Here’s a round-up of luxury travel stories that have caught the eye this week. To make sure you receive these new weekly alerts in your web browser, please click on the red bell icon in the bottom right hand corner of the page and click ‘subscribe’ (works on desktop only – for other ways to subscribe, please click here). This will also alert you to any other posts on the blog. Should you wish, you can unsubscribe at any time, by clicking on the icon again and selecting ‘unsubscribe’.
New luxury expeditions make solo traveling for women more appealing than ever
With the rise in popularity of booking solo vacations, more high-end companies are following suit with creating experiences that are truly once in a lifetime, specifically for women. Vacationing alone via an excursion company offers up the opportunity to visit many parts of the world that in the past may have not been as hospitable toward single women by presenting an additional element of safety… [read more]
Rethinking luxury: in search of the un-Google-able experience
Jon Grutzner, president of the U.S. for Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold, is happy to be “back home” in the business of land vacations. Grutzner joined The Travel Corporation as head of its upper premium and luxury land vacations brands eight months ago, after 10 years directing sales for Azamara Club Cruises, a division of Royal Caribbean. Previous to that, he spent nearly two decades in the land tour business… [read more]
Vegan luxury vacations are the hot new travel trend
The travel industry has gone vegan. The five-star Hilton London Bankside hotel has a posh new vegan suite created entirely without animal products. Think cotton carpets and fabrics, plant-based toiletries, pillows made sans animal feathers and the ability to summon a cauliflower steak and five-bean dal with room service. For $626 a night (£549), guests are greeted with vegan-friendly elements from the moment they arrive. The check-in desk and room furniture are upholstered in Piñatex, a natural leather alternative made from… [read more]
The world’s largest luxury cruise suite will have a sauna, pool and $200,000 bed
Cruise cabins are notorious for being tiny, cramped, and pretty much lacking in the luxury department. The Regent Suite, aboard Regent Seven Seas Splendor, however, is likely more luxurious than any hotel room you’ve stayed in. In fact, I’d bet on it—unless you’ve ever slept in a $200,000 bed. According to a press release, the Regent is the largest suite ever built on a luxury cruise ship… [read more]
Luxury UK hotel trains its staff for Valentine’s Day proposals
A proposal is a big moment in any couple’s life, and it can require a lot of planning to make sure it all goes perfectly. As Valentine’s Day approaches, one hotel isn’t leaving anything up to chance and is currently training all of its staff should any of their guests celebrate the special moment. The Lowry in Manchester has rolled out a programme to train staff whether they’re asked to help plan a surprise, or if there’s an unexpected proposal while they’re working. The bespoke training includes knowing which tables in the bar and restaurant have the most romantic lighting, how to calm those pre-proposal nerves in a discreet manner, advice on how to choreograph such a moment, and even how to capture the perfect photo on a phone if they’re asked… [read more]
We really enjoy hearing from our readers and would love to hear your views on any of these stories! Please click on the comments below and share your thoughts. Thank you.
Have a story you’d like to share? Please contact us for details.
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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4 Comments
I had my proposal all planned. I was going to propose on a Caribbean Cruise, after dinner, under the moonlight.
It never got to that point, a couple of months previously, on a grey Sunday morning in Somerset, my girlfriend just told me that we were getting married. She even had the venue and the date planned out.
I just hope that all this planning and training that the hotels are putting in pays off – and that the proposals all go to plan!
Still we celebrate our 30th anniversary this year.
I’m not going to argue with the statistics that it is primarily the millennials who are the vegans but certainly my generation of silver tops, the Over 55s are cutting back on our meat consumption.
Quite a few of us suffer from gout so we certainly won’t be choosing large steaks and there are one or two other health issues which are encouraging my generation to cut back too.
Of course, our millennial children are an influence too, if we take them out we have to make sure that there are plenty of vegan options on the menu. If it is a good vegan menu then we might as well go with the flow.
I read somewhere that research had found that vegans on average have an IQ 10 points higher than meat eaters. No one is suggesting that veganism boosts your intelligence but there is an interesting explanation. It is suggested that more intelligent people can put together a case to break out of the old “meat, potato and two veg” paradigm and that they are more receptive to the new ideas that a meal can be plant based.
New luxury expeditions make solo traveling for women more appealing than ever
With the rise in popularity of booking solo vacations, more high-end companies are following suit with creating experiences that are truly once in a lifetime, specifically for women. Vacationing alone via an excursion company offers up the opportunity to visit many parts of the world that in the past may have not been as hospitable toward single women by presenting an additional element of safety… [read more]
New luxury expeditions make solo traveling for women more appealing than ever
With the rise in popularity of booking solo vacations, more high-end companies are following suit with creating experiences that are truly once in a lifetime, specifically for women. Vacationing alone via an excursion company offers up the opportunity to visit many parts of the world that in the past may have not been as hospitable toward single women by presenting an additional element of safety… [read more]
Rethinking luxury: in search of the un-Google-able experience
Jon Grutzner, president of the U.S. for Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold, is happy to be “back home” in the business of land vacations. Grutzner joined The Travel Corporation as head of its upper premium and luxury land vacations brands eight months ago, after 10 years directing sales for Azamara Club Cruises, a division of Royal Caribbean. Previous to that, he spent nearly two decades in the land tour business… [read more]
Vegan luxury vacations are the hot new travel trend
The travel industry has gone vegan. The five-star Hilton London Bankside hotel has a posh new vegan suite created entirely without animal products. Think cotton carpets and fabrics, plant-based toiletries, pillows made sans animal feathers and the ability to summon a cauliflower steak and five-bean dal with room service. For $626 a night (£549), guests are greeted with vegan-friendly elements from the moment they arrive. The check-in desk and room furniture are upholstered in Piñatex, a natural leather alternative made from… [read more]
The world’s largest luxury cruise suite will have a sauna, pool and $200,000 bed
Cruise cabins are notorious for being tiny, cramped, and pretty much lacking in the luxury department. The Regent Suite, aboard Regent Seven Seas Splendor, however, is likely more luxurious than any hotel room you’ve stayed in. In fact, I’d bet on it—unless you’ve ever slept in a $200,000 bed. According to a press release, the Regent is the largest suite ever built on a luxury cruise ship… [read more]
Luxury UK hotel trains its staff for Valentine’s Day proposals
A proposal is a big moment in any couple’s life, and it can require a lot of planning to make sure it all goes perfectly. As Valentine’s Day approaches, one hotel isn’t leaving anything up to chance and is currently training all of its staff should any of their guests celebrate the special moment. The Lowry in Manchester has rolled out a programme to train staff whether they’re asked to help plan a surprise, or if there’s an unexpected proposal while they’re working. The bespoke training includes knowing which tables in the bar and restaurant have the most romantic lighting, how to calm those pre-proposal nerves in a discreet manner, advice on how to choreograph such a moment, and even how to capture the perfect photo on a phone if they’re asked… [read more]
We really enjoy hearing from our readers and would love to hear your views on any of these stories! Please click on the comments below and share your thoughts. Thank you.
Have a story you’d like to share? Please contact us for details.
I had my proposal all planned. I was going to propose on a Caribbean Cruise, after dinner, under the moonlight.
It never got to that point, a couple of months previously, on a grey Sunday morning in Somerset, my girlfriend just told me that we were getting married. She even had the venue and the date planned out.
I just hope that all this planning and training that the hotels are putting in pays off – and that the proposals all go to plan!
Still we celebrate our 30th anniversary this year.
I think most guests would find it hard to leave The Regent Suite, aboard Regent Seven Seas Splendor.
I can see the ship docking in port and the lucky couple in the Regent Suite not wanting to disembark!
Though I suppose if you are paying that sort of money for a cruise then you would be used to that sort of spacious luxury at home too.
I’m not going to argue with the statistics that it is primarily the millennials who are the vegans but certainly my generation of silver tops, the Over 55s are cutting back on our meat consumption.
Quite a few of us suffer from gout so we certainly won’t be choosing large steaks and there are one or two other health issues which are encouraging my generation to cut back too.
Of course, our millennial children are an influence too, if we take them out we have to make sure that there are plenty of vegan options on the menu. If it is a good vegan menu then we might as well go with the flow.
I read somewhere that research had found that vegans on average have an IQ 10 points higher than meat eaters. No one is suggesting that veganism boosts your intelligence but there is an interesting explanation. It is suggested that more intelligent people can put together a case to break out of the old “meat, potato and two veg” paradigm and that they are more receptive to the new ideas that a meal can be plant based.