she added.