Dream Hotel Installs 'sneaker Concierge'

The sneaker game isn't just for collectors with a deck chair and a lot of time on their hands, it's become a prime opportunity for rich folk to flex their wealth by skipping the queue and dropping serious bands to snare a rare pair. The Dream Hotel's director of guest services, Vaughn Davis knows, and he's calling on his sneaker knowledge to offer hotel visitors a unique service. In an interview with Sole Collector, Davis discussed the Dream's 'sneaker concierge' service, which offers guests of the most exclusive suite (and guests who request it) a sneaker styling session and the chance to buy the sneaker of their dreams. The whole article is worth a read, but here are some key quotes to get the gist...

"I have upwards of 20 years of sneaker collecting expertise myself. I worked for Nike when I was in college. My sneaker knowledge is quite large. It’s very easy. I just make one phone call to a specific individual. It just depends on the kind of sneaker and the brand. I have my high-end guys, my mid-tier guys, and my low-end guys, and my OG deadstock and rare guys. That’s easy.

What we do is a service to our guest and we try to ensure that we get them the lowest possible price. Because these suppliers are friends of ours and connections we’ve had for a very long time.

First question we ask is, “What’s your favorite pair of sneakers?” Then, “What’s your size and preference of color?" Not all of our guests are into grandiose gold sneakers or bright colors. They kind of have to keep a low-profile because of who they are.

With that being said, a majority of the colors that people ask for is all-black everything. Cool grey is also pretty popular. Any type of black and red combo is something that every guest wants. You have a little bit of pop, but you can keep it classy at the same time.

Think of it this way. The majority of individuals running the companies now, Michael Jordan was most likely their favorite athlete growing up. With that explosion of Nike in popular culture, it caught on to a lot of young kids who are now running a lot of big companies here in the world and they don’t have a lot of time to chase those sneakers down themselves. Their wives don’t want them finding the time to find them either. We make it very easy for them."