Upscale hotels have mastered the art of making your room an oasis. They conjure a mood. They invite lingering. They transport you. According to Tommaso Pacini, CEO of La Bottega Collective, a global group of companies that creates products and services ranging from designer toiletries to high-end accessories for the world’s top hotels, the secret to re-creating the look and feel in your own bedroom comes down to one tenet: elegance.
But you’ll want to figure out first what that term means for you, Pacini says. For some, it means tranquility with soft lighting, melodic music and an atmosphere that encourages exhaling. For others, it is self-expression: bold fragrance, curated objects and a space that reflects their energy and identity. And sometimes, it is simply the feeling of being thoughtfully looked after.
“In the most exceptional hotels, the room adapts to who you are, not the other way around,” he says. “At La Bottega Collective, we design with that philosophy. We begin every project with a single question: How should the guest feel in this moment? This same mentality should be applied when replicating this ambiance at home.”
Here are Pacini’s tips for transforming your bedroom into an elegant hotel-like haven:
Adopt a Signature Scent
Smell is a powerful sense. A 1999 study from The Rockefeller University in New York found that people remember 35% of what they smell, compared to just 5% of what they see. As Pacini says, fragrance is the fastest way to shift a mood and define a space.
He suggests incorporating a single fragrance across your diffuser, candle and personal care products like soap and shampoo to build emotional recognition. He points to D.S. & Durga’s Big Sur After Rain, which sets a spirited, adventurous mood with green, atmospheric and energizing aromas. Meanwhile, Santa Maria Novella’s Angeli di Firenze feels uplifting, tranquil and luminous, thanks to notes of peach, jasmine and soft marine.
“A signature scent transforms a room from something you enter into something you experience,” says Pacini, whose company has worked with hotels like the newly renovated Waldorf Astoria New York, Claridge’s in London and Passalacqua in Lake Como and brands like Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental and Ritz-Carlton.
Embrace Textiles
While linens and other fabrics present part of a curated aesthetic at hotels, they serve another purpose. “Textiles signal to the mind and body: ‘You can rest now,’” Pacini says. “It’s the temperature and weight of the duvet, the smoothness of the pillowcase, the embrace of a robe.”
He says re-creating this tactility is easier than ever, since there’s a major trend among upscale hotels to sell their in-room textiles to patrons. “Guests don’t just use our products, they live them,” says Pacini, whose beauty essentials brand La Bottega, based in Italy (with head offices globally), was the founding company of La Bottega Collective, a portfolio of internationally renowned companies covering every touchpoint of the guest journey. “This mindset allows us to create experiences that transcend function to become lasting keepsakes, both physically and emotionally.”
For example, La Bottega Collective’s heritage luxury textile house Beltrami produces Autentica Fibra di Legno, an innovative Italian fabric made from birchwood using an eco-friendly process. He says this creates a distinct tactile sensibility: breathable, weighty and beautifully finished.
Create Pockets of Wellness
Wellness at high-end properties has evolved far beyond the spa and now takes center stage right inside the guest room. Pacini says rather than treating beauty products as mere objects, hotels turn them into experiences, ranging from skincare mini-bars to in-room tutorials.
To duplicate this at home, he recommends creating a pocket of wellness: place your skincare essentials, like face mist, serum and moisturizer, on a beautifully designed tray.
Then incorporate beauty tools such as a gua sha (a gentle muscle-scraping tool rooted in traditional Chinese medicine), a head massager or an eye mask. “Through our luxury accessories division, Palatino, these tools are among the most requested items we curate for hotels,” he says.
Finally, add a small water carafe and a soft hand towel next to the bed or basin.
“Purposeful placement transforms routine into self-care, and a bedroom like a world-class hotel,” he says.
Remove Visual Noise
Another pathway to achieving elegance, Pacini explains, is through radical simplicity. His company designs spaces and accessories specifically to remove visual noise, allowing the eyes to rest or find inspiration.
He says the Palatino designer capsule collections embody this philosophy, including the recently launched limited-edition hospitality collaborations with leading design talents like Paris-based Alessandro Moriconi, whose pieces include a sculptural vase featuring ceramic and metal and a mirrored tray accented with leather.
“The collections elevate hospitality objects into collectible design pieces of enduring craftsmanship,” he says.
Upgrade the Sleep Experience
If you are going to invest in just one bedroom upgrade, Pacini advises focusing on the sleep experience. “You spend more time in your bed than anywhere else in your home,” he says. “No other investment delivers a higher return on your well-being, so start with quality bedding.” He again mentions swapping your linens for a textile like Autentica Fibra di Legno, which regulates temperature and has a silky touch.
Next, he says, layer in a sleep ritual — a pillow mist, a nourishing night cream or a hand and lip balm infused with calming notes like lavender and peppermint. La Bottega Collective did this for C.O. Bigelow, working to curate small, sensory cues that help transition the mind from day to night.
Pacini insists all of these details matter. “In the world’s best hotels,” he says, “every detail is intentionally designed to make you feel something: calm, cared for, transported.”
