Founded in 1999, Buzz Products was created from a love of design, which is still at the heart of everything the company does, according to Leonard Hamersfeld, its director/founder.
“I’ve always been passionate about design and fashion,” Hamersfeld said. “I started my career as an architect and interior designer, and coming from an entrepreneurial family gave me the vision and passion to establish a design company. My love and passion for travel and design has led us toward creating the best products to make every point of the journey elevated.”
Leonard Hamersfeld Buzz Products
The Australian company originated as a product design company, but Hamersfeld’s passion for travel paved the way for entering the airline industry. Buzz’s amenity products have featured on board airlines including Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
“Onboard products were mostly commodity items and solely focused on function,” he said. “We wanted to bring our love of design and innovation to reimagine the travel experience.”
According to its founder, Buzz was one of the first in the industry to develop brand collaborations and work with design houses. Now, the 23-year-old company is known for innovation and travel experience and is bringing its expertise to hospitality.
“Flying at the pointy end of the plane is a lot like a hotel room in the sky,” Hamersfeld said. “Whether they are in the sky or on the ground, guests are all looking for a touch of luxury. And the hotels and airline are always looking for a way to differentiate the experience and give an extra touch for their guests. A hotel room is possibly the best luxury hideaway you will ever find.”
The company decided to enter the hospitality space a few years ago and has the capabilities and relationships to bring its signature luxury to hotels. Buzz has partnerships with brands like Tom Dixon, Payot, Sunday Riley, Verso, TUMI, Alessi and Acqua di Parma.
“We help bring these brands to new premium customers to experience their products,” he said. “Hotels give these brands another avenue to speak to travelers along their journey.”
Sustainability is top of mind for Buzz, with large-format amenities.
Although young in the hotel space, Buzz is currently partnering with Terranea Resort (California); SLS Beverly Hills (California); Lake Nona Wave Hotel (Florida); The Murray, Hong Kong, a Niccolo Hotel; Jackalope Hotel (Australia) and several Belmond hotels in Europe and the U.S. And, according to Hamersfeld, there are many more partnerships to be announced shortly.
“We are soon launching an exciting collaboration with luxury lifestyle brand TUMI,” he said. “We have a long history of collaborating with TUMI over eight years, and we are honored to be their trusted partner to bring them to the hotel industry in a whole new way. It’s incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to show you more soon. We have so many iconic brands that will elevate guest touchpoints in much the same way as we have done for airlines. Branded collaborations give guests a way to differentiate their stay—an experiential opportunity with a new brand experience.”
Buzz specializes in bathroom amenities and offers a full range of formats including mini bottles to large bottles and dispensers, as well as all ancillary products. The company also creates turndown service items, sleep and loungewear, bedding and textiles, meal serviceware and VIP gifting, as well kids’ activity products.
“The thirst for travel is greater than ever before after the last few years,” Hamersfeld said. “Consumers—and travelers particularly—want more. More luxury and better choice and service from their providers. It’s no longer a nice to have; it’s an expectation. Sustainability is now a necessity, but it can still be sophisticated and luxurious and still be sustainable—from large-format amenities that are elegant and stylish, to using FSC paper stock instead of plastic, soy inks, as well as soft and recycled PET textile fabrications. Luxury and sustainability can now go hand in hand and offer the best of both worlds—and for the world.”
While Buzz Products continues to grow its brand partnerships and presence in hotels, Hamersfeld is keeping a close eye on trends—and, in hospitality, guests’ connection to their products is more important now than ever.
“A return to real luxury is what we are seeing strongly with the return to travel in a big way, post-pandemic,” he said. “A hotelier invests so much time in designing their physical spaces, but the guest enhancements have to also keep pace with expectations. It sounds simple, but a body wash is no longer a simple body wash. It has to enrich, rejuvenate and have an evocative fragrance.”
It surely has been an exciting year for Buzz with more activity on the horizon.
“We are working toward creating a global presence in the hotel market,” Hamersfeld said. “We are renowned for our collaborations in airline and our strong brand partnerships, and we’re looking forward to sprinkling more of our Buzz magic in hotels.”
