Retail meets Hospitality: Bocconi x LVMH Conference 2026

“Luxury today goes far beyond fashion or accessories. It is about creating complete experiences.”

  This quote set the tone for this year’s Bocconi x LVMH conference, which drew over 400 attendees for a conversation about the intersection of luxury retail and high-end hospitality. Featuring three LVMH group industry leaders, the evening offered a look at how the world’s most prestigious maisons are redefining their approach to building relationships with their clientele.

The New Language of Luxury, Hospitality as Retail

  Daniel Pasquali, VP of Sales at Belmond, opened the discussion by introducing Belmond’s iconic philosophy: “Time is not spent, it is experienced.” At Belmond, he explained, the objective is not simply to accommodate guests, it is rather to invite them into an entirely different way of travelling, one where moments become memories.

  Thomas Hachém, Global Director of Hospitality at Louis Vuitton, built on this with a question that reframed the entire conversation. “Are we going to hospitality, or is hospitality coming to retail?” For him, hospitality is no longer a separate offering but a natural continuation of the retail experience. The recent opening of the Da Vittorio Café Louis Vuitton is a great illustration of this shift. What used to be a 45-minute visit became a three-hour experience, as guests enjoy a post-shopping meal or coffee break. Each Louis Vuitton café also features a tailored menu crafted with local flavours in mind.

  Maurizio Cherchi, Retail Director for FENDI Europe, continued on this conversation, adding that where retail was once transactional—defined by a product exchanged—has now become rather relational. “You do not sell an item, you offer the client something they can carry with them, emotions that they will remember.” It is, at its core, about building a lasting bond between the maison and the client.

From Aspirational to Inspirational

  Louis Vuitton has long been a pioneer in retail-driven hospitality, from the now-iconic “The Louis,” a boat-shaped space in Shanghai, to its recent launch of Louis Vuitton chocolates. For Hachém, these activations serve a dual purpose of deepening the relationship with existing clients while opening the door to new ones. The travel library found in many cafés is also built on this purpose of familiarising its visitors with the rich history of the maison. As Hachém put it, this marks a decisive shift “from aspirational to inspirational.”

  First impressions, he stressed, are everything. The goal is to create emotions so vivid they outlast any product. “You forget the room, but not the experience.”

  Cherchi described Fendi’s newly opened Milan location as “a real experience, it’s a magic box, not a store.” With two in-house ateliers, the space invites clients into the heart of the maison’s savoir-faire, transforming a shopping visit into something closer to a cultural discovery. The store’s viral social media reception showed how excited people are to understand the artistry.

  This brings us to the power of organic amplification through social media. Across Louis Vuitton’s café activations, the metrics have been prominent. Clients became, in Hachém's words, “advertising for us.” The maison’s most successful Instagram post is the now-iconic chocolate bag.

Talent in the Age of Experience

  The second half of the conference turned to one of the hospitality and retail’s most pressing challenges, finding the right talent to bring these experiences to life.

  Pasquali explained that his team held virtually no formal hotel background. What matters is an innate understanding of high-net-worth individuals, an instinct for discretion, and an authentic personality that cannot be taught. “I often say, you don’t have a job, have a lifestyle,” he notes. Louis Vuitton has taken a similarly bold stance, most recently appointing a 25-year-old chef to lead their new New York cafe.

  For all three speakers, the common thread is a shared purpose. To realise the dreams of their clients, to craft unique experiences in unique places. “Create experiences money can’t buy,” said Hachém, a line that, in many ways, captures the entire ethos of modern luxury.

  When asked what qualities they look for in new hires, the panel was unanimous with curiosity above all. It drives problem-solving, fosters unexpected connections, and opens the mind to possibilities others overlook. Close behind it was creativity, not just as a professional skill, but as the way you approach everyday life.

Pasquali closed the evening on an inspiring note, “Act with the heart. We want you to be the best version of yourself.”