Hearst Castle Gift Shop

A state historical monument, Hearst Castle Estate in San Simeon, CA, is world-famous for its beautiful Mediterranean Revival style architecture, 165 exquisitely decorated rooms, and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways. Visitors travel from all over the world to experience Hearst Castle, but before renovations, the site's official gift shop was lacking a total shopping experience.

The Hearst Castle Gift Shop faced several challenges before its renovation in 2007, including the fact that there were actually two stores separated by an outside hallway, and the front entrance to the main Gift Shop was closed off from the Visitor Center by glass. Aramark General Manager Jody Bell also had to contend with outdated fixtures, improper lighting, carpet that needed replacing, decor and fixtures that were not themed to Hearst Castle, and no participative guest activity or background music.

During construction, a “temporary” gift store in the exhibit hall of the Visitor Center provided guests with an opportunity to shop during the construction phase. Even with the temporary site, projected sales goals were increased over the prior year by 18 percent.

More than $1 million was spent on the complete renovation of the Gift and Museum Shops to create a participative shopping experience for visitors before they board the bus for the hilltop tour at Hearst Castle.

The new Visitor Center is now a true gateway to the Castle, complete with architectural features, lighting, statues, landscaping, woodwork and fountains — all inspired by the Hearst Castle Estate. Opening up into the Visitor Center is the Gift Shop, which now flows into the Museum Store and offers one streamlined experience. New tile floors, custom ceiling tiles and the use of rich cherry-mahogany wood fixtures give visitors a warm shopping experience.

The Gift Shop now also offers themed areas inspired by the castle, including a book retail area modeled after the castle's elegant library; a garden shop featuring live plants and garden art; and a movie theater area with a large screen video wall and seating, which shows films about Hearst history.

The Museum Shop offers authentic reproductions of architectural details, art pieces, a wide variety of specialty custom souvenirs, and many other unique treasures.

The renovation has translated into increased sales, as well. Despite a slight (.3 percent) drop in visitation numbers, sales per capita in spending is now up 15 percent, and the store's estimated annual revenue is $3,400,000.