Awards season is gifting season in Hollywood, and on Golden Globes weekend, swag suites are almost as common as celebrity sightings.
At least half a dozen such suites intended to lavish stars with gowns, jewels, vacations and other luxury fare are bustling around town in advance of Sunday's Globes ceremony.
Guests at GBK's gift lounge can walk away with a weeklong trip to a health retreat in Africa. Visitors to the HBO Luxury Lounge are given designer handbags and gym memberships. Another suite offers diamonds and trips to Fiji.
DPA's World Experience Gift Lounge at the L'Ermitage Hotel offers trips to Bora Bora, handmade handbags, Diane Von Furstenberg sunglasses, party dresses, cologne and more.
Sylvain Orebi, president of Kusmi Tea, is expanding his company from Paris to the United States, and he says presenting his green tea blends at a Golden Globes suite makes good business sense.
"We get to meet a lot of people this way," he says. "We need ambassadors (for our product), and all the people who come to the suite become ambassadors."
Other suites specialize in red-carpet jewelry — StyleLab's is staffed with an onsite expert to provide insight on the baubles and gems.
Roger Neal's Ultimate Beauty Suite offers pampering services to stars, from manicures and footrubs to massages and facials. Visitors leave with a swag bag filled with vacation vouchers, skincare products and other treats.
Adam Lambert and Jennifer Love Hewitt are among those taking part in the beauty treatments, Neal says, adding that offering such services helps distinguish his suite.
"Some stars get a little turned off and don't want to go to the suites because they're gifting suites," he says.
Gift suites have exploded in popularity in recent years. Most include a charity component to temper the appearance of greed, but free fancy stuff remains the main draw — so don't expect to see Angelina and Brad traipsing through with bulging tote bags.
Still, as Neal notes: "There are always new stars, or it's their first time being nominated, and they want the pampering and the whole experience."
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