The Soft Power of Quiet Luxury
Skift Take
A growing group of affluent travelers are done with personal butlers and gold-plated fixtures. To them, luxury is a more personal, one-of-a-kind experience.
Key Points
- Post-pandemic recovery has led to a boom in luxury hospitality, but a shift towards understated, personal experiences is emerging among affluent travelers.
- Post-luxury travelers prioritize intentional design, personalized service, and sustainability, gravitating towards owner-operated hotels for authenticity.
- Larger luxury brands face the challenge of adapting to post-luxury demands, which emphasize substance and emotional connection over opulence.
Summary
The article discusses the shift in luxury hospitality from conspicuous consumption to 'post-luxury,' where affluent travelers seek understated, thoughtful experiences. This new wave of travelers values intentional design, personalized service, and sustainability, often favoring owner-operated hotels for their authenticity and personal touch. Larger luxury brands face challenges in meeting these evolving demands but have opportunities to adapt by embracing the ethos of post-luxury and offering more personalized, meaningful experiences.
