Luxury Travel Confronts a Widening Identity Crisis
Photo Credit: A suite at the Andaz Amsterdam, Prinsengracht. Today's luxury hotel experiences have evolved greatly from traditional concepts of luxury. Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
Skift Take
Luxury hospitality is no longer defined by marble bathrooms and turndown service. To compete and appeal to today's luxury guest, hotels have to be a lot smarter and more thoughtful than ever before.
Whether or not the luxury travel industry is willing to admit it, the sector finds itself at a pivotal crossroads.
The traditional mainstays of luxury hospitality are no longer as valued as they once were, and a new way of thinking about it has emerged, making it harder than ever to know what luxury really is, and how to deliver it to guests."I think the luxury segment is facing some really unprecedented challenges," said Bjorn Hanson, clinical professor at the NYU Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism.
Hanson pointed to the diminished role of concierges and turndown service as examples of how much luxury has changed.
"What's happened to concierges? Does a 28-year-old want to rely on a concierge to tell him what he'd like for dinner tonight?," Hanson asked. "With social media and other forms of gathering information and using something like Yelp, younger travelers are looking for things with social media awareness.
"The selection process is different from goi
