Flamingo Estate and JW Marriott Launch Fragrance and Wellness Line

Ritu Upadhyay
·4 min read

JW Marriott is bringing Mother Nature’s luxuries into its hotels through a new global partnership with lifestyle brand Flamingo Estate. The collaboration centers around a co-branded product line, Expansion, created exclusively for JW Marriott that will offer guests a wellness-based sensorial journey focused on scent, sound and taste.

Bringing together JW Marriott’s luxury hospitality offering and Flamingo Estate’s nature-inspired artisanal products is a move toward “reimagining luxury hospitality,” said Bruce Rohr, JW Marriott vice president and global brand leader. “Tying holistic wellness into all aspects of the guest experience in an authentic way has always been a high priority for the brand.” He added that post COVID-19, guests’ expectations shifted even more. “This idea of traveling well over being well-traveled means guests are looking for balance, no matter what destination around the world they might be going to. Even if they are traveling for business, they are prioritizing themselves and their well-being, and that is something that is important for us to honor,” said Rohr.

More from WWD

The Flamingo Estate collaboration starts with a fragrance. The Expansion scent reflects the serenity of nature with notes of lush greenery, damp earth and rich flowers, with a base of warm, creamy woods, and energized by the holy basil plant, traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine as a tonic for the mind, body and spirit. It is inspired by the L.A. estate’s lush gardens.

Founder of Flamingo Estate Richard Christiansen is a former ad executive who first purchased the seven-acre garden estate in the hills overlooking Los Angeles surrounding a dilapidated 1940s home to renovate as his personal residence, an escape from the frenetic pace of his life in New York. The labor of love grew into a brand concept offering what he describes as products which bring together “the very best of Mother Nature.” What started with a line of natural handmade soaps inspired by the garden led to creams, candles and more.  During COVID-19, as small local farmers suffered, he used the estate as a launchpad for curated farm boxes that became celebrity favorites. The estate, with its incredible variety of flora, was also the perfect place to cultivate honey, so Christiansen added bee-keeping to the portfolio as well.

The partnership with JW Marriott was seamless, said Christiansen. “We both believe in real hospitality, and it’s at the heart of what we do. The rare art of making someone feel loved and cared for is communicated through all these senses, but especially taste, touch and smell.”

Rohr said the collaboration with Flamingo Estate might be a surprise for guests. “For brands to stay relevant, but also to push ourselves into new spaces with the unexpected, is refreshing and sparks curiosity from guests and customers.”

The other sensory elements of the partnership include Flamingo Estate curated exclusive playlists for JW Marriott, created to correspond with the distinct energy of the different times of the day, respectively titled: Aurora, Sun, Twilight and Moon.  The soundtrack will be in public spaces at JW Marriott locations across the globe.

Sweetening the guest journey, the third element in the collaboration is a signature Flamingo Estate co-branded California wildflower honey which incorporates holy basil and bergamot meant to promote well-being and resilience to stress. The honey will be featured in cocktails and savory dishes by chefs at select properties around the world.

The JW Marriott x Flamingo Estate scent will be available for sale as a hand-poured candle for $65, diffusers, sleep sprays along with the signature honey and other Flamingo Estate products at pop-up shops in JW Marriott properties around the world. The first month-long retail experience launches this week at JW Marriott Essex House in New York. Other locations include JW Marriott Dallas Arts District, JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City Polanco, JW Marriott Hotel Madrid, and JW Marriott Bengaluru Prestige Golfshire Resort & Spa in India.

Rohr said this is the first retail partnership of its kind with a brand for JW Marriott. “Luxury is really about the personalization of experiences we can provide. When guests stay with us and discover new products, create warm memories associated with the scents or tastes they experience at the hotel, that in turn makes them want to take a bit of that home with them, creating a deeper relationship and a sense of history with our brand.”