High-End Hotels Embrace Informality

Luxury Travel News

The Skift New Luxury column is our weekly column 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.

One of the hallmarks of what we’ve dubbed “new luxury” is the end of the stiff, old-fashioned way luxury hotels treated their guests.

A new generation of hoteliers is realizing that high-end travelers want a more relaxed style when it comes to guest relations. This doesn’t signal a shift toward the slapdash but rather it’s an understanding that guests now value individuality over formality.

As Elsa Remoy-Hodt, guest relations manager at the five-star boutique hotel The Ned in London, says: “The service still needs to be slick, and attention to detail is a must, but guests in 2018 want personality.”

— Patrick Whyte, Europe Editor

6 Looks at Luxury

Being Informal Is the Future of Luxury Guest Relations: Luxury travelers are seeking out experiences that enrich their lives rather than isolate them from adventures. That’s why The Thief in Oslo is one of a growing number of luxury hotels that are pursuing more informal and instantaneous relations with guests.

Nobu Hotels CEO on a Restaurant-First Approach to Hospitality: It certainly helps to have your hotels named after a wildly successful global restaurant chain, but making sure people don’t only think of your brand as a place to eat can be a challenge.

Skift Forum Europe Preview: Marriott Exec on the Luxury Evolution: Marriott’s Tina Edmundson has plenty to say about the value of brands, and how hospitality companies need to respond to changing consumer demands and needs, especially when it comes to the lifestyle and luxury spaces.

What This Tokyo Bookstore Can Teach Travel About the Tech Backlash: In a world where actual connection is more important than ever as a technology backlash looms, how can travel brands create more human experiences through addictive shared spaces?

Australia’s Bet on Chinese Tourism Is Clear in a $5,888-Per-Night Hotel Room: Las Vegas likely isn’t a huge draw for the Chinese gambler crowd, but a looming U.S.-China trade war won’t hurt Australia’s prospects of attracting more Chinese high-rollers.

Waldorf Astoria Hotel Will Get Fewer Condos Than Anbang Originally Planned: Given Anbang’s current financial woes and an influx of luxury condos flooding the New York City market, it’s probably a good idea to go with fewer condos and more hotel rooms in Anbang’s makeover of the iconic Waldorf Astoria.

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Skift Europe Editor Patrick Whyte [[email protected]] curates the New Luxury newsletter. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday.

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