Luxury Travel

As the CEO of Virtuoso, Upchurch was early in figuring out the value of fostering human connection in travel.

The most inspiring trends we’ve picked up on have nothing to do with hyper-glitz. There’s a lot happening right now from visionaries executing with integrity. 

IndiGo got big as a budget airline. But Indians are increasingly willing to spend on luxury and the airline is going where the money is.

Just about every hotel brand is trying to target luxury, and Hilton’s no different. Its approach with this move is strengthening relationships with influential travel advisors.

Jannes Sorensen thinks the key to unlocking the future of luxury hospitality lies in the skillsets of its leaders: and it requires a new curriculum and “whole person” approach to do it.

While Hilton's outlook remains broadly positive, the moderating growth trajectory bears watching. Next year hotel operators may need to work harder to drive growth. Luxury and lifestyle brands could be key differentiators.

While Hilton is making a big splash with its luxury brands in Asia Pacific, it’s also smartly tapping into the booming middle class that's fueling the rise of its focused service brands.

Niche vacation rental platforms are still raising money, just not quite as often as during pandemic times.

Hyatt sees adding luxury lifestyle hotels like Standard Hotels as creating a virtuous cycle of growth in its loyalty program and pipeline.

Chatbots are relying on 20 years of bad travel writing, while travel advisors can be a real source of truth.