The combination has been a powerful one. Jack Ezon, founder and managing partner of Embark (formerly Ovation Vacations) says that 62 percent of his Northeast client base is traveling to the Caribbean this winter season, up from a historical average of 53 percent. Among the hotels to prioritize: the sceney Mandarin Oriental Pink Sands in Canouan, the fully redone Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton Reserve in San Juan, and Silversands, the first resort to pull out all the stops on the lush island of Grenada. And just about anything in St. Barts and Anguilla.
Hotels Figured Out How to Take on Airbnb
No, the answer isn’t to start offering apartment rentals. In fact, the companies that tried that approach largely floundered in 2018—Accor had to write off $288 million on One Fine Stay; Hyatt decided to sell off Oasis, its home-rental collection.
Instead, hoteliers found success in the extended-stay model, which was due for a rethink. In Europe and the U.S., “boutique apart-hotels” took the best parts of extended-stay hotels (large suites with kitchens, affordable rates) and merged them with modern-day luxuries like high-end design, third-wave coffee shops and vibrant co-working spaces.
One such brand, Locke, was purchased by Brookfield Capital for an industry-setting price of $565 million. Its main competition? Not Marriott, but Airbnb. “The intention is to cover every major European city and get the company to $2 or $2.5 billion [in valuation]—then we’ll look at the U.S. and Australasia markets,” Locke’s founder, Eric Jafari, told Bloomberg in July.
Layovers Became Less Painful
New hubs made globetrotting a more streamlined pursuit this year. Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport, which is slated to become the busiest passenger hub in the world, opened its first phase; Oman debuted a new hub for the Middle East; Singapore’s Changi went next-level with automation technology; and even the most nightmarish U.S. hub, New York’s LaGuardia, unveiled part of its $8 billion face-lift to all cheers and no jeers.
And it’s not just the airports that have gotten upgrades, either—it’s how we navigate them. New and expanding companies are offering VIP treatment to fliers, letting them skip the customs line, get into exclusive lounges, and drive them straight to the plane’s door.
The Balkans Became Buzzy
There’s no question: The trendy destination of 2018 was the Balkans. (Yes, the whole region.) Europhiles looking for the next big thing set their sights just past over-touristed Croatia and to places like Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia. All have untrammeled, postcard-perfect landscapes, fascinating history, distinct food traditions, few crowds, and easy access. Whether you want to connect them by road trip or regional flights, it’s easy to check off a couple of countries in a single weeklong trip. (Up next on the insiders’ heat map: the Silk Road.)
Kid-Friendly Travel Went Next-Level
Multigenerational travel—trips that include kids, parents, and grandparents—has been a dominant force in the industry for the last few years. But this year the idea got a new spin. First was the concept of “skip-gen” trips, where grandparents cut the parents out of the equation and take the grandkids for a grand tour, European or otherwise. That put more pressure on the older generation to channel what younger travelers want—which isn’t always easy.
As a response, TCS World Travel has convened a panel of teenage travel consultants who can help adults cater to their ever-shifting preferences. A few months later, Big Five Tours and Expeditions followed suit. Hotels have also started to overhaul their family-friendly programming. And if that all wasn’t enough, private aviation company VistaJet took in-flight entertainment to new heights with a program that delivers themed, six-figure play parties at 45,000 feet.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.