A Travel Blog from the Editors of T+L
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Travelandleisure.com Staff
After five years in the making, the Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe finally opened its doors to the public today. (Lucky first guests/skiers at the 170-room property were treated to a fresh snowfall.)
Just in time for Caribbean travel season,
JetBlue today kicked off service between New York’s JFK and St. Lucia. We’re
big fans of the blue airline, so it’s exciting to see their destinations
expanding. It’s even more exciting to see the kickoff deal: only $129 each way.
Sure, there are strings attached: you have to act fast (book by this Friday)
and travel between November 2 and February 8, 2010 (yeah, Valentine’s Day is
going to cost more).
Is luxury a dirty word? That’s the question T+L Publisher JP Kyrillos just posed to the audience and an expert panel that includes:
Javier Barrera, EVP of Grupo Posadas
Erik Blachford, Chairman and CEO of Butterfield & Robinson
Marcus Samuelsson, Chef/Owner of Aquavit
Lisa Sun, Associate Principal of McKinsey & Company
The response was an unequivocal “no.” But, says Sun, it’s important for companies to communicate the value and authenticity behind the word. Companies like American Girl and The North Face have built premium products but have achieved success by creating a sense of value behind the products.
Samuelsson added that a new sense of luxury will come out of this downturn. People, he says, are getting back to the value of time—time spent together and the experiences they share.
And, says Blachford, that’s exactly what companies like his are trying to do—deliver value even if it comes with a high price tag.
JP also posed the following questions to the audience and asked them to indicate their answers by holding up either a green (“yes”) or red (“no”) index card:
- Do you believe in advertising in a recession? Green cards went up all around.
- How about discounting in a recession? A mix of green and red.
- Is the economy on a rebound? Lots of green, but a few reds.
- And is Twitter here to stay? Most people said no.
And as he closed the presentation, he asked, “Did everyone have fun today?” A sea of green cards filled the air.
"Snotty, phony, pretentious is over," says Nancy Novogrod. "The new paradigm is all about real experiences—both exotic trips and inner journeys. It’s a time for re-invention and a return to values.
New sites like Kujabi.com, and companies like Pure Life Experiences are looking to help travelers get into the spirit of a place, as are new spas from Connecticut to Austria.
Restaurants, too, are returning to comfort; dishes like burgers and fried chicken are being reinvented as well. And destinations like St. Lucia are re-inventing themselves; the island has hired a team of international planning experts to build a new sustainable tourism industry.
T+L is reflecting this sensibility as well. Our mission, of course, is all about authentic experiences, and the magazine’s January trends issue will focus on connecting to people and place."
The first discussion at MarketWatch: T+L’s Features Editor Nilou Motamed sat down with Stephen Hanson of B.R. Guest Restaurants for a discussion of his innovations in the hospitality industry and what he feels is important.
Hanson spoke of finding a new middle—that value is not supplanting luxury, but that the economy is pushing people to explore new hotels and restaurants. People have re-evaluated their values in this economy, he says, and they now feel they can enjoy the luxury experience a couple times a year instead of eight times a year.
But, says Hanson, what’s important is delivering value for the price, and that starts with service. “People are demanding 5-star service in a 3-star brand,” he says; that’s a difficult thing to achieve but is his goal. Discounting may get people in the door, but the hotel or restaurant has to make the customer feel special.
So how does he make the customer feel special? Hanson’s company has been tracking guest preferences to know what they like and give them that personal touch.
Some 120 industry leaders are just now sitting down to breakfast at Travel + Leisure’s bi-annual MarketWatch Summit, happening now at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. The theme is "No Regrets: Business Leaders On Tactics For A New Economy," and everyone’s looking forward to the discussion on trends not only on travel but across industries.
Our Editor-in-Chief, Nancy Novogrod, and our Publisher, Jean-Paul Kyrillos, are playing host to this gathering, which will feature a conversation with Stephen Hanson, founder and president of B.R. Guest Restaurants; a talk on travel trends from Nancy Novogrod; and a panel discussion with experts from several industries.
We’ll be live blogging for the next couple hours; check back for more.
T+L got a sneak peak at the Surrey Hotel, one of New York City’s newest renovations that's been gutted and reimagined and is scheduled to reopen this fall on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. And while right now we’re reliant on artist renderings, it seems like the Surrey will be injecting some (dare we say) trendiness into the UES.
Today's top travel headlines:
- Hurricane outlook in Atlantic cut to as few as three, NOAA says [Bloomberg]
- On-time arrivals soar at O'Hare; credit given to new north runway [Chicago Sun-Times]
- Putin bares torso in Siberian vacation shots [CNN International]
- Swiss seek Pope's blessing to stop glacier melting [Reuters]
- Antigua mountain renamed after President Obama [Caribbean World News]
- NYC subway officials seek new voice of the trains [NY1]
Today's top travel headlines:
- United Arab Emirates to host America's Cup [New York Times]
- Fire breaks out on plane in Paris [BBC]
- Researchers set sail for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch [San Jose Mercury News]
- Hotel Bel-Air will be closed nearly 2 years for renovation [Los Angeles Times]
- Cancun hotel reopens following beach sand dispute [Phoenix Examiner]
- Celebrity rooster, Mr. Clucky, ordered out of Miami Beach [Los Angeles Times]
Today's top travel headlines:
- DOT says fewer flights on-time in June [Msnbc.com]
- Ticket prices increase at Walt Disney World [Miami Herald]
- Body found in Coast Guard search for cruise passenger off Alaska [Boston Herald]
- Thai plane crashes on Koh Samui, 1 dead [Reuters.com]
- 60 crew have swine flu on cruise ship off France [USA Today]
- 3 SFO luggage handlers convicted of stealing [San Francisco Chronicle]
- Newport Folk Festival turns 50 with sets from Seeger, Baez, and more [Rolling Stone]
