#Trending This Week - Moon Travel, White Lotus Everything, Wellness, A Bourbon Barrel Hotel, And Four-Legged Guests
Issue 235 • February 24, 2025
There is A LOT to chat about this week so we’ll get right to it as we know your time is valuable. Let’s start with MOON TRAVEL, which is basically everything from babymoons and retirementmoons to jobmoons. It’s on the rise as people seek to commemorate a major life change with an incredible trip. With White Lotus back on HBO, it’s time to get ready for WHITE LOTUS COLLABORATIONS happening everywhere — including for your morning coffee. And speaking of White Lotus, it’s interesting to see that the huge growth in WELLNESS TRAVEL HAS MOVED TO THE TV SCREEN as the show is taking place at a wellness retreat this season. PET FRIENDLY HOTELS are becoming even moreso as many brands are waiving the pet fees and doing a lot more than offering a water bowl and bed to canine guests. And there’s one Kentucky trail that has gotten rather creative with their accommodations…you’ll have to read on to find out where people are now sleeping. Check it all out in our three-minute read below.
“Moon” Travel Is Happening
Travelers have begun branching out from traditional honeymoons to plan “moons” of all kinds, from babymoons to minimoons, career-changing jobmoons, friendmoons, retirementmoons, and memoons (solo travel). What the trips have in common is a focus on transformative travel as moon travelers are often starting a new chapter of their life. Read more in Afar here.
Get Ready For White Lotus Everything
We just made it through the slew of Barbie collabs and now we need to get set for White Lotus everything. As the HBO show returns for a third season in Thailand, we’re already seeing collaborations popping up including collections by luggage brand Away, Abercrombie and Supergoop, as well as a new resort-inspired candle by home fragrance brand Nest New York. There are also some less-expected product collaborations, like “The White Lotus” x Coffee Mate, featuring Thai iced coffee and piña colada flavored creamers. Emerging retail brands find these partnerships to be good awareness drivers. Moreover, brands are also being increasingly pursued for product tie-ins by the studios and media companies. Read more in Modern Retail here.
Wellness Travel Arrives On TV
And speaking of White Lotus, this new season shows the real significance of wellness in the travel space as this year’s setting is a wellness resort in Thailand. Many of the terms being bandied about are true wellness therapies including digital detox, personalized wellness regimens, stress management meditation, and alternative health treatments. Maybe art does really imitate life. Read more in Conde Nast Traveler here.
And Now You Can Sleep In….
Hoteliers are getting more clever than ever in an attempt to attract travelers for a unique experience. People have stayed in tiny homes, shipping containers, tents, airplanes, over water bungalows and underwater hotels, and now they can sleep in a bourbon barrel! Yes it’s part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and I guess it abides by the adage, “If you build it, they will come.” Read more in TravMedia here.
Hotels Are Now More Pet Friendly Than Ever
Many hotels are moving from dog friendly to dog obsessed. More and more hotels are waiving the pet fee and one brand doesn’t even limit pet stays to dogs and cats…apparently if it will fit through the door at Kimpton Hotels, it can stay there. It’s a good thing too as since many pet owners spent all day at home pampering and bonding with their new furry friends during COVID, it only made sense to bring them along when they were able to travel again. Read more in Thrillist here.
INTRODUCING CURATED #TRENDING REPORTS
JC Communications has been producing its #Trending newsletter covering the hospitality, travel, food, and sustainability industries for over five years now to help owners, marketers, and publicity representatives leverage the latest trends as part of their sales and marketing strategies.
And now we are introducing Curated #Trending Reports exclusively created for individual hotels, hotel brands, resorts, restaurants, destinations, tour operators, etc. We’ll have a meeting with you and ask you to fill out a questionnaire to determine the key facilities, services, and USPs of your brand and then curate an exclusive personalized report of relevant trends which you can tap into as you plan your ongoing sales, marketing, and PR strategies.
For more information on the Curated #Trending Reports, reach out to Jane Coloccia at Jane@JCCommunicationsllc.com.