The Waldorf Experience: No Nights Required
By George Anderson
Visitors to the Waldorf-Astoria have long enjoyed the warmth and comfort of the plush terry cloth robes the hotel supplies its guests.
Now, consumers needn’t take a trip to New York to lounge in Waldorf comfort. They can go online to “The Waldorf Collection” at http://www.waldorfcollection-hotelsathome.com/
and order a memento of the hotel for themselves, friends or even their pooch.
According to a report in the New York Post, “The hotel believes this venture will generate $1 million annually in sales of trinkets and extravagant items.”
Moderator’s Comment: Does the success of sites such as “The Waldorf Collection” suggest we are entering a new age of conspicuous consumption?
Increasingly, it appears as though society and retailing are being defined in terms of the haves and have-nots. –
George
Anderson – Moderator