Apple ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ $๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฌ โ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธโ… ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป.
(Yes, a sock. For your phone. For the price of a night in a 4-star hotel.)
Before you roll your eyes, hear me out โ because Apple is teaching the hospitality industry something very uncomfortable:
๐ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
While hotels obsess over:
โข room size,
โข thread count,
โข breakfast options,
โข โฌ4 price differences on Booking.comโฆ
Apple sells a story for $230, and it sells out.
Hereโs what every hotel can learn from this ridiculous-but-brilliant product:
๐ญ. ๐๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ. ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐.
A $230 sock is irrational.
But so is paying โฌ900/night for a room with the exact same mattress as a midscale property.
Guests buy identity, not amenities.
๐ฎ. ๐ก๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ = ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ.
Apple brought back the 2000s iPod sock and turned it into fashion.
Hotels can use the same trigger:
retro uniforms, vintage cocktails, throwback experiences.
Itโs cheap to implement, expensive in perceived value.
๐ฏ. ๐ข๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ.
Apple didnโt release a new phone.
They released a detai, and the internet exploded.
Hotels donโt need million-euro renovations.
They need one clever, talkable detail that spreads faster than any ad spend.
(Think: check-in rituals, signature midnight snacks, collectible room keys.)
๐ฐ. ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ด.
The iPhone Pocket works because Apple already has cultural permission to sell something โabsurd.โ
Hotels with a strong identity can do the same.
Hotels with no identity? Every experiment looks random.
๐ฑ. ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ด๐๐ฒ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐.
90% of people think the sock is stupid.
Apple doesnโt care.
They know exactly who it was made for.
Hotels: stop building โfor everyone.โ
Pick your people and build something unmistakably for them.
๐๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ , ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒโ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ต:
Your next revenue boost wonโt come from new room types or new software.
It will come from a small, emotional, branded detail that people canโt stop talking about.
Apple just proved itโฆ with a sock. ๐งฆ๐ฑ