NEW YORK, Dec 22 — Gone are the days when travel itself was considered a luxury, as evidenced by the explosion of low-cost airlines and budget hotels. But while a number of consumers take advantage of these value offers, more discerning clients are looking to spend their fortunes elsewhere. When it comes to their vacations, today's ultra-rich focus on two aspects that are inaccessible to the masses: customization and exclusivity.
Customisation
“For us, luxury is personal, and what is luxurious for one guest may not be for another,” states Tim Davis, Global Marketing Director at Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Could luxury be synonymous with customization and personal services? The answer is yes, according to Davis, who notes that this is part of the appeal of “boutique hotels,” which have taken off in recent decades. “The beauty of Small Luxury Hotels of the World is that because we are what we say on the tin, small, each hotel can cater to their guests by working out exactly what their luxury is, be it breakfast at 3pm at the side of the pool or a hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti. One thing is for certain: it changes for each individual guest we welcome at any of our 520 hotels worldwide.”
Exclusivity
As Davis can confirm, exclusivity is another key argument when it comes to attracting the wealthiest travellers. This means that setting foot where none of your fellow countrymen have been before is an absolute luxury. For example, Davis notes that his agency has recently seen “an influx in tourists to Myanmar, which only opened the gates to international travel in 1992.”
Of course, with the continuing development of mass tourism, the number of destinations seen as fascinating or exclusive continues to decline. “As more and more people travel to countries like Myanmar and Bhutan,” Davis explains, “the mystique begins to fade — so luxury will be dependent on the experiences they have.”
Fortunate tourists looking for the ultimate exclusivity are already booking their seats on the first tourist flights into space, the first of which are on track to lift off in 2014.
In the meantime, Tim Davis offers a few recommendations for unique hotel experiences:
Cap Rocat, Mallorca, Spain
Set in an impressive 19th-century fortress, this (adults-only) boutique hotel overlooks the Bay of Palma.
Design Hotel Eclat Beijing
A gleaming glass pyramid set in the affluent Chaoyang district of Beijing
Vahine Island, French Polynesia
The ultimate island fantasy, Vahine Island is a remote Polynesian hideaway on its own private island. — Afp-Relaxnews
