My wife and I spent the weekend at the Ventana Big Sur, a Hyatt resort on the beautiful California Coast. My takeaway: this is such a millennial hotel.
Ventana Big Sur: A Millennial Mecca
The parking lot was full of Teslas. The restaurant, only open to hotel guests, was full of young couples who ditched their kids with mom and dad to spend a weekend with their spouse or partner. All were young professionals and the conversations (with an -s) we heard around us cracked me up.
At breakfast, the two tables behind us were discussing credit card strategies and the 5/24 rule. Also recent flight redemptions. At dinner, the couples next to us were Facetiming their children…on BOTH SIDES of our table! Cell phones out at every table. Everyone photographing their food or taking selfies with the amazing views. And the hotel even played into this by communicating principally via text message or in-room tablet.
Don’t forget the millennial-approved avocado and arugula toast for breakfast!
And farm-to-table produce within walking distance? Yep.
Why a millennial hotel? Say what you want about our generation, but we are less materialistic than past generations and love experiences over objects. Millennials also love good deals and using points (30,000/night) versus paying cash ($2200+) represents a pinnacle of the sort of experiential dealmaking young people love.
The all-inclusive Ventana Big Sur was really nice, by the way. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but it was luxe and the food was excellent. So beautiful a venue.
It is rumored that 75-80% of weekend traffic at this resort are Hyatt Globalist members (those with top tier status in the World of Hyatt program). With everyone a Globalist, no one was a Globalist. I did receive a Big Sur suite upgrade, but only because I booked eight months in advance and immediately applied a confirmed suite upgrade to the reservation. But by noon on the day of checkout, I was being hounded to clear the room (via telephone…).
No one mentioned it during check-in, but the hotel has an 11:00am checkout policy for everyone, including Globalists. At Category 7 resorts, a hotel must not necessarily offer late-checkout benefits and this property, at least for my stay, did not.
Overall, though, I found the service top-notch, particularly at the restaurant. The waiters and waitresses, mostly young people traveling in from Salinas (that’s a heck of a commute, even if a beautiful one), were absolutely lovely. It was nice to run into blog readers there, as well. Good job using your points. I certainly used mine!
CONCLUSION
I have a lot more to say about this property so stay tuned for my in-depth review. As a millennial, I loved it. But I think my parents would like it too. It’s not that hip, actually. But as we sat listening to the next two tables debate the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Preferred, I just had to smile.
Ha, we have a stay booked (on points) there coming up in September. Birds of a feather.
Reading this makes me wish I still had my Airstream.
As a millenial reader who was just denied for the Preferred… our best chance of a run-in will be at LAX haha!
(I was pre-approved for that same card 50 months ago when I got it as a university student with income… not sure what gives)
Sorry Willem! Did you call the re-consideration line? My wife was also denied initially, but when she called they approved her.
@ Matthew — Can’t wait to check it out! Teslas are a colossal waste of money, like housing in San Francisco.
Teslas are a waste of money if you are just factoring in cost of ownership (fuel, insurance, maintenance). I don’t even think they are very beautiful, though they certainly look futuristic. But they are great to drive! I suppose that counts for something.
I am going to disagree to an extent with you, Matthew, on your definition of Millennials being less materialistic and more about experiences. I say this as a person who deals in fine art and sees the generational trends in collecting and appreciation of beautiful objects.
The reality is that Generation X, for which I belong, is the least focused on accumulating items. We tend to be minimalists, and came of age worshipping the disposable world of Ikea. Dusty and old but filled with character is a difficult sell to an X’r, we had that at our parents and wanted less rustic and old – and more new and changeable each year.
However, by contrast, Millennials make up one of the largest growth markets for us. While still in its early stages (most people don’t begin truly entering our market until their 50’s) we are seeing them emerge as the youngest start to collecting of any generation in the past.
I explain this to people by pointing out areas in the country like SEA, PDX, AUS, Brooklyn, or Asheville. Spots where millennials are flocking to. Walk around those cities and look inside the businesses they develop. A return to roots if you will. Old school barber shops filled with antique barber tools. Original style Butcher shops lined with antiques. Speakeasy’s with old school furnishings and bar items. Vintage Retro shops popping up everywhere. They LOVE this stuff. And they appreciate the quality of the past and the items that came with a true spirit of hand crafted artistry. Much of this may come out of a youth that was minimal and filled with electronics. They see and appreciate something that barely exists anymore. Quality. With that, they are becoming the next great generation of collectors.
Mention going on a trip for “antiquing” and X’rs will cringe. Mention that to Millennials and they love it. They understand that objects, and the hunt, are the GREATEST experiences. And gives purpose to wandering.
Sure, especially in Cali, there may be Millennial outliers that are into more of the Instagram experiences, cause, ya know, Cali. But I assure you this is not the trend as a whole.
Very interesting observation! I think Millennials (myself included) do like nice things, just not a lot of things. Better to have one nice piece of art than a house full of Crate & Barrel or Bed, Bath, and Beyond prints. Better to have a small set of nice cups than a dozen cheap ones.
I am amazed by the quality of your photos. I have read a good amount of blogs reviewing the Ventana Big Sur, but your pictures are by far the best looking. Did you use your regular smartphone or a “special” camera?
Thank you! That’s just my iPhone 12.
Funny that everyone I know that has a Tesla say they have two happy days with their cars: the day they buy and the day they get rid of it. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of Musk and everything he created (I am a TSLA shareholder for a long time) but I cannot understand the fascination with their cars. They look ugly, they have absolutely no luxury at all, it is basically a huge iPad on wheels. Also, good luck if you ever need a replacement part. A friend got rear ended and it took him 10 months to get a new trunk. On the other hand, millennial love to show they drive a Tesla so while they keep buying an overpriced car I am happy with my TSLA returns. 🙂
I’m curious, everyone I know who has a Tesla loves it and keeps it. Why do your friends get rid of theirs?
The globalist saturation is out of control. A recent manager at a large regency property, told me 75% of the guests are Globalists (most with very little stay history). (i.e. globalist — lites through the recent promotion). I think I am going to be a free agent next year, Hyatt doled the status out like candy and its leading to a noticeable decrease in services. Hope Hyatt like these people who spend $1k a year, instead of folks who have been loyal and spend more than $10k a year and spend 60 nights in their hotels.
as a old millenial booked for next month, this has me salivating. I’m gonna just sit in one of those Adirondack chairs & sip wine for an hour each day. Booked on points of course 🙂
That’s the plan! Is it worth it to get their reason-of-denial letter first, or just call straight away?
She called immediately.
I just got a Tesla, so maybe I’m just in the glow of new relationship energy, but I love it and don’t understand all the bashing (other than the usual resistance to whatever is deemed the trend of the moment). But I will say that a glorified iPad is actually not far from what I want. I don’t need a cluttered dashboard full of gauges or an overly luxurious design. For me, having a large screen that displays everything I want works great for me, and getting on a freeway and setting Autopilot is glorious – you really do still need to stay focused, but I love having the car take over most of the heavy lifting. In short, it’s a piece of technology vs a coveted possession, and for me (so far in early days) works better than any car I’ve ever driven. Surely I overpaid, but it’s early days of advanced EVs and Tesla does it best. I respect that others may want to wait until the technology is more widely adopted and costs come down, for now it’s the price you pay as an early adopter (and maybe for some as a status symbol). FWIW, I’m a Gen X-er.
+1 to Stuart. Plus, taking pictures of everything and posting it on Instagram to showoff is just a new version of materialism and being materialistic. Millenials may not collect “stuff”, but one of the defining elements of their generation is showing off what they have/do. To wit, the Teslas, going to and taking selfies at the Ventana (an expensive resort), taking pictures of their avocado toast (at an expensive resort), having the funds to maintain a lifestyle that allows them to talk about 5/24 at all (how many people at/below the poverty line can even have credit cards?). This isn’t so they can remember the good times, this is strictly to incite FOMO in others and to gain “likes” that feed some sense of self-worth. Much the same way as the accumulation of unnecessary “stuff” was to show off to others. Different side of the same coin – but this side has better technology.
@Matthew: Teslas are very innovative cars but the company lacks the years of experience in building cars like the Japanese, German and even American car manufacturers. Tesla is really a battery company that actually uses cars to sells its batteries. A quick search will show that most Tesla models have earned pretty dismal reliability ratings.
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/11/19/tesla-model-s-no-longer-recommended-by-consumer-reports.html
Also, Tesla is well known for having very poor quality control with brand new cara having common issues including varying sizes of panel gaps, trim pieces falling off, water-resistance and paint imperfections, etc… Thus, you might be lucky but the chances you may get a bad one are very high when compared to other car brands on the same price range.
Whether you are buying objects or buying experiences, they are both materialistic impulses. You live in a material world. There are very very few who are not touched by materialism and they don’t belong to a particular generation (despite what the media might have portrayed over the last decade, and what millennials naively believe to be true).
This is hardly an experience when you are doing what everyone else is doing. Millennial version of keeping up with the Jonses, and getting affirmation about your self worth. One can do it buying a house, or staying at the Ventana and blogging about it – both are innately the same human experience.
I think you’re making this far too complex. On a metaphysical level, surely you would concede the difference between accumulating objects and experiences.
Just because others do it too (even if commonplace) does not make it any less of an experience.
@_ar. There is a huge difference. Experiences can’t be resold and recycled for generations. They do not develop a sense of character or value. Objects can. A muscle car from the 60’s. A Honus Wagner baseball card. A French fashion doll from the 19th century done in couture costume, a first edition Marvel comic. There is an adventure and experience in ownership and collecting. But the beauty is that when you are done with collecting you can actually get money back, sometimes much more than you paid.
I have yet to find how to sell my travel experiences. Some might argue bloggers do it. But they are far and few between that might get a return on their travel. In fact I offered my years of experience in travel to Matthew for a bargain price of $100 but he passed. I bet he would love to buy some of my art though!
Hi Matt -I have been reading your blog for couple of years now pretty religiously. I must say, this read was one of my favorites, I’m not exactly sure why, but I really enjoyed the style in which you wrote it 🙂
Thanks Adam!
Dreadful. These Millennial creatures should be barred from hotels and restaurants unless they sign an agreement to set aside their phones and to keep conversation at a reasonable volume and tone.
Truly one despairs for the future after observing and hearing them with all their ludicrous patter. And to think: the ‘greatest generation’ and boomers fought wars and suffered deprivations only to hand life on a platter ( …a platter almost certainly featuring avocado toast, quinoa, aragula, and many things with Mexican names) to these Kardashian-West adoring cretins…
So Matthew who did you guys dump your kids with?
My parents. I fit right in there! That was the point of this article. 😉
OMGOMGOMG, avocado toast!!! I HAVE to take a selfie with it. Excuse me, could you take a picture of us showing how cute we are together in our color-matched clothes, with this avocado toast? Let’s post this to social media right away. Let’s FaceTime with all our friends, quick, so they can be jealous of our gorgeous life!
😀 Ha! Couldn’t resist… Sorry. 😀
@Stuart –
“Say what you want about our generation, but we are less materialistic than past generations and love experiences over objects.” – I was responding to this deluded statement. Millennials are just as materialistic as any other generation of human beings. They have somehow been fooled into believing they are not.
A vase (an object) is different from seeing a play – but they both are bought pleasures. In that sense, they are only outwardly different – they are both materialistic pursuits. Millennials are arguing they are a better generation for going after experiences than objects. Human experiences are joy laughter pain, a morning shit. Going to stay at the Ventana and feeling happy about it versus enjoying seeing your precious vase and also feeling happy are the same thing – you’re buying pleasure, satisfaction, a reason for being, a reason for feeling good about yourself. Humans didn’t suddenly evolve to some higher level of existence in the last decade with millennials.
A bought pleasure or showing off is not necessarily materialism. You far too broadly define that word. This isn’t a discussion on dialectical materialism.
And don’t for one second conclude that I imply my generation is somehow morally superior or better than yours, which is the assumption you seem to have made, because we like less clutter.
Other than that, I agree with your statement.
@ ar. I agree with your well worded comment. My point being that both are equally important to a life well lived. Each offers its own rewards. Per my original comment in the thread I explained that in fact Millennials are even more in touch with objects and material items than x’rs – and that’s a good thing. They interestingly have a unique connection to the old and a respect for quality. In the end there is “material” in the sense of disposable and shallow compared to ‘material” in the way I see many millennials in my own industry migrating to, quality items that not only enrich their lives but add tangible experience and, in many cases, wealth building opportunities.
Maybe the Millenials are a seasonal phenomenon? When I traveled last summer there were plenty of older folks like me. Some were even talking about the spectacular view vs. Ultimate Reward Points. Here’s my experience:
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g240329-d143905-r766064076-Ventana_Big_Sur_An_Alila_Resort-Big_Sur_California.html