“The upscale stuff, it’s not what people want anymore”, Drew Nieporent told NY Times’s Florence Frabrikant.. And Tim Zagat chimed in with: “The people who are eating out every day, lunch and dinner, are all young, and they’re looking for a different kind of experience,” he said. “They don’t want fine dining in the classic sense. They just don’t eat the same way. They don’t dress the same way. ”You understand, of course, the prices haven’t changed. Just the ambience is altered. More choices with less pretense", Fabrikant says.
A NY Times Blog by Pico Iyer (one of eight writers invited by the NY Times to write holiday) blogs-an excerpt-Dec. 5, 2007
I wonder sometimes if one of the dark sides of affluence and choice isn’t just that we turn into whining children sure that everything must go our way. If you get off your plane in Delhi, Port-au-Prince or Addis Ababa, you’ll probably notice that no one there expects even the smallest transaction to go smoothly — and as a result, they’re much richer than most of us in terms of patience.
And I wonder if it isn’t really the democracy of travel that many of us are objecting to these days when we speak of more crowded planes and long lines at the airport. In my parents’ youth, after all, plane travel was a thing for the rich few. Starbucks outlets in the terminal; e-mail at 30,000 feet; frequent-flier programs that allow you, as I have done, to fly free to Easter Island, Paris and Cambodia: What is it, exactly, that makes us think that we should complain about sitting in a seat and being taken around the world?
In an age when terms like “massclusivity” and “democratization of luxury”: are tossed around, is it possible to run a luxury travel event with 3500 delegates visiting representatives from a broad stratum of exhibitors?
The folks at Questex give it a solid shot each year in Las Vegas with their ever-expanding Luxury Travel Expo. This year saw another sprawling show – bookended by the conference of the education-oriented Luxury Travel Institute aimed at highly trained professional travel agents – and the Signature Travel conference, for member agents of that group of upscale-oriented travel agents.
Bottom line: In one week, roughly 10,000 travel agents traipsed through meeting rooms, auditoriums and trade shows in Vegas, connecting with suppliers -- much of it in the name of luxury, a category which most agents see as the best bet for revenue growth
What's really happening here? Is the luxury niche simply becoming
un-niched ? Are middle class travelers, reaching for a luxury travel
experience, able to find affordable luxury by selecting specific
premium elements in hotel stays, or in fine dining, that are
luxuriantly memorable?
Has technology made on-demand luxury with pay-as-you-go pricing the next new thing in business and leisure travel?
And now, on to Illuminating Luxury Tastings that caught our attention in recent weeks
The word “roadtrip” conjures up images of families piling into the car – stopping at McDonald’s for meals and staying overnight at a Ramada – or camping.
But a hot new startup called LeisureLogix sees gold in luxury road trips
Last week we covered two major conferences held simultaneously, but worlds apart in many ways---Cannes “By Invitation Only” and Vegas “come one, come all” approach for travel agent attendees.
On Monday our Cannes brieflet highlighted the Ecotourism program sponsored by Departures, with excerpts from an insightful presentation by By Costas Christ, Global Travel Editor, National Geographic Adventure Magazine. www.luxurytravel360.com).
Today we continue our Two Continent Coverage with:
The Mighty Math of Luxury Travel—an exciting data report from Cannes ILTM
Excerpts from BECOMING GREEN + STAYING LUXURIOUS, a Challenge Presentation by Richard Story,……
Editor at Large Harvey Chipkin’s Nifty Nugget Report from the Exhibit Hall floor at Vegas Expo
And Now! The Mighty Math of Luxury Travel—ILTM Survey Cannes
A Conversation with Four Seasons Hotels’ Susan Helstab
When we interviewed Susan Helstab, senior vice president-marketing for Four Seasons Hotels for our Luxury Brands Put Kibosh on Luxury in Advertising, she shared insights about the legendary Four Seasons meticulous approach to marketing – up to and including its tagline, “Where Life Feels Perfect.”
On that tagline: It’s the product of relentless consumer research and every word has been weighed. Helstab says customers “want their lives to be as good as they can be; there’s where the idea of perfect come from.” She adds that “While delivering on perfection is impossible, it may be possible to feel that way for a half hour – having the emotion that this is as good as it gets. That emotion might be happiness, excitement, and contentment – whatever that individual defines as wonderful.” Helstab says FS tested the line extensively and was told by guests that “yes, that is how they would want to define their lives and they believe FS is the place where they can feel that way more than at other hotels” – and that “an emotion around an experience is very important.”
Four Seasons began to define luxury 30 years ago – and it has evolved just as guests have. First and foremost, luxury is about delivering a consistent and personal level of service to guests. But Helstab says Four seasons has been using the word luxury less and less in recent years as it has become ‘devalued.
Ipsos Mendelsohn and American Express Publishing-Harrison Group OfferFreshInsight on Consumer Behavior in 2010
According to new studies from two blue-chip research sources, Ipsos Mendelsohn and American Express Publishing - the affluent are not only ready to travel -- they are frequently going to spend more on it. While the Ipsos study focused on intent and American Express Publishing on mindset, they both point to a surge in affluents taking to the road (Amex sees an increase of 6 to 8% in spending on all luxury categories).Interestingly, both studies agree on a positive attitude despite lingering concerns about the economy. Here's a look at the highlights of both 2010 studies.
LuxuryTravel 360 has long looked to the affluent as a burgeoning market in business and leisure travel, fueling growth in more affordable, common sense luxury - less glitz and glamour, but ready to pay extra for memorable family experiences and genuine local culture.
Resource Center 
