While D.C. has been recently deluged with a variety of online “deal” companies — Groupon, LivingSocial, RueLaLa — on Tuesday night it was Gilt City that got the socialite stamp of approval.
A number of prominent locals, including soon-to-be ESPN reporter Lindsay Czarniak, her fiance, soon-to-be MSNBC daytime anchor Craig Melvin, political consultant Juleanna Glover and Venga president Winston Lord hosted a party at Georgetown’s Halcyon House to toast D.C. becoming a Gilt City.
Gilt City is an offshoot of the discount designer fashion website Gilt Groupe and differs from its competitors by offering curated luxury experiences, such as a private party on the W Hotel’s rooftop or a special tasting menu at Cafe Milano. The average experience will range between $80 and $112.
“We are not doing daily deals, we don’t do group buying, we don’t do coupon-ing, we do lifestyle experiences,” explained Nathan Richardson, president of Gilt City. “Ideally you’ll have a sense of escape when you see the email, unimaginable discovery, because you’ll find a restaurant that you can go to with a friend or a loved one and you’ll indulge in it.”
Gilt City Washington D.C. officially launches online Monday.
