#Trending This Week - Where To Next, Coffee Makeovers, Hawk Walks, Adults-Only, And The Hotel Bar Reawakening
Issue 238 • March 18, 2025
We’re seeing a continued shift in travel and hospitality — definitely more swift and perceptible than in past years. Everything from coffee to cocktails and how and where people are traveling is changing. Could it have been brought on by the pandemic? Perhaps. Some five years later people are still looking inward which is driving a change in their outward behaviors to discover more meaningful, immersive, and new experiences. Here’s what you need to know:
THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL is shifting as people are changing where and how they journey and with whom.
COFFEE IS GETTING A MAKEOVER. That Starbucks pumpkin spice latte which has been poured for 22 years is just not cutting it anymore.
HAWK WALKS AND OWL HOOTS have become the new amenity of choice for luxury hotels who feel they need to step out of the box to offer activities for guests who have seen and done it all.
IT’S OKAY TO BE AN ADULTS-ONLY RESORT as properties are finding more and more people — including Gen Z and Millennials who don’t have kids — are looking for childless travel experiences.
CHEERS TO THE RE-EMERGENCE OF THE NEW YORK CITY HOTEL BAR. They are dusting themselves off and pressing fast-forward to provide a more exclusive, modern, and immersive experience.
Check it all out in our three-minute read below.
Where And How To Travel Next
What’s on the horizon? Hotels are hitting the high seas. Multi-generational travel is now more about splitting up than doing everything together. Wine travel is moving off the beaten path. Nocturnal tourism (going out at night) is having a moment. Cowboy core is all the rage. And grown-ups are taking gap years. Read more in Condé Nast Traveler here.
Coffee Is Getting A Makeover
The coffee world in the UK is shaking things up. While Starbucks has poured 20 million pumpkin spice lattes since it introduced them in 2003, it’s time for something new. Look across the pond — and also some innovative coffee spots in Brooklyn and LA — to find bold coffee drinks like toffee apple pie latte with a spiced crumb topping, cold brew with hazelnut and cardamom, a honeybun latte, coconut-water espresso, and maple sea-salt latte. Read more in the Financial Times here.
Hawk Walks And Owl Hoots
One of the hottest amenities at luxury hotels these days is Hawk Walks and Owl Hoots. And yes, one property even offers to deliver wedding rings via hawk to brides or grooms at nuptials. Predator performances are becoming big business at swanky destinations looking to distinguish themselves with unusual perks. And guests are paying hundreds to see birds hunt. Read more on The Wall Street Journal here.
Adults-Only Resorts Are On The Rise
Millennials and GenZ are increasingly childless and looking for childless experiences. As a result, we are starting to see an increase in adults-only hotels and resorts which provide a serene and tranquil environment tailored to adult travelers seeking relaxation, exploration, and a peaceful stay by the beach. Many people are also realizing life is too short, and they want to live it up while they can, away from prying eyes. Read more on Fox News here.
New York City’s Hotel Bar Scene Is Reawakening
These days luxury hotels in New York City are investing A LOT of money to revamp their hotel bar. In addition to stunningly gorgeous spaces with world-class, modern operations, hotels are bringing in top name bartenders to curate innovative menus. In fact, hotel bars are where established bartenders are being recruited to return, often restoring glory to faded institutions or lending their credentials to big-swing hotel bars looking for instant credibility. Read more in Vinepair here.
CAN WE CURATE A #TRENDING REPORT FOR YOU?
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 offer 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.