How Boutique Hotel Brands Build an Opening Buzz

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.

Hotels at the very highest end of the market don't always have to do much to draw attention to their openings.

But once you move down the luxury ladder, the competition for consideration is far more fierce. That's because nearly every week, a hip, new lifestyle hotel is opening somewhere around the world.

With so many boutique brands battling it out for eyeballs, some have decided to focus on making a major first impression. As Skift contributor Samantha Shankman reports, throwing highly Instagrammable opening events can build buzz and better relationships with the neighbors.

For feedback or news tips, reach out via email at [email protected] or tweet me @dailysuitcase.

— Laura Powell, Skift Luxury Correspondent

6 Looks at Luxury

Boutique Hotel Brands Rethink Grand Opening Events to Loop in Community: When luxury lifestyle hotels open, it's time to get the party started. 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.

Perfect Starry Nights: A New Draw for Travelers to Southern Africa: The luxury safari market in southern Africa is a competitive space and it pays to leverage any unique selling points. Now, savvy lodge operators are trading on the darkness of the night skies to encourage bookings.

Langham Lands a New Deal Located Within a UNESCO German Palace: With all the current troubles in Hong Kong, diversifying the business surely is a bigger priority. Langham has said it wants to expand big-time in Europe. It's reentering the continent with style.

Eastern Europe's Tricky Balance on Avoiding Overtourism: The days of seeing overtourism as "a nice problem to have" are over. While they are still intent on building thriving tourism economies, some Eastern Europe tourism officials are also learning from the mistakes of their western neighbors.

Audi's Silvercar Launches New Car Rental Loyalty Program: Silvercar’s new loyalty program is a good incentive for both current and prospective customers to try out the service. It also may be a shot in the arm to a plateauing company.

The Savoy's Carpenter Hammers Away to Make the Storied Hotel Instagrammable: As The Savoy's in-house carpenter, a big part of Sam Beer's job is to "make things that people want to take pictures of." Turns out, that's as fun for him as it is for the luxury hotel's guests.

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Skift Luxury Correspondent Laura Powell [[email protected]] curates the New Luxury newsletter. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday.

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