The Gentrification Redux for High-End Hospitality

Here at New Luxury we’ve never been afraid to skirt the boundaries of high-end travel. Partly because the needs and desires of today’s wealthy tourists are much broader than they once were, and partly because luxury providers frequently follow other trendsetters. Once the first movers have colonized something, it becomes fair game for others.

This is particularly evident in hospitality, where gentrification makes previously unattractive areas suddenly desirable, especially for those travelers who want to seek out something different in their urban adventures.

For feedback or news tips, reach out via email at pw@skift.com or tweet me @paddywhyte.

— Patrick Whyte, Europe Editor

6 Looks at Luxury

Luxury Boutique Hotels Push Further Into Former Warehouse Districts: All over the world, once-derelict areas in cities are still drawing hotels because the price is right. How long will that last?

Marriott Plays Catch-Up on All-Inclusives as Rivals Push Into Resorts: After years of standing on the sidelines, the world’s largest hotel chain has committed to growing its all-inclusive portfolio organically. Keep an eye on Latin America and the Caribbean, which will be huge test markets for whether Marriott goes global.

Inside the 5 Families Who Hold a Tight Grip on Philippines Tourism: A handful of families in the Philippines controls 70 percent of the country’s tourism industry, owning key travel infrastructure such as airlines, hotels, resorts, shopping malls, and tourist attractions. Is that tight control a formula for future success?

High-Touch and High-Tech Find Common Ground With Travel Advisors: Virtuoso CEO: Virtuoso Travel Week drew record attendance to the annual event it likens to Fashion Week. While heavily touting the consortium’s new Wanderlist travel planning tool, it also emphasized the human touch.

American Airlines Will Make First Class Classier on Some Jets: People think airlines don’t listen to customers. But they do, especially when revenue is at stake. American’s most lucrative customers fly in first class, and when they’re not happy, it’s a problem. We’re not surprised American is changing course on its short-haul first class product.

Are Cultural Tours Built on Exploitation? Cultural tours to communities of color involve many parties: travel advisors, tour operators, service providers, travelers themselves, and more. So who’s responsible for making sure that a trip to an indigenous community or a historically black neighborhood is carried out ethically?

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Skift Europe Editor Patrick Whyte [pw@skift.com] curates the New Luxury newsletter. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday.

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