Luxury Travel, Lifestyle and Marketing Trends

Relaxing and luxurious babymoon vacations for parents-to-be have been around for sometime. And so has medical tourism, for those looking to travel overseas for a medical procedure. As far as we know, the Marmara Hotel has created the first babymoon/medical tourism hybrid, a niche they’ve coined “birth tourism.”

A new wave of cool, movable accommodations are appearing and morphing every few months while tying into compatible events. Not always pricey, pop-ups give consumers something they can perceive as an exclusive discovery, to be grabbed “while it lasts.”

Speaking to the New York Times, “Standing apart on an attraction other than price is important,” said Leonard M. Lodish, vice dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “If competitors continually undercut each other’s prices, it’s a race to the bottom,” he said.

The key card could become a thing of the past after a hotel chain announced it would allow guests to access their rooms using their smartphones. Instead of a key card, guests could download an application to their mobile device that would enable them to open their door simply by holding their phone to a sensor. If successful, this would mean that guests could choose to avoid the hassle of checking in at the front desk.

Travel these days can be cumbersome –crowded airports, long lines and rude people, all as airlines are cutting back on amenities for coach travelers. At the same time, airlines are shelling out big bucks to upgrade first-class service experiences – there are new seats with more entertainment options and larger lounges to pamper customers paying top dollar for their flights. These travelers have higher expectations and expect a higher level of personalized service for their sky high fares. In fact, some airplanes and airport lounges are so impressive, rivaling some world class hotels, so much so that you may not want to leave.

I was recently involved in a LinkedIn group discussion on what constitutes “new” luxury. Here’s my “sound bite” on the subject – and feel free to chime in if you agree or disagree:

Still battling the current economic downturn, spas are implementing fresh concepts to attract new clients and retain existing customers.

Slum tourism isn’t for everyone. Critics declare that ogling the poorest of the poor isn’t tourism at all – it’s voyeurism that’s more exploitative than supportive. Proponents of slum tourism argue that ignoring poverty won’t make it go away and its one of the few ways that tourists are ever going to understand what true poverty means – a reality check of sorts.

Globetrotting oenophiles can stop by The Ritz London to taste a glass of the hotel’s signature Pauillac wine, bottled by Baron Philippe de Rothschild in the first ever partnership between the prestigious label and a hotel. The hotel is part of a new movement by luxury hotels to offer guests bespoke, customized house wines.

Some call it vandalism. Others regard it as an expression of street lifestyle – even modern art. Yet, graffiti is becoming a popular player on the international art scene, garnering graffiti tourism dollars.

London’s Tate Modern turned its walls into a blank canvas for a graffiti exhibition. Its riverside facade was covered with giant murals by six urban artists with international reputations, including Blu from Bologna, Faile from New York, and Sixeart from Barcelona. Likewise, Miami, known for its whimsical palate of color and style, is seeing a resurgence of the street art. Tourists and locals alike are bypassing the museums and galleries, and heading to the Wynwood Art District (once dilapidated, now prime real estate) to see a selection of the best murals. Graffiti is even becoming an important dimension to red-hot Art Basel Miami Beach and the alternative fairs that come with it.

We recently wrote that over the last few years, ART has become a central focus for hoteliers due to its appeal to affluent consumers, and graffiti ties into this trend perfectly. The Hotel Erwin announced its arrival on the trendy, eclectic shores of California’s Venice Beach, the handwriting was on the wall – in this case, the exterior wall, just outside the entrance. In fact, the handwriting was in glowing, screaming neon colors, splashed there by NORM, a local graffiti artist whose signature work gave the new 119-room hotel immediate street credibility. “When we were designing the hotel it was very important that the hotel be a reflection and good partner with the local community,” said Benjamin Malmquist, general manager. “And Venice is renowned, has a worldwide reputation, for some really unique and creative graffiti art. That’s part of the culture at Venice Beach.”

Hence, a hotel as canvas, a gallery, as a showcase and a studio.