By Sue Marquette Poremba
hether visiting an exclusive spa or a family- friendly resort, T-shirts, polo shirts, and hats are favorite items to purchase at the gift shop. However, which apparel items sell best varies, depending on the shop’s theme, local attractions and the hotel’s amenities.

A display of brightly colored casual clothing invites shoppers to browse and linger. This photograph was taken in the Amelia’s Signature Shop at The Spa and Shops at Amelia Island Plantation in Amelia Island, Fla.

At the Sport Shop at Cheeca Lodge and Spa in Islamorada, Fla., the most popular apparel highlights the area’s reputation as “The Fishing Capital of the World.” According to store manager Kelley Garcia, Tshirts and hats with fish appliqués are popular sellers, especially with men visiting the resort. “The fish hats in a baseball cap style are our best selling item,” Garcia said.

The Sport Shop sells a variety of other items, ranging from beach attire to high-end silk shirts. The store also sells some youth and toddler clothing. Items in brown are a trend Garcia is seeing in 2007. “Brown is the new black,” Garcia said. “It comes in all shades.”

Garcia said her customer base is unique because the hotel attracts a diverse clientele. She sees families with young children, older couples, and individuals who are there for the fishing. To attract them into her store, she hangs displays of her apparel so customers can see the item, and shirts are folded specifically to show the logo.

Michael Webster, one of four principal owners of Stevenswood Resort and Spa Mendocino in Mendocino, Calif., said his customers are almost exclusively adults ranging from 25 to 45 years of age, coming from either the California Bay area or the East Coast. He found that much of his $600K annual sales come from people buying souvenirs or from resort guests who either forgot or didn’t pack a needed item.

All the apparel sold at the gift shop has the resort’s logo. Webster said the store sells sweatshirts, tank tops, Tshirts, golf shirts and caps. He is constantly on the lookout for new items to include in the store, although he usually adds new apparel items in the fall. Most recently, he said, he added hooded sweatshirts and spa robes. Webster also mentioned that his customers tend to be eco-sensitive. “They care about where items are made and if they are made from recyclable materials,” he said.

The spa robes are Webster’s hottest selling item right now. “We once supplied the robes in the guests’ rooms,” said Webster, “but now our guests can purchase their own robe and take it home.” The chenille robe, Webster added, is competitively priced, which helps make it more attractive to customers.

The robe display helps bring customers into the shop, which was recently renovated in conjunction with the opening of the new spa. Webster said carpeting was replaced with bamboo, slate, and cork flooring. A new jewel display was installed, a wine section was added (“This is wine country,” Webster said,) and halogen lighting was mounted.

Jeanette Oberhaus, a buyer for Westin Resorts, said how apparel is displayed is almost as important as the items themselves. “We use a variety of different fixtures depending on the items,” Oberhaus said. “Our stores pride themselves on sizing and folding T-shirts with a great amount of care. Our wall lines are neat and inviting, which makes people want to take a look. Some clothing is grouped by collection and often within this group items need to be folded or hung. Our stores are designed in such a way that they can be changed easily. Wall lines may be shelved for folded items or a hang bar may be used or a combination of both may be used. Tables are great to feature folded items and T stands are used to highlight exceptional garments.”

Westin Resorts cater to a variety of tastes, lifestyles, and economic backgrounds, so the stores sell apparel that ranges from high-end fashion to novelty souvenir clothing. “We carry something for everyone,” Oberhaus said. Clothing with the resort logo is the best selling item sold at the shops. “This is especially true if the customer had a pleasant trip and would like to take home an item that reminds them of where they have been.”

A new trend Oberhaus is seeing for this spring is adult shirts with unusual design placement, as well as thicker embroidery thread. “Gone are the boxy uni-sex cuts. Longer, fitted shirts for women and better fabrics for men are very popular this year,” she said.

Liz Stoutenour, retail, special events, and marketing manager at Amelia Island Plantation in Amelia Island, Fla., also oversees a variety of shops. “We have a shopping village with 11 stores,” she said, which covers everything from children’s apparel to upscale women’s fashion. One of the more popular stores is Amelia’s Signature Shop, where all merchandise has the resort’s logo. “We sell T-shirts and every item you can think of for golf and tennis,” she said. Among the most popular sellers are golf shirts for men and short-sleeve, brightly colored logo shirts for women.

The majority of Amelia’s Signature Shop’s customers are 30-50 year-old adults who are traveling for conferences. The customers, Stoutenour said, like fun, casual wear, like T-shirts and sweatshirts with popular sayings, as well as the golf and fitted shirts. “The clothes are basic and simple,” she said. “They are classy enough that people will want to wear them again.”

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