I was honored to accept an invite to the elusive ILTM Cannes conference earlier this month. Here are my observations from the four-day luxury travel event.
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What Is ILTM?
The International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM 2024) is an invite-only conference series with events in Africa, Latin America, Asia Pacific, North America, and the pinnacle event in Cannes, France. Invited attendees spend three days in back-to-back pre-arranged meetings with vendors from all over the world and the most luxurious names in travel.
Additionally, lunches, dinners, and after-parties fill nearly every spare moment during the conference held at the same site as the film festival on the coast of the French Riviera. It’s an opportunity for brands and agencies to meet and connect with brands they know, and those they don’t offering an opportunity for both parties to expand their relationship.
Hotel Trends
I spent time with Rosewood, St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, as well as the Park Hyatt, Waldorf-Astoria, Kempinski, The Peninsula, and Shangri-La to name some well known brands with whom our readers are likely familiar. But there were a number of smaller groups like the House Collective (and the famed Upper House in Hong Kong) and boutique brands like the Siam, and Sukhothai.
The clear trend in luxury properties is differentiation through originality, and uniqueness. Where brands in the past might have focused on the familiarity of their brands (Hyatt Regency hotels tend to have similar features and give a sense of consistency for guests no matter where they are), that has shifted to a common service level and amenities more than design.
At the Rosewood Mayakoba, for example, every few days the hotel’s managers dine with guests during La Cena (the dinner.) Cheetah Plains, a boutique Safari lodge with a handful of family-style casitas has developed their own electric safari vehicles equipped with every modern amenity but also built for the rugged reality of Kruger National Park. Miraval’s first wellness resort outside of the United States is slated to open late 2025 (or Q1 2026) in Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea.
The modern luxury traveler is more individualistic than prior generations and still seeks a high level of service but is looking for something indulgent that can’t be had elsewhere.
Slower Travel
Many brands from all sectors have acknowledged that slower travel is more enjoyable. Some resorts have a minimum stay requirement to encourage this. Brands like Explora Journeys and Regent Seven Seas (luxury cruises) have adapted itineraries to spend overnights in destination ports. In the past, cruises would love to showcase the ability to see 5, 6, and even 7 destinations in a week long itinerary. Regent, for example, is flipping that to a disadvantage with some six night itineraries only seeing three ports, overnighting in each. The reason is simple, how can you possibly experience Barcelona without a 10 PM dinner in Las Ramblas? There’s nothing enjoyable or luxurious about commuting 90 minutes into Rome and 90 minutes back with an all onboard time of 5 PM.
It’s an important distinction from “slow travel” which dominated the trends pre-COVID and especially during in which a trip might include a homestay rental lasting weeks, even months to really get to know a destination.
This isn’t slow travel but slower travel than the quick pace that had been the norm.
Rates, Occupancy Remain High
Many, including this writer, have drawn conclusions that the post-pandemic revenge travel period had to come to an end. And for some, maybe it is slowing. However, in the luxury sector, occupancy remains high with strong forward bookings from nearly every contact I encountered. Even as rates reached heretofore unseen levels, the market appears to be unbothered.
Further evidence of this is seen in Delta’s hiring spree for flight attendants and American Airlines once again searching for pilots to meet demand.
One theory that was postulated at a table I was at is that there is a new minimum activity level established. Consider the iPhone moment where a cell phone for consumers was something rarely used and few had Blackberries or other smart phones. Within just a few years of the iPhone hitting the market, it edged its way into the necessity category for most consumers. In travel, it’s possible that travel has moved from once or twice a year and only the extremely rich traveling for leisure without ceasing to a much more frequent necessity.
It’s also possible that revenge travel, at least in the luxury sector, simply remains intact at the moment, only to cede in the future. But for the moment, everything appears to be performing near peak levels. Antarctica, a focus for my agency, is a prime example. The average booking period is 11-18 months in advance traditionally, but this year we have seen late inquiries up to weeks prior to departure. In the past, these late additions would have been a godsend for sailings that plan to operate sub full-capacity but this year across almost every brand there’s no room at the inn.
Conclusion
The luxury sector is strong and remains strong for the foreseeable future. Even the largest brands are dedicated and focused on displaying their uniqueness and finding ways to connect with guests outside of the normal service experiences. Slower travel is a focus and it further demonstrates those deeper, more personal experiences luxury guests desire.
What do you think? Does this resonate with your luxury experiences?
In other words, scheme on how to F the potential customers with kickbacks, insider “deals” and do a bunch of blow. Yea, I know, that’s how the entire business world works to some degree.
Have fun, make deals and never, ever forget….F the customer!
@Dave Edwards – Bizare response but it leaves me with just one question, “who hurt you?”
Hey , he tells it like it is .
The answer to your question is Liberty Travel in 1987, you know, when people actually needed Travel Agents. Now it’s just pure laziness using them.
This Mark Gastineau?
@Dave … +1 . Exactly so .
So , the main course at the “Six Senses party” is salami .
Yeah it does pretty much sound like this event is about milking as much money as possible out of ultra-wealthy customers with low self-esteem. Then again if you fall for luxury stuff like personalized welcome letters and dinner with the manager, jokes on you! (general “you” not you personally, Kyle:) )
The prospect of having dinner with the manager of a hotel in which I happen to be staying seems positively cringeworthy. I’m definitely not the target customer for these services, and that doesn’t really have to do with my spending power (I suppose I can afford to stay at top end hotels at least a few nights per year, but I really can’t see a reason to do that).
I was there too, and once again we missed each other!
From the Belmond pop up outside to the Accor campus out back, the event is huge, and easily the most important show on the calendar. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In future, let’s try and coordinate!
I’ll bet security details at these properties will be all the talk going forward. We are swiftly moving forward to fortresses being built for the oligarchs of America. Disparity of wealth and power is going to give us many more Luigi’s I imagine.
Perhaps that’s what you mean by slow travel? Luxury hotels behind walled enclaves guarded with guys wearing machine guns discreetly placed in towers behind palm trees. Places you never actually leave. What a world we live in now.
I think that a lot of resorts are already a bit like that. I have been actively discouraged from leaving hotel grounds in Acapulco by hotel staff using excuses/pretexts ranging from ridiculous to paranoid.