Shop in your sleep at Nicky Hilton's hotels

VIP stylist Brian Long is mixing and matching shopping and celeb culture but Nicky Hilton does it her way. Picture / Babiche Martens

Expect accommodation with an exclamation mark when Nicky Hilton launches her chain of hotels next year, with help from Brian Long, one of the international VIPs at New Zealand Fashion Week.

"Think People magazine, E-channel, come to life in a hotel," says stylist Long, a consultant on the project. The idea is to fuse celebrity culture, shopping - and, oh yes, a bed for the night - in a new consumer experience.

The first hotel in the Nicky O chain will open in February in Miami. If you're wondering what the O stands for, it's Nicky's middle name, Olivia. In five years, Nicky expects to have at least 10 hotels internationally, all with less than 100 rooms to retain the boutique feel.

Some suites will be designed by her favourite design houses, including Roberto Cavalli, Fendi and Heatherette. The hotel heiress will also design special private suites. If you like the look, everything in the room is for sale. "It's really about bringing fashion and shopping under one roof," Long says.

The first hotel roof is on the art deco Breakwater building on Ocean Drive, Miami, where Bruce Webber shot the groundbreaking Calvin Klein Obsession perfume campaign in the 1980s.

Long will also act as menswear buyer for the hotel chain's stores and assist with womenswear. There will be a wide range, from $15 T-shirts to $4500 cashmere sweaters.

Asked if any New Zealand designers would be on his hit-list Long said they wouldn't be right for Miami. "Miami will be a lot more bikinis than Chicago."

Once the cooler climate locations opened, he'd be keen to add some of his favourites to the mix. On this trip Long was wearing Zambesi and his old favourite Nom*D.

Long has known Nicky and Paris for nearly 10 years. They met at a birthday bash for Sex and the City stylist Patricia Field.

He admits the sisters' names and looks have opened doors but says there is more to them than their party-girl image.

Nicky will have a hands-on approach with the hotels and her favourite gardenia scent will waft through them. The hotels are not affiliated to the family's international Hilton business. Nicky wants to do it under her own steam - albeit helped by her multimillion-dollar inheritance. The chain is being developed on a condominium basis, meaning owners can rent suites when not in use, so you might just run into some of the travelling jetset if you rent a room. Buying into the hotel is not cheap. The leopard-skin heavy Cavalli suite would set you back $10.5 million.

Long has been one of the most dedicated and friendly of international guests at Fashion Week, turning up to most shows and after-parties. Fashion Week director Pieter Stewart credits him with making valuable contacts for New Zealand in the US and hopes he'll be back again.

But he might be a bit busy with his new role at Nicky O.