museums&MORE Fall 2011
The Broadmoor Resort Gift Shops

‘If you’ve been here, you know’

If you’re in the mood for luxury, look no further than The Broadmoor, a 94-year old resort situated on 3,000 acres at the gateway to the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The longest continuous winner of the Forbes (formerly Mobil) Five Star (51 years) and AAA Five Diamond (35 years) awards for service excellence also boasts Colorado’s only Five Star restaurant, Penrose Room, as well as the state’s only Five Star spa.

Along with plush accommodations and fine dining sit 26 specialty shops -everything from spa and golf stores to the Signature Shop, a 1,200-square-foot store with warm and inviting light cherry wood and carpet-bright blues and reds. While it’s located in the hotel lobby, the Broadmoor Signature Shop is not your typical hotel gift shop. For everything they sell, they make sure the company they’re working with has a reputation for quality to match the quality and reputation of The Broadmoor Hotel.

“We are selling a lifestyle, not just merchandise,” said Rhonda Kenny, director of retail operations. “We carry very fashionable apparel for all ages and unique items with the Broadmoor logo that you can use in everyday life. You don’t buy something from the Signature Shop with the logo on it and then store it away. We like to say that ‘If you’ve been here, you know.'”

Local and Lush
Greeting every guest when they enter a shop or just passing them by on the walkways is a way to connect with the guest and make them feel comfortable and welcomed to the property. Once they enter the Signature Shop, the history behind the resort is literally on display.

“We truly believe in visual presentation; if it’s presented well, it will sell,” Kenny said. “We work with all our staff individually and personally to make sure they understand what our expectations are for visual display. We also have a lot of windows in our shops, so we stress the importance of what the shop looks like through windows after hours when guests are window shopping.”

Often guests will send the resort president items their parents or grandparents had from the Broadmoor long ago, such as a vintage suitcase with Broadmoor travel stickers on it, old postcards or artwork. These items are used to enhance the displays and bring a sense of how long the Broadmoor has been there.

Although those items are not for sale, everything from tote bags and robes to gold charms and pottery is available for purchase. Kenny said T-shirts, sweatshirts, fleece jackets and golf apparel with the Broadmoor logo sell well because guests want to be reminded of a time and place they have been.

“We have a beautiful lake at our resort and some of the locals walk the lake in the morning,” Kenny said. “I noticed the other day that several ladies had on our best selling Broadmoor fleece jacket. I stopped to talk to them and they all said it was their favorite jacket!”

Along with items that can be used every day such as tote bags, wine accessories, coffee mugs, memo pads, scarves, bookends and collectables, they also sell a comfortable and luxurious plush micro fiber Broadmoor robe and bedding that is featured in the resort guest rooms. The mattresses, feather beds, duvet covers and pillows and bedding is made exclusively by Sealy for the hotel, so guests can feel like they’re sleeping in the resort every night.

Jewelry is featured in many locations throughout the resort from recognizable lines such as Pandora Charms and Saffron Travel Jewelry to that created by local artists. Kenny said they carry items made in America throughout many of the shops and strongly support local artisans, craft, pottery and jewelry designers.

“For example, the Signature Shop has a ceramic line with the Hotel Hand painted on it made in America by Resort Impressions and we feature a ‘Best of the West’ collection in our Cheyenne Gourmet Shop that includes, honey, jellies, jams and candies made by our local farmers and candy makers,” Kenny said. “The staff is educated to discuss where the item is made when speaking to the guest. I think it’s important to everyone that items are made in America where possible, and guests love to take home something made locally from Colorado – everything from jewelry to art to food.”

Buyers Market
Since they buy for a variety of shops on the property, the staff of the Broadmoor attends a variety of shows in New York, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Dallas. Kenny said it’s important to keep up with the trends, as guests want to see the new and latest merchandise.

“When we are at buying markets we keep in mind that our guests could be either social travelers, with a convention or group or visiting on business,” Kenny said. “We take into consideration the uniqueness and price of the merchandise and try to purchase items not found everywhere.”

When the economy took a turn a couple of years ago, they started buying more products that reflected a better price point. This strategy helped them through the rough spending times. Because they had a very good year in 2010, they’re introducing high end lines again such as MacKenzie-Childs in the Gourmet Shop, Jay Strongwater in the Jewelry Shop and Peter Milar in The Signature Shop.

“The busy season is May through October, but we also have a solid holiday business in November and December that continues to grow,” Kenny said. “This year we’re opening a seasonal Holiday Shop location to support this time of year.”

The Broadmoor Christmas House is a Victorian house built in 1897 owned by the hotel and is located a block away from the main entry. This shop will carry every thing guest would possibly need for the holidays and will be open October through January. In addition, they also have special Apparel and Jewelry Trunk showings and events through out the year, book signings by national, regional and locally known authors and ornament signings by holiday designers such as Christopher Radko.

The Cosmetic Shop also has nationally and regionally known artists from Bobbi Brown and Trish McEvoy to Laura Mercier that come in for special makeover events. But one thing that doesn’t need to be made over is the consistent commitment to excellence that the hotel strives to maintain.

“We are at a Five Star Five Diamond resort,” Kenny said. “It’s all about providing exceptional service through our people, product and presentation while creating memories that match the quality and reputation of The Broadmoor.”

After all, if you’ve been there, you know.

By Abby Heugel
Managing Editor





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