Can Luxury Hotels Like Four Seasons and The Peninsula Make a Social Impact?


Skift Take

Luxury travelers increasingly want to stay at hotels with a social conscience. While it's great that locations like Four Seasons Chicago and The Peninsula are working with the refugee-helping nonprofit Heartland Alliance, it should be thought of as just that — a small move in the right direction.

Luxury hospitality and social change haven't always gone hand in hand. But today a new definition of luxury travel is taking hold. Sure, luxury guests want all the trappings usually associated with upscale hotels, like perfectly appointed rooms, fine dining, and impeccable service. But millennials and Gen Z travelers want to stay at properties that can demonstrate they have a soul too. What counts as a "soul"? It could be that the resort is a champion of conservation or that it's helping the greater social good. In this week's feature, Skift contributor Laura Powell writes about the latter — how luxury hotels in Chicago, like Four Seasons Chicago, The Peninsula, and The Langham, are working with the nonprofit Heartland Alliance to help refugees land w