#Trending This Week - Monetizing Golf, Luxury Hotel Diversification, Culinary Travels, Immersive Suites, And True Crime Tourism
Issue 230 • January 21, 2025
It’s a new week, a new government, and a new edition of #Trending. We’re keeping a close eye on the trends impacting hospitality and tourism so you can leverage some of the ideas for your own sales and marketing strategies. For example, GOLF PACKAGES STILL DRIVE REVENUE as hotels and resorts are creating more inclusive golf-related experiences with lots of add-ons for premium pricing. LUXURY HOTEL BRANDS are creating more avenues for maintaining relationships with loyal customers by launching private jet tours and yacht cruises. Accor and Skift have a new report looking at THE POWER OF FOOD AND DRINK IN HOSPITALITY. There’s a new HOTEL BRAND COLLABORATION featuring chocolate chip cookie-inspired suites in New York City. And the LATEST TREND IN TOURISM has to do with true crime. Check it all out in our three-minute read below.
Golf Packages Continue To Drive Revenue
Although sports like pickleball might attract some guests as the new sport on the block, experts say no other amenities can drive revenue in the way a well-crafted golf package does to this day. Resorts are turning more to golf inclusive experiences, leveraging the time-honored game that still is tops for sealing corporate deals and facilitating high-powered networking — regardless of economic cycles. Read more in CoStar here.
The Key For Luxury Hotel Brands Is Diversification
Once a luxury hotel brand has engaged a high net worth customer, they don’t want to give them up so easily. So what is the solution? Diversification. Take a look around these days and you will see luxury hotel brands like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and others, expanding into things like yachts, private jet tours, and more. It’s a bona fide luxury ecosystem around the brand which complements the core business while creating additional avenues for maintaining relationships with loyal customers. Read more in Business Insider here.
The Rise In Culinary Tourism
The allure of indulging in culture through dining has led to a sharp rise in culinary tourism. Accor and Skift joined together to produce a new report: Inside the Experiential Dining Boom: The Power of Food and Drink in Hospitality. Investing in world-class F&B programs is a smart business move for hotels across the board. By designing delicious and beautiful culinary experiences, addressing sustainability and animal welfare issues, and seeking creative approaches to new dining styles, travel and hospitality brands will be well-positioned to deliver the experiences travelers expect today. Read more in Skift here.
Hotels Lean Into Brand Collaborations
We have seen the Taco Bell Hotel, Veuve Clicquot Suites, and American Girl Rooms. The latest iteration of a product-hotel brand collaboration is the Chips Ahoy Baked Bites hotel rooms. Consumers have a chance to win an immersive stay in limited edition Baked Bites hotel rooms which include Baked Bite inspired comforters and pillows; Chips Ahoy! slippers and robes; branded wall and framed artwork; Baked Bite-scented toiletries; and a terrace with Chips Ahoy! furniture. Baked Bites food and beverage items will also be at the hotel’s bar and restaurant during the activation. Read more in Candy & Snack Today here.
True Crime Tourism Is Happening
What grabs the attention of today’s consumer? It’s consistently changing and often reflective of other trends. For example, true crime podcasts have been incredibly popular, so it’s no surprise that True Crime Tourism is also a growing niche. Mafia Walking Tours in New York City, Chicago Crime Tours, following serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s footsteps in Milwaukee, and French Quarter Phantom Tours in New Orleans all trace the steps of true crimes in their respective cities. Read more in The Washington Post here.