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HOTELS, TRAVEL: HOW PRIVACY WILL BE THE NEW LUXURY THIS SUMMER

Luxury hotel

โ€˜Many travel habits will morph as tourism slowly returns. But across all the trends experts point to, the one constant is the โ€œpโ€ word: Privacy. Have we all become semi-recluses through quarantine?โ€™ BARE shares an articleย byย Tamara Thiessenย forย Forbesย about the upcoming changes for hotel stays and luxury travel.

โ€˜Still seeking a touch ofย both reclusiveness and exclusiveness as we venture back to hotels, and on holiday. It seems so. Social distancing measures mandate it. The tourism industry must adapt.

PRIVACY THE NEW LUXURY: HIDEAWAY HOTELS

โ€œAs people start to travel post-Covid, luxury travel will come back first, and privacy will be the new luxury,โ€ says New York-based Florence Quinn ofย Quinn PR. โ€œTravel and hospitality brands that cater to this new mindset will reap the rewards of more reservations.

โ€œTravel by yacht, private jet, residential rentals andย secluded hotels and destinationsย will boom as affluent consumers look for getaways with fewer crowds, more privacy and the ability to gather with loved ones.โ€

PRIVATE VILLAS, MORE ROOM SERVICE, LOCAL GASTRONOMY

โ€œWe have two private villas at theย Chรขteau de la Treyne, and we are getting a lot of demand for them. I realise people this year will be a little bit afraid, so this way they can have family, friends, a private pool, and chef.โ€

Onย reopening in July, Stephanie Gombert,ย directriceย of theย luxuryย Dordogne hotel, feels โ€œthe sense ofย luxury and exclusivenessโ€ will be more important than ever to guests. โ€œMore privacy overall, and aย priority on cleaning and securityย are vital in the future.โ€

As to dining, she anticipates much more room service. The usual gastronomic highlights atย the Relaisย &ย Chรขteauxย hotel will change: โ€œProbably with fewer people taking dinner on the terrace, and definitely with tables spaced out. But also less service, to reduce contact.โ€ Buying local, โ€œfrom small producers, and serving only seasonal food,โ€ is always the modus operandi here: โ€œIn theย health context people willย appreciate it even more,โ€ Gombert thinks.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH TRIPSย & EXTENDED STAYS

Michel Rochat CEO of prestigious Swiss hospitality school,ย Ecole hรดteliรจre de Lausanneย sees huge opportunities ahead for โ€œoff-the-beaten-track offers.โ€ โ€œHideaways and less-traveled regions will benefit,โ€ he says. โ€œThere will be a return to slow travel, self-drive and touring. Camping and B&Bs too will experience a revival.

โ€œAnd lastly, there will be a demand for apartment-style accommodation and long stay offers with service geared especially to senior citizens who enjoy traveling. In general, domestic and day tourism will boom.โ€

SPEAKING OF WHICH โ€ฆ SPACE

Space in hospitality will be as much aย safety prerequisiteย as a state of mind. Many hotels and restaurants are factoring that need in,ย someย are even redesigning to adapt to the new reality. Not a problem for lots ofย Airbnbโ€™s. Some apartment operators in southern France are seeing hikes in demand for private summer rentals.

PRIVACY THE NEW NORMโ€“EVEN FOR TRANSPORT

Only 5% of Americans want to travel by train or bus on their first post-Covid trips according toย Skift, โ€œLikely because those are public, shared spaces,โ€ it says. โ€œOur survey indicates that the private and controlled space offered by a car is most likely to be the first transportation method used by Americans who return to travel.โ€

AND FINALLY FLEXIBILITY & EASEโ€“FOR TRIPS & BOOKINGS

Travelers will want โ€œminimal fuss and planningโ€ says tourism expert Lou Hammond. That same flexibility needs to be reflected in accommodation cancellation and refund policies argues Nicholas Ward, president and co-founder of travel marketing tech companyย Koddi.ย Ward says the industry should win over consumers by giving people what they are looking for right now: โ€œNot having to worry about losing their money.โ€

โ€œDue to Covid-19, people are shifting to shorter stays and short-term bookingsโ€“ indicated by over 50% of same and next day searches, compared to 20% early in the year.โ€ Last-minute stays are in, future-looking ones out, for now.โ€™

 

Read theย original article in full here.


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