Designer brands slap their label on boutique hotels

Pack your bags, label snobs. In one of the little-noticed but quirkier travel trends of recent years, brands best known for sequin gowns and logo-bedecked handbags are slapping their names on the marquees of high-end hotels across the globe. For the clotheshorse, there are the haute couture hide-outs, like Palazzo Versace (Gold Coast, Australia, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates) and Armani Hotels (Milan and, yes, Dubai).

Prefer bling? Bulgari Hotels and Resorts cater to vacationing jewelry fiends in London and other hot spots. The trend has taken a new turn lately, with brands outside the world of fashion also trying on the hotelier hat. French crystal maker Baccarat says it’s planning a property in New York City, while the first Nobu Hotel is slated to open in Las Vegas this fall.