Once upon the time, the traveling of the rich and famous was characterized by extravagant limos, loads of luggage sent on ahead and distinguished hotels or resort destinations defined by the size of their lobbies, the height of their atria and the richness of the finishes on their walls and floors.

That was at a time when no one cared about chopping down Thai teak or African ebony, when having real ivory tusks in the lobby was not just common, but commendable, and when pillows, duvets and quilts were made by plucking soft feathers from live geese. Thankfully, those days are gone and the new rich and famous travelers have moved simultaneously in two very distinctive directions:

1- they are now not just much more environmentally aware, but also softer and more responsible in relation to the world around them; and

2- they are looking for unique experiences, rather than physical destinations.

With that in mind, let’s look at what today’s traveler is considering overall when making a booking.

Travelers with a conscience

In a survey of 33,000 travelers around the world done by Booking.com, and published in the 2023 Sustainable Travel Report, the vast majority of respondents said they were looking to travel in a more sustainable manner. In addition, 76 percent wanted to travel sustainably over the next 12 months. The survey also found that travelers are exploring more ways to reduce their impacts while traveling, in ways that ranged from reusing linens to turning off the AC in their hotels. Some 43 percent plan their vacations so they can walk, ride bikes or take local public transport. And this includes luxury travelers.

Other findings highlighted travelers’ uncertainty over where to search for holidays that promote environmental stewardship and support local communities, their distrust in the validity of sustainable claims and credentials, and a perceived lack of options in general. And over half of respondents (55 percent) travel with their own reusable water bottle.

Responsible solutions

Is this the new luxury? Is the new wave of luxury travelers more responsible? Are they more conscious of the damage that money can do and more judgmental about it? The survey also revealed that 43 percent of all travelers asked said they were willing to pay more to support certified sustainable travel options. The question, surely, is: doesn’t this give us an opportunity to be more creative, more sustainable and increase our occupancy and profits? With tourism, and more specifically tourism-related aviation, accounting for 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to nature.com, it must be high time to look at ways in which we can be more responsible – where we can have an effect – here on the ground.

All about the experience

But sustainability is just one element that the new luxury traveler is looking for. The other, which can go hand in hand with it, is experiential travel. For the new luxury traveler, a unique experience can mean many things: a one-of-a-kind adventure; an exceptional encounter; a strenuous physical activity; or even picking the brains of someone they would never have imagined meeting, from a Sioux elder to a bartender who is also a graphic artist and the son of a Hiroshima survivor.

So how do we cater to the new flexible, independent traveler (FIT)? What should we offer? How do we attract the guest that doesn’t care about the marble, silk or gold in the lobby, but would, instead, choose a hotel or resort based on the experience that it can offer? Hoteliers can no longer rely on the level of luxury of the property inherited from the previous operator or how well they can train the team to anticipate the needs of their guests.

Knowledge is king

Service levels, a clear defining factor in the luxury segment, have moved away from the old-style ‘Yes, Sir’ butler experience. Today, what counts is the overall level of knowledge the service team has. This must include local and regional knowledge, in addition to an understanding of the arts and of the soft sciences. Because, inasmuch as we can train our team to ensure the guest comes back, the experiential offer will
be a huge deciding factor when travelers come to make a booking. Even Airbnb has a section dedicated to experiences rather than just stays. The local and regional knowledge that today’s luxury traveler requests is what provides that sense of luxury and exclusivity. And they expect it from everyone they interact with, not only the concierge. The scenarios are numerous. There’s the concierge who will go the extra mile to secure difficult-to-get reservations, the chef who’s willing to cook any meal, any time, on demand, the housekeeping staff sharing information on where locals go to do their shopping and the bartender who is a mine of information about what’s happening in and around the area – usual and unusual – because he is a longstanding local resident.

A personalized service and then some

So, instead of offering the standard group scuba diving trips, why not tailor-make the experience to align with a guest’s personal priorities? For example, you could combine a sailing lesson and a scuba dive with a hike in a lesser-known area, offered by a local teacher who can give language lessons, while walking through the forest, as part of that exclusively curated experience. Today, we should be looking for opportunities and use data and research to offer a deeply personalized service. This could include building a custom menu around the guest dietary preferences or even stitching guests’ nicknames on their pushbikes and slippers. So, whether you are offering a paragliding arrival experience, cooking classes with a visit to the local market, barefoot night walks into the desert or rebuilding the local school brick by brick, the level of success your resort or hotel achieves will come down to this: the memories that are etched in the minds of your guests and will remain with them in the years to come.

Making memories

Those unique occasions you have created, those memorable moments, those rare events, one-of-a-kind life journeys – different for each of your guests – are what will define your hotel as a true luxury destination and distinguish it from the one-size-fits-all masses. And for that, my dear colleagues, you need to understand the culture, history and communities of your location and the ethos, values and mentality of the traveler you are seeking to attract. Without that thorough understanding and without offering guests the opportunity to experience the world in a more inclusive, responsible, respectful and mindful way, you are going nowhere.