This year, wealthy travelers will check into secluded new lodges and luxury all-inclusive resorts and command relatively reasonable prices.
“The high-end market is responding to three travel disasters: high prices, overcrowding, and overheating similar to global warming,” said Jacques Ezon, owner of New York-based custom travel agency Embark Beyond. said.
Still, big spenders are flaunting new resorts that prioritize privacy, such as Our Habitus Alura, nestled in a sandstone canyon in Saudi Arabia, and Gundari Resort, which has suites built into cliffs in Greece, and are offering high-season resorts. Don’t be intimidated by prices that can exceed $1,000 per night. Folegandros island in the Cyclades.
Openings in cooler climates can also be secluded spots for those who want to avoid rising temperatures. Flockhill Lodge in New Zealand’s Southern Alps is set on a 36,000-acre sheep farm (prices start from around $2,200). In the Scottish Highlands, Kilchoan Estate opens on 13,500 acres, but you’ll need a ferry to get there (prices start at about 1,000 British pounds, or about $1,220).
On the pricing front, several new entrants are adopting the model typically associated with cheap beach vacations: all-inclusive minus bargain prices. At Princess Senses The Mangrove in Jamaica, you don’t have to take out your wallet every time you buy a rum punch or a sushi roll. Rooms include overwater bungalows (starting at about $600 per night). Guests staying at Impression Isla Mujeres by Secret in Mexico have access to an all-inclusive aboard a private catamaran shuttle (starting at approximately $1,700 per night). In the spring, W Hotels will open its first all-inclusive hotel in the Dominican Republic, W Punta Cana (opening rates start at $799 per night).
Bundled rates provide a way to predict costs among increasingly price-sensitive luxury travelers. As travel rebounded after the pandemic and the industry struggled with disruption, staff shortages and supply chain issues, many felt gouged by soaring prices. Now they want to justify that expense. When Botswana safari lodges started charging $8,000 a night last year, the agency’s bookings in the African country fell by 35 percent, according to Embark Beyond.
The idea of a revenge trip where you’re willing to pay a price is fading.
“While luxury travelers still prioritize travel, their tolerance for lack of service and price increases in certain destinations has reached this tipping point,” said Virtuoso, a consortium of luxury travel companies. said Misty Bells, vice president of global communications. “This is more of a normalization and a return to value for money.”
