Luxury Travel, Lifestyle and Marketing Trends
Appealing to the Child in All of Us
Whether it’s the top 1% or just your average traveler, we all enjoy getting in touch with the child in us. And now, with so much negativity in the headlines, it’s truer than ever before. Things that are fun and make us smile bring back memories and create new ones. Special amenities, services and facilities don’t have to cost much. Sometimes it’s the smallest thing. Case in point, on a recent trip to Milan I saw a selection of candy jars in the entrance to the lobby lounge at The Bulgari Hotel. The candies — liquid filled jellies, house made marshmallows, and other sweet treats were there for guests for the taking. Besides the jars were cellphane bags with lovely Bulgari silk ribbons. The concierge said they were very popular with guests and are also featured at their hotel in London. The Ritz-Carlton Chicago hotel has its candy man, and nostalgic food and beverage treats like popcorn, popsicles and milk and chocolate chip cookies are making a comeback.
If you go to any of the leading, state of the art teens clubs such as the one at The Breakers in Palm Beach or at Grand Velas Resorts in the Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit you’ll see some adults without their teens kids, enjoying everything from the karaoke and virtual reality games to ping pong and X-Box Kinect. Or witness the success of the Aloft Hotels concept of retro games In the lobby, always a big draw with millennials.
More can be done to appeal to hotel guests and cruise travelers on this score, and think of the fun thinking up the ideas!