Indeed the very people who can afford such properties have changed Luxury guests are no longer exclusively middle aged Western or male And today s luxury has to be intuitive and adaptable A traveller s perception of luxury not only changes throughout their lifetime it can change throughout the duration of a single holiday The new era of luxury travel requires brands to constantly assess their expectations and adapt accordingly In other words new luxury is real time Globally consumers are becoming more affluent and they are choosing to spend their increased disposable income on experiences rather than material products This has fuelled an increased demand for travel across the board global travel is growing faster than global GDP and luxury travel is growing even more rapidly as consumers seek more rewarding and luxurious experiences when they travel A parallel trend is the ever increasing importance of design as a driving force in the hospitality sector Over the past twenty years hotel owners and developers have invested heavily in engaging the services of designers to help differentiate their properties from the competition Hotel groups have entire departments dedicated to the interior design and architecture of their properties Hotels are having to adapt their offer to accommodate the changing demographics of luxury Today s luxury traveller might just as easily be a twenty somthing tech entrepreneur as a fifty something CEO They might well be Chinese Russian or from the Middle East And it has taken a long time but hotels are finally waking up to the different needs and expectations of female business travellers There is still and always will be a place for the old school luxury of a Claridges or a Connaught but there is also an ever increasing diversity of hotels catering for the needs of wealthy guests The range of luxury hotels in this GROHE Water Enjoyment book perfectly illustrates many of the trends that typify this new paradigm At luxury resorts privacy is a key consideration At the W Punta Mita for example private balconies plunge pools and sun decks allow guests to bathe under the stars in privacy Sustainability is another key driver New hotels such as Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali designed by Singapore based WOHA are being built with more environmentally friendly materials and greater Luxury isn t what it used to be at least not for the hotel industry Traditional concepts of luxury may still have their place in the market but they are increasingly being replaced with new forms as the tastes habits and desires of the guests who can afford such properties change Matt Turner 13 00 EDI indd 13 17 02 17 12 28

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