Need an incentive to pack lightly for your next vacation? Rent the Runway, in partnership with Marriott International, is taking their clothing rental service on the road with the ultimate travel wardrobe service.
What Is Rent The Runway’s Latest Clothing Rental Service?
“Closet Concierge,” as Rent the Runway calls it, offers Marriott hotel guests the $69 option to choose from four different apparel styles within the Rent the Runway (RTR) Unlimited Closet collection to rent during their stay. The wardrobes are tailored to each destination, and the selected RTR clothing items will be waiting for guests in their hotel rooms. Guests looking to hit the ski slopes in Aspen will choose from an array of heavy coats, fleece jackets and similar winter apparel, while those heading to warmer climates will be presented with beachier attire.
Rent the Runway will also offer “mini closets” within each hotel room, stocked with alternative outfits in the event sizes don’t work or users want to add additional items to their RTR wardrobe during their stays. Following their Marriott hotel visits, guests will drop off all rented RTR items at the front desk when checking out.
The RTR Closet Concierge will be available at W Hotels in Aspen, Colorado; South Beach, Miami; Washington, D.C.; and Hollywood, California. There are also plans to scale Closet Concierge nationally following this pilot program ending in March. "We had not received customer requests for a program like this when we first started developing the Rent the Runway Closet Concierge, but that’s part of our job — to predict and invent the experiences that our guests appreciate and seek out," said Anthony Ingham, Global Brand Leader at W Hotels Worldwide.
For Jennifer Hyman, Co-Founder and CEO of Rent the Runway, the convenience of Closet Concierge is its ultimate selling point, "Traveling without luggage has always been my dream," she shared. "Travelers can simply show up and have their dream closet waiting for them in their hotel room."
Why Did Rent The Runway Partner With Marriott On Closet Concierge?
Rent the Runway’s Closet Concierge comes at a time where the popular subscription clothing rental service is seeking out new opportunities to expand its reach and attract new customers. Specifically focusing on strategic partnerships, the company has introduced a variety of collaborations in an effort to grow its customer base and transition into more of a lifestyle brand:
- Rent the Runway broadened its existing relationship with Nordstrom by bringing its clothing rental drop-off boxes to more than 20 Nordstrom locations nationwide.
- Co-working firm WeWork also hopped on the drop-box bandwagon, adding 15 Rent the Runway drop-off locations across the U.S.
- RTR partnered with West Elm to launch a home goods rental service, offering consumers the opportunity to refresh their houses by switching out their decor on a monthly basis.
- Expanding into children's apparel, Rent the Runway collaborated with 13 high-end designers – including brands like Fendi, Stella McCartney and Little Marc Jacobs – to create “RTR Kids” and introduce their clothing options to a younger demographic.
- Rent the Runway strategically announced it would begin renting out ski and athleisure apparel from brands including Lululemon, Champion and Aztech Mountain just ahead of the winter season.
How Can Marketers Learn From The Partnership Between Rent The Runway And Marriott International?
Rent the Runway has experienced an increase in relevancy and successful marketing decisions as of late. So much so that the clothing rental company was recently valued at more than $1 billion. What brought on this stream of success? Rent the Runway has effectively honed in on three important and timely trends within the digital marketing space: convenience for consumers, strategic partnerships and the continuous growth of subscription services.
“I’m saying the pride of ownership is dead, and the pride of access is the new luxury,” says Hyman.
Maureen Sullivan, Rent the Runway COO, added, “I think as Rent the Runway comes to life, we are seeing how dynamic subscription can be.”
Rent the Runway’s ability to recognize and capitalize on current trends should be a reminder for marketers and brands alike to innovate and cater to audience needs or risk fading to the background.
Are You Looking For Insight On Subscription Opportunities?
Digital Media Solutions® (DMS) helps brands launch and expand in the subscription market by developing targeted and engaging DTC subscription offers. DMS targets consumers who become ongoing subscription customers with strong lifetime value by leveraging non-promotional, content-rich audience engagement plans and by using strategies focused on converting introductory offer customers into long-term subscribers and programs to address non-responders early in the lifecycle.
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