Starboard Group opens first land-based retail stores

Starboard Group, known for its retail offerings on cruise ships, has opened its first land-based boutiques in Las Vegas in partnership with Westgate Resorts.

The openings are part of Starboard Group’s new land-based holiday retail division, Starboard Resort, which will partner with luxury, family, spa, ski, beach and other resorts and vacation properties to elevate their retail offerings.

With launch partner Westgate Resorts, Starboard Resorts has opened three new shops, Luxe by Starboard, The Edit by Starboard and Baubles by Starboard, designed to transform the Westgate Las Vegas experience for guests and local visitors, by offering an experiential retail destination featuring a curated fashion, jewellery and accessories assortment, personalised services, and engaging activations and events.

Lisa Bauer, president and chief executive of Starboard Group, said in a statement: “We know from our many decades of curating elevated retail environments for the world’s best cruise lines that vacationers love unique, memorable shopping experiences - but we recognised that guests at vacation resorts were often underserved when it came to retail options.

“By launching our first land-based boutiques in partnership with Westgate Las Vegas, we’re taking the first significant steps to close this gap. Our strategic expansion enables us to fully leverage our vacation retail expertise and ensure that every resort brand can offer retail experiences that delight on-site guests and appeal to local consumers looking for fresh, elevated shopping options.”

Starboard Group creates land-based holiday retail division, Starboard Resort

The trio of shops at Westgate Las Vegas are anchored by Luxe by Starboard, a luxury boutique that is the sole retail offering in the resort’s main lobby. Encased in glass on three sides, the boutique offers fine jewellery, natural and lab-grown diamonds, certified pre-owned Swiss timepieces, and pre-owned and vintage designer bags and small leather goods from brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada.

The Edit by Starboard has been curated to offer “trendy and edgy fashion and special occasion apparel” for women and men, along with handbags. It showcases eveningwear, daywear and resortwear by women’s brand Venus, vintage-inspired graphic tees from Recycled Karma and other fashion, accessories and fashion jewellery from brands such as Mary Frances, Shiraleah and America & Beyond. For men, there is apparel from Psycho Bunny, 7Diamonds and Rock Roll n Soul, while accessories include designer sunglasses from Ray-Ban, Gucci, Prada and NYS and tech from Skullcandy.

In addition, the boutique also offers Westgate Resorts branded apparel, a bridal capsule, candles, fragrances and souvenirs.

The final boutique, Baubles by Starboard houses fashion jewellery, permanent jewellery and customisation options, such as on-site engraving services, providing guests with “wearable memory” options that connect them back to their vacation experience. Brands include Shae, Starboard’s exclusive fashion jewellery brand, and Jet Set Candy, a travel-inspired jewellery brand featuring fun and bold charms and accessories that celebrate wanderlust and the vibrant energy of Las Vegas. The boutique is also the first brick-and-mortar location for Taudrey Jewelry.

Stacy Shaw, senior vice president of luxury and resorts at Starboard Group, added: "Expanding into land-based retail is a natural evolution for Starboard, and we are thrilled to introduce our first boutique experiences in partnership with Westgate Resorts.

“With Luxe by Starboard, The Edit by Starboard and Baubles by Starboard, we are bringing our deep expertise in vacation retail to create shopping destinations that captivate both resort guests and local visitors. This launch marks the beginning of an exciting journey as we continue to redefine experiential retail in premier vacation destinations worldwide."

Starboard Resort also aims to create bespoke shopping experiences for each of its vacation destination partners and each boutique at Westgate Las Vegas offers personalised shopping experiences, including personal shopping appointments, a charm bar to customise bracelets and necklaces, and ear-piercing services.

Cami Christensen, president and general manager at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, said: “At Westgate Las Vegas, we are always looking for innovative ways to enhance our guests’ experience, and our partnership with Starboard Resort marks an exciting new chapter in luxury and experiential retail.

“These new boutiques bring an elevated shopping experience to our resort, offering curated selections and immersive activations that perfectly complement the energy and sophistication of Las Vegas. We are proud to be the first resort to debut Starboard Resort’s visionary retail concept and look forward to delighting our guests with unique and legendary shopping moments.”