Luxury Travel & Lifestyle Trends

Food has always been a popular topic. Diet and cookbooks have topped best seller lists for decades. And the cultural moment of food consciousness continues to soar. Increasingly more TV channels are elbowing their way into the kitchen, often with edgier fare, a greater variety of ethnic cuisines, and are going to the cutting edge of what’s going on in the food world.

Creating emotional ties and helping people connect through food is going strong. Communal tables, small plates, food halls, farmers markets, bar dining (today’s bar food is on par with the best restaurant kitchens) and Yelp.com meet-ups have all play a role. Above all, sharing is a common link. Conversations and communities are created when people seek out others with similar tastes and outlooks on sourcing, cooking and serving food.

Named the Best TV Drama Series for a third year in a row at this week’s Emmy Awards, Mad Men is about an advertising agency and lifestyles of 1960s America. Its historical authenticity and visual style have boosted interest in interior design, fashion, beauty, and even cocktails of the era. So much so, there’s a Mad Men Cocktail Culture iPhone app that challenges your skills at making popular cocktails of the ’60s.  So welcome back the likes of Gin Collins, Gimlets, Cosmopolitans and classic martinis (though as far as we’re concerned, this never really went away).

And for the non-alcoholic set, who want to savor the classics, there are homemade sodas – a trend that’s in step with the growing menu trend toward simpler, more natural foods, and a rising interest in locally made.

Canyon Ranch in Miami has been serving up their homemade version since their opening, as well as Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink, which just opened their new outpost in the Cayman Islands. Their ginger-lemongrass, cherry rosemary and strawberry basil sodas uses basil from their nearby vegetable garden. And while it’s not homemade locally, their Captain Eli’s Root Beer is not to be missed.

~Karen Weiner Escalera

A Food Court boom is upon us, and they’re going upscale, with some of the prestigious names getting in on the act. These initiatives, much like the retail shopping bazaar, help with bring in added income and boosts both room rates and occupancy. We think the appeal of food court dining is that it’s a product of the small plates and grazing trend – trying different foods at one seating – plus, it’s casual.

Are you ready for the next food trend? First it was organic, then local. Now, a new culinary movement is sprouting: urban foraging. As expected, this trend has been hot among foodies in California and New York City for years.

After a gloomy 2009, floral prints are THE trend for spring/summer 2010. Designers adorned their spring collections with garden varieties of rosettes and sweet floral patterns on just about everything from accessories to dresses and jackets. British brand Liberty kicked off thes season earlier this year by bringing its iconic florals to America in the form of a Target collaboration. This bright, happy trend has also influenced the beauty world, causing an explosion of pretty pinks and cotton candy hues for lips, cheeks and nails in shops.

Urban roofscapes continue to be hot real estate and there’s a lot happening in the city skies. First it was rooftop pools and bars (NYC’s Gansevoort, Madrid’s Urban), then rooftop beehives (Fortnum & Mason, Fairmont Royal York) and rooftop pop-up hotels (Hotel Everland at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo museum). So how is the the restaurant industry getting on board?

Exclusionary and elusive experiences still appeal to consumers and remains at the top of what is appealing and sexy in the minds of consumers, despite the recession. They want to feel as if they are a part of a select elite group, even if it’s only a temporary illusion. The more privileged a consumer feels for having access to a product or service, the more the added level of mystique will sell. Here are some nifty examples of selling the mystique factor….

Tea is steeped in English tradition, but is becoming a very hot US beverage (could it be that after 200+ years, we’re finally starting to get over that bit of unpleasantness in Boston Harbor?). Tea is becoming the ultimate, affordable, healthy beverage of choice for millions of Americans and, more significantly, a ‘tea lifestyle’ is emerging.

Food is all about globalization and variety these days. While some of us are making fewer trips abroad this year, we still want to taste what’s new and exotic. Influenced by street foods found across the world, mobile establishments are creating a buzz with their bold flavors, affordable prices and chef centric atmosphere and service.