Cool Hotel Job: I’m a Sneakerologist
Vaughn Davis grew up in Guyana. His obsession with shoewear started at the age of 6, when his mother presented him with a pair of sneakers. Since then, he’s amassed quite a collection of shoes, a vast knowledge of the topic, as well as a network of fellow collectors, including a secret “sneaker ghost” to help him with requests from guests who want to sport higher-end footwear. He has even worked at Nike, winning in-house competitions for who would go the longest without repeating shoes.
Today, the 29-year-old father of two is the impeccably-dressed director of guest services at the Dream Downtown in New York, where he has added the title “Sneakerologist” to his list of duties.
The hotel and Vaughn are very much on trend, given the popularity of so-called sneakerheads. There’s an exhibit currently on display at the Brooklyn Museum, “The Rise of Sneaker Culture,” which showcases over 100 cool pairs. And there’s an even an app for collectors looking to buy and sell sneakers.
Yahoo Travel caught up with Davis in the GuestHouse Suite at the hotel to find out what it’s like to have an awesome hospitality gig — and a strong shoe game.
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Vaughn Davis, the Dream Downtown’s “Sneakerologist.” (Photo: Ko Im)
Yahoo Travel: How did this job come about?
Vaughn Davis: I was commissioned to manage the pool as part of my job. I asked if I could dress down and wear Nikes. From there, we received a multitude of requests for the sneakers I was wearing: my retro Space Jams, my Flyknits, my Nike Frees. I completely destroyed the sneaker game at the pool — so the guests had no choice but to ask where I was getting them, and I started facilitating sneakers for them.
Two years later, we unveiled the GuestHouse Suite and with that we created the program to add [my services as a Sneakerologist] as an amenity. So once you book the GuestHouse we contact you to let you know we have this amenity. If you accept, we have the sneakers waiting for you upon arrival.
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Davis in the Dream Downtown’s GuestHouse Suite. (Photo: Ko Im)
YT: Who’s your clientele? How much do the shoes go for?
VD: Our sneakers range from $350-$10,000 (Nike Air Max at the high end). The majority of our clients are Fortune 500 company CEOs — tech, fashion, media, entertainment. These are affluent folks who don’t have the time to go out and search the rare sneakers they missed from years prior or limited editions that are out currently.
YT: The sneaker concierge program at the Dream Downtown just added a fifth person to its team — even the executive chef and pool worker double as sneaker fanatics.
VD: It’s going to continue to grow. We’re going to make this a staple of the brand because it’s a highly popular thing. Sneakers are like red wine — some are earthy, some full-bodied. It’s the same thing with sneakers. Every single person has an individual taste they like. Some guys like lows, some guys like highs, some guys like basketball shoes and some don’t. They’re all tailored to their personalities.
YT: What’s the feeling when you’re able to acquire the sneaker and deliver it to a guest?
VD: BOOM! That’s the feeling. I celebrate; I jump up and make sure they see how excited I am to make their request happen. We had a Nike executive staying with us. He wanted to test us. He wanted the Space Jams Jordan fifth-anniversary edition Carolina Blues. We were able to find them for $5,000 within two hours.
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Wanted and delivered — the Nike Air Mag “Back to the Future” model. (Photo: Dream Downtown)
YT: You love this job.
VD: Absolutely. It’s got to be the coolest job ever. We have individuals who contact us in the wee hours at the night, partying at PH-D (the rooftop club) and they want a new pair of sneakers for the next stop on the night tour. I had to get a gentleman the Kevin Durant Longhorn editions. They’re difficult to find, but we were able to get them to him within 30 minutes. He put on his outfit, changed, and continued his night.
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