Skift New Luxury Newsletter: Vacation Rentals for the One Percent

The Skift New Luxury newsletter is our weekly newsletter focused on the business of selling luxury travel, the people and companies creating and selling experiences, emerging trends, and the changing consumer habits around the sector.

We’ll keep in mind the needs of the specialist travel agents who sell these products as well as the sophisticated consumers who shop for them.

Today we look at four different areas where consumers are welcome to change.

In Miami we talk to the new East hotel about its Hong Kong origins and how it is approaching the U.S. market. Not everyone wants to stay in hotels all the time, so we also talk to both Inspirato and Oasis Collection about what consumers really want from vacation rentals.

On the passenger experience front, American Airlines has a new product for its most valuable passengers: decent airport food. And we also tell you something you may already know: Men spend a lot on luxury goods, too (actually, even more). — Jason Clampet, Editor-in-Chief

4 Luxury Looks

Men spend more on luxury goods than women do, says a new study.

Men Are Spending More in the Luxury Sector Than Women, Research Shows

Women are commonly considered the decision makers in the travel industry, however, a recent report from the Shullman Research Center (link opens PDF) shows that men spent more, more frequently, and for other people more often than women.

Based on reported purchases of 1,690 participants across the United States, an estimated 67 million adults bought one or more luxury item last year. The majority, 58 percent or 39 million, are men while 42 percent or 28 million, are women. The median number of luxury purchases was about the same – 2.9 for men and 2.8 for women – suggesting that men spend more than women per purchase.

What Wealthy Travelers Look for in Their Vacation Rentals

Whether the wealthy are looking for multi-million dollar beachfront villas or penthouses soaring into the Manhattan skyline, the options for finding such ritzy accommodations are increasing in number.

But it’s not just home sweet home that the luxury market is seeking, according to Jeff Hartman, senior vice president of marketing and communications for Inspirato. The wealthy want their rental homes to come with “seamless service, certainty, and a guarantee of excellence.”

Interview: Swire Group Brings Its Brand of Luxury to the U.S.

Swire isn’t a household name for most of the world. But for those in the know, they own Cathay Pacific, and also some of the most remarkable hotel properties around.

It’s no secret I am a huge fan of their flagship property, Upper House, in Hong Kong, and also Opposite House in Beijing and Temple House in Chengdu. The brand is also known for a series of high-end real estate developments around Hong Kong, notably Pacific Place near Star Street.

American’s Flagship Dining experience started running at JFK in late May.

American Airlines Launches Flagship Airport Dining for Top-Tier Fliers

Flying on American Airlines for the 1% just got a little bit nicer.

Last week, American Airlines launched a new airport dining experience at New York JFK for its international first class customers. The so-called “Flagship Dining experience is built as a free, in-airport, sit down dining service for premium travelers to supplement the onboard experience. Attached to the airline’s Flagship lounges, which are effectively supercharged Admiral’s Clubs, it effectively delivers free restaurant service to passengers who can avoid the headache of the crowded terminal — or in some cases, the often-middling airplane food.

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