Samantha Shankman

Latest Stories

Business Travel

Boutique Hotel Brands Rethink Grand Opening Events to Loop in Community

Boutique brands are discovering that creating splashy grand openings is a way to build buzz while creating community connections. Expect more investment in these one-time celebrations.

Boutique Hotel Brands Rethink Grand Opening Events  to Loop in Community

Hotels

Barcelona Openings Underline a Luxury Market in Transition

Sophisticated serenity is the best way to describe luxury hospitality in the Catalan capital where troubles including sky-high petty crime rates, legality surrounding Airbnb, and political tensions bubble under the surface. For a city once considered the coolest in Europe, its development is useful to watch for other cities just now entering their gilded age of tourism.

Barcelona Openings Underline a Luxury Market in Transition

Business Travel

Redesigning New York’s East End for Year-Round Luxury

Small towns across the world like Montauk are becoming luxury destinations. Hoteliers building luxury experiences within them face a handful of challenges to balance the local community and original allure with high-end service and amenities. It will be interesting to watch how these brands and locations evolve as tourism continues to boom.

Redesigning New York’s East End for Year-Round Luxury

Business Travel

A New Generation of Luxury in the English Countryside

There are a number of socioeconomic factors driving the investment and interest in refurbished luxury English countryside escapes, but the most basic is a driving desire from all involved to reconnect with sunlight, nature, and conscious meals in a comfortable setting.

A New Generation of Luxury in the English Countryside

Business Travel

Crafting a New Generation of Membership Travel Clubs

Travel has always been as much about who you meet as what you do in a new location. These intentional approaches to community and relationship building, fostered by immersive curated experiences, are what luxury looks like to an increasingly disconnected population.

Crafting a New Generation of Membership Travel Clubs

Business Travel

Luxury Tour Operators Expand Into Wellness to Meet New Demand

Luxury tour operators have incredible advantages over wellness industry competitors in crafting dynamic, immersive wellness-first travel experiences. However, they must adapt to this new market quickly to avoid stagnation in crafting luxury that is better-suited to past generations.

Luxury Tour Operators Expand Into Wellness to Meet New Demand

Business Travel

Luxury Hotels Want to Make You Feel Culturally Relevant

Luxury is no longer defined by pristine interiors and personalized service but limited knowledge-based access, distinct cultural experiences, and curated, specific references. Luxury hotels opening the doors to those experiences set themselves apart for future generations of affluent travelers.

Luxury Hotels Want to Make You Feel Culturally Relevant

Tourism

Ethiopia’s Nascent Luxury Tourism Market Starts to Take Hold

The question is not whether hoteliers and operators should invest in Ethiopia, but what is best for Ethiopia in balancing these new demands while protecting its people and its profound history and cultures.

Ethiopia’s Nascent Luxury Tourism Market Starts to Take Hold

Business Travel

Luxury Hotels Bring in More Celebrity Chefs in Guest Gigs

In a day when exclusive access and intimate experiences are heralded over material goods, a meal prepared by world-class chefs in a spectacular setting is something luxury consumers are willing to travel for.

Luxury Hotels Bring in More Celebrity Chefs in Guest Gigs

Business Travel

Luxury Brands Launch College Tours to Meet Maturing Gen Zers

Creating customized college packages is smart for several reasons: Parents are happy to pay for a less stressful experience and young affluent teens become comfortable with a brand during a critical and memorable moment, leading the way for future business.

Luxury Brands Launch College Tours to Meet Maturing Gen Zers