A Luxury Travel Blog

TourismIreland – the marketing brand for Ireland overseas - is eager to tell us that Ireland has topped the list of the World’s Friendliest Vacation destinations in the 2008 edition of the Lonely Planet Bluelist, their annual title which captures the best in travel for the coming year. The Bluelist is now in its third year and is a collection of the world’s hottest trends, destinations, journeys and experiences from around the world. The Emerald Isle was applauded for its “deliciously dark sense of humour” and “welcoming attitude towards strangers”.

The spectacle of one of the world’s great horse races returns to Sofitel Brisbane this year with the running of the 2007 Melbourne Cup next month.  On 6th November 2007, Sofitel Brisbane, in co-operation with Emirates Airline and Classic Hits 4KQ, will celebrate the great race with a party for punters, fashionistas and anyone who enjoys a day at the races without leaving the comfort of a five star hotel. One guest will be a big winner even if they fail to pick the first past the post with all ticket holders going in the draw for the Emirates Airline major prize – two return Business Class tickets from Brisbane to Europe.  Melbourne Cup Luncheon will be held in Ballroom Le Grand from 11.30am to 3.30pm featuring Classic Hits 4KQ breakfast crew presenters Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare and Mark Hine as hosts. A collection of the latest fashion styles from Wintergarden, will be presented by fashion guru Elizabeth Clarke along with live entertainment, fine food from Chef Marshal Orton and beverages including a glass of French champagne on arrival.  These will combine with sweeps, Fashions on the Field, prizes, Wintergarden gift bag and an on-site TAB to provide the complete Sofitel Brisbane Melbourne Cup experience.  The ticket price is $139 per person.

The following ‘10 Popular Myths About Wealth and Luxury’ comes from our friends at the Luxury Insitute.

1. The Wealthy made their money easily and spend their money easily.

Most wealthy individuals spend far more hours working, embrace far more risk, and create far more value for society than their mainstream counterparts. Even today, for most, it still takes years of immense sacrifice to achieve wealth. Wealthy consumers are therefore very value conscious and discerning when they buy luxury goods and services. As a luxury provider, you need to recognize and acknowledge their achievements, deliver compelling emotional benefits, and position your offer as a complete experience that delivers a fitting reward.

2. The Wealthy are conspicuous consumption machines living in another reality.

The minority of wealthy individuals who live ostentatious, opulent lifestyles are often portrayed as stereotypical wealthy consumers. In reality, most wealthy consumers are value creators, who seek quality and value, including authentic prestige, in luxury goods and services. Like many of us, some of their biggest concerns include taking care of aging parents and raising well-educated, generous children. When marketing to them, acknowledge their basic human values and show you understand them as the well rounded and balanced individuals they really are.

3. The wealthy can’t really define luxury.

Put a list of brands in front of the typical wealthy consumer and she, or he, will not only be able to articulate the attributes that constitute a luxury brand, but will also discern differences between brands better than any luxury marketer. The ability of wealthy consumers to define true luxury, individually, and as a group, is laser-accurate. Ensure that your brand is truly unique and exclusive and worthy of being rated a luxury brand.

4. Luxury goods are a far larger industry than luxury services.

Luxury goods such as couture fashion, watches and jewelry, get all the attention, yet, are dwarfed by the size of luxury services such as wealth management, travel and leisure, security, etc. Innovative services, including those as basic as nanny services, concierge services, and medical services, aimed at the wealthy, will grow faster and more profitably in the future. Many luxury goods firms are busy transforming themselves into services, or adding services to add value. Time to rethink your luxury business model, or invent a new service-oriented offering.

5. The wealthy don’t participate in consumer satisfaction surveys.

Wealthy consumers provide feedback and respond to surveys, sometimes more that the general population. Most wealthy consumers are highly educated businesspeople. They recognize the value of feedback and will provide theirs candidly to brands they trust. No metric is more highly correlated with financial success than customer satisfaction. Brands that fail to solicit and measure their customers’ feedback and continuously seek to improve customer satisfaction will become extinct.

6. The wealthy don’t go online.

A recent survey by the Luxury Institute found that the vast majority of wealthy consumers are regularly online. The wealthy work long hours, are more time-starved than the general population, and use the internet more heavily for researching luxury goods and services, and conducting transactions. If you are not selling your full luxury offerings online, you are giving your competitors an edge.

7. The wealthy don’t use ratings and reviews to make purchasing decisions.

A recent survey by the Luxury Institute found that over 80 percent of wealthy consumers use ratings and reviews sites to facilitate purchasing decisions. While the wealthiest may rely on a few trusted experts, many have middle class values and lead regular lives that include seeking information from ratings and reviews sites and publications. The difference is that these savvy consumers steer clear of biased websites and publications and “Best of” lists that pretend to provide non-conflicted advice. Keep your brand clear of conflicted and biased recommendations that will turn off savvy wealthy consumers.

8. Luxury marketers should be targeting only the wealthiest clients.

Luxury brands that seek to serve only the $100 million plus net-worth consumer are usually small and often have fairly low profit margins. The truly under-served wealthy, in luxury goods, and, especially in luxury services, are households with a net worth from $ 1 million to $50 million. Their lives are busy, and often complex, and require many types of trusted advice. There are far more of these individuals globally, and growing in numbers. They are the core customers of most luxury goods and services firms. Ignore them, or treat them badly, at your peril.

9. Wealthy clients do not give referrals.

Research with wealthy and ultra-wealthy consumers indicates that the vast majority are willing to refer trusted brands to friends and family. Yet, ask luxury goods and services CEOs what their client referral rates are, and the answer is usually well below 50 percent. This disconnect is due to the fact that most luxury goods and services firms rely on individual salespeople for referrals rather than creating a company-wide referral program. It is one of the greatest revenue opportunities in luxury today.

10. Wealthy consumers are not very loyal since they can go anywhere.

The majority of wealthy consumers are among the most loyal customers. Their loyalty must be earned with great service. Ratings show that most luxury goods and services firms have yet to internalize what brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Bessemer Trust inherently know: That the entire customer experience, from A to Z, must be at a level that makes customers happy to do business with the brand. This is the greatest, and easiest to implement, opportunity for luxury goods and services brands globally today.

I suspect there’s a lot of truth in most of these, but I’d be interested to hear how many of the ten points our readers agree with.

Ritz-Carlton is expanding its collection of exclusive Caribbean resorts and residential projects at Cap Cana in Dominican Republic, with a 220-room resort featuring a range of luxury amenities including a lavish 16,000-square-foot spa, private beach club, five restaurants and lounges, and Cap Cana’s three Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses. The Ritz-Carlton, Cap Cana and 194 privately owned, beachfront Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Cap Cana are scheduled to open in early 2010 and are part of a two-phase $1 billion luxury project in this oceanfront Dominican Republic enclave.

Discover the flavours of the world until 11th November 2007 at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival presented by Vanity Fair Premium Napkins. Pair the culinary celebration of Epcot’s 25th Anniversary with accommodation at the family friendly Fairfield Inn Orlando Lake Buena Vista hotel. As the first theme park to bring diverse international cuisine to the table, Epcot raises the bar, bringing theme park dining to a whole new level.

With the opening of the new Aveda concept salon and spa, Fusion Spa Salon, the Courtyard Sandestin Hotel is welcoming visitors to turn a trip to Fusion into a spa weekend getaway with luxurious rooms and suites. The new salon offers a complete menu of services, treatments and products incorporating the Aveda lifestyle, approach, and products. Hair styling and colouring, facials, skin and body treatments, massage therapy, and aromatherapy are just some of the services on offer.

Vacationers who have always wanted to learn the tango, dance salsa or even make sushi but never found the time, can now do so at Paradisus Resorts, the five-star, luxury all-inclusives located in the Caribbean and Mexico. Guests have the opportunity to discover unknown talents through an extensive array of life-enriching activities.  Among the most popular, are those indigenous to the destination, such as making guacamole from scratch in the Riviera Cancun or learning to dance the merengue in the Dominican Republic. Other experiences include wine tasting, photography, candle-making, and Zen philosophy.

Hyatt Resorts are hot this Autumn! So hot you can enjoy a free night when you stay at a participating Hyatt resort on their Sunshine on Sale package between now and 19th December 2007. Plus if you pay with any American Express card, you’ll receive a $50 resort credit. See the special offers section of their website for further details.

A Hospitality Index survey by Market Matrix LLC for the second quarter of 2007 suggests that luxury hotels are suffering a decline when compared with the same period last year, claiming Mandarin Oriental has posted the biggest drop. The study is based on 35,000 customer interviews.  Do you share the view of their findings or have you noticed no change, or even an improvement?

Throughout the year, Bellingrath Gardens, located on 65 acres, on the Isle aux Oies River in Alabama, is in full bloom with chrysanthemums in the autumn, camellias in the winter, azaleas in the spring, and roses in the summer. Whatever the season, now you can enjoy the gardens while staying at the luxurious Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa with the Bellingrath Vacation Package starting at $253 per room, per night. The package includes a deluxe resort view guest room, buffet breakfast for two, and two tickets to the gardens.

The warm, soft, spicy musk scent of the cumin compliments the tangerine’s intensely sweet, almost floral, citrus scent. When cooked together, they combine to make both a memorable fragrance and full flavor on your palate.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium tangerines, zested and juice reserved
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 16 jumbo wild Florida shrimp, peeled, de-veined and cleaned
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and lightly oil the foil. In a small pot, combine the tangerine zest with the water and the sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to a simmer. Cook until liquid becomes syrupy, approximately 10 minutes. Drain the zests and spread out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes until dried. Let cool completely, then grind to a powder in spice grinder. Combine the tangerine zest with cumin, black pepper, thyme and salt. Generously season and rub spice mixture over the shrimp.

In a medium-size sauté pan, warm the olive oil over high heat. Just before it starts to smoke, add the shrimp. Sear the first side lightly and add the garlic. Lower the heat and continue to cook for 2 minutes on the other side, until the flesh turns rosy and the edges are golden brown.

Pour in the tangerine juice and finish with parsley. Remove shrimp from pan. Reduce the pan juices to a glaze, then drizzle around the shrimp.

Serves 4.

Source: Chef Allen’s, Miami FL

Please give this recipe a try and let us know what you think by clicking on the comments link… thank you!

With over 150 years of history and close to all of Bath’s leading attractions, this Georgian hotel has been completely refurbished. The Royal has 31 bedrooms, including two with four-poster beds, and has an established reputation for the quality of its food and friendly atmosphere. Dinner, bed and breakfast in one of the new superior rooms is currently available from only £60 pppn, with a complimentary glass of Champagne before dinner on the first night.

Between now and 30th November 2007, visit Golf Hyatt Giveaway for the chance to win one of eight luxury golf vacation packages from Hyatt.

The Cape Panwa Hotel and Spa in Phuket has added 12 brand new Jacuzzi suites and 6 two-bedroom pool villas to its already impressive line up of accommodation. The dramatic creations offer panoramic views of the beach and are furnished with stylish fixtures and fittings with opulent soft furnishings and rich and luxurious Thai silk fabrics. See their website for further details.

The Lusso Collection – an exclusive destination club that began in June last year and provides members unlimited access to a collection of multi-million dollar residences in the world’s most sought-after vacation destinations – has announced that it has signed more than 100 members since its official launch. Destinations covered include Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Kiawah Island (South Carolina), Deer Valley (Utah), New York, Great Abaco Island (Bahamas) and La Jolla (California).

Doesn’t it seem like more and more luxury travellers are enjoying private jets, villas and yachts than in the past?  Well that’s not an aberration according to American Express.  Polling their Platinum Travel Specialists (these are the dedicated specialists for the company’s well-to-do Platinum Card members), bookings are significantly increasing amongst first time private luxe travellers.  See their full press release here.