Skift Take
As the hyper luxury category spirals upwards, there is new white space for elevated boutique hotels that still offer five-star service. A new Paris opening is a perfect reference for what this category should look to.
On Experience
Colin Nagy, a marketing strategist, writes this opinion column for Skift on hospitality and business travel. On Experience dissects customer-centric experiences and innovation across the luxury sector, hotels, aviation, and beyond. He also covers the convergence of conservation and hospitality.
You can read all of his writing here.
This summer has seen a surge in the highest end of luxury across the world. Some of it is about revenge travel and increased global mobility: A lot of the Middle Eastern market parked closer to home in Covid and are now shipping their Bugattis to the streets of London and other haunts in Europe. The palaces of Paris, the best hotels in Europe, and five-stars in the U.S. did brisk business at eye-watering rates.
I don't think this is about to change. There's a new class of hyper luxury (think the Cheval Blanc in Paris) that will continue to attract travelers who don't look at the bill. As a hotel-obsessed friend recently commented: "$1,500 is the new $600" in terms of room rates. This is well and good for ownership, and the social class that still loves the old vestiges of luxury: marble, beaux-arts in