Belmond Expansion, Family Luxury and a 'Stupid' Jet Fuel
Skift Take
Key Points
- Belmond is undergoing its largest expansion since LVMH acquired it, adding luxury trains and exclusive properties to cater to wealthy travelers seeking immersive experiences.
- Family-owned hotels are distinguishing themselves by offering personalized and meaningful luxury experiences, contrasting with the more uniform offerings of corporate chains.
- Sustainable aviation fuel, despite being promoted as a green solution, faces significant resistance due to its high costs and limited current usage.
Summary
Belmond is expanding its luxury travel offerings with new high-end trains and exclusive properties. Family-owned hotels are redefining luxury by providing personalized experiences, challenging corporate chains to meet sophisticated traveler demands. Meanwhile, the aviation industry debates the viability of sustainable aviation fuel due to its high costs and limited market presence, despite government goals for increased adoption by 2050.
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Episode Notes
Luxury travel brand Belmond is emphasizing experiences in its most significant expansion since being purchased by LVMH in 2019, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.
Belmond is adding high-end trains and exclusive property developments to its portfolio next year as wealthy travelers increasingly cover immersive experiences. The company will launch the Britannic Explorer in July as the first luxury sleeper train in England and Wales.
Belmond will also open its first standalone private villa the same month. In addition, the company is launching a 12-star Michelin Cruise that takes travelers through the French region of Burgundy.
Next, Columnist Colin Nagy explains how family-owned hotels are adding their own touches to luxury.
Nagy notes that more travelers are becoming fed up with conspicuous consumption and manufactured experiences. He adds that travelers are instead seeking experiences that are understated, thoughtful and deeply personal.
Nagy writes that corporate chains are struggling to meet a growing segment of travelers’ sophisticated expectations, which include creating a meaningful local economic impact. In addition, he cites the Baur au Lac in Zurich as one family-run hotel that approaches hospitality differently from its corporate counterparts. A member of the family who runs the hotel says they’re free to craft the guest experience the way they think it should be.
Finally, Research Analyst Robin Gilbert-Jones examines sustainable aviation fuel, a fiercely debated topic in an aviation industry that has struggled to go green.
Sustainable aviation fuel currently represents less than 1% of global jet fuel usage. The U.S. Department of Energy is aiming for 100% of the country’s jet fuel demand to be sustainable by 2050. However, Gilbert-Jones writes there’s enormous resistance to those lofty targets, with AirAsia co-founder Tony Fernandes calling sustainable aviation fuel “stupid.”
Gilbert-Jones addresses the risks surrounding sustainable aviation fuel, noting that it’s considerably more expensive than jet fuel and fuel is already airlines’ biggest operating cost.
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