Never Break A Sweat

As luxury shifts towards the one-of-a-kind, the immersive, and the hard to attain, so do expectations from luxury travelers

Luxury travelers seek the utmost in exclusivity, including almost VIP levels of privacy and security, which allow them to come and go easily and as they please. At the same time, they also expect to be involved in co-creating their own experiences,” declares Mr. Daniel Welk, vice president for operations Asia Pacific at Hilton. At the Hilton property, The Muraka, the world’s first undersea residence at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, guests take a speedboat to unique attractions around the resort, so they don’t have to set foot on land if they wish. Meanwhile, internationally acclaimed chefs from other Conrad properties can be flown in on request. Mr. Welk also sees digital breaking new ground in luxury travel space, with integrated and personalized digital interactions across channels throughout their travel experience. “Travelers are also now more willing to let brands use data from their past travel choices to deliver a more customized experience. The Hilton Honors App, for instance, completely integrates with hotel management systems, providing guests with services from restaurant reservations, to checking into and selecting their preferred room, as well as personalized pre-arrival and room service during their stay. These trends reveal a fundamental shift in how luxury travelers think and behave. “It used to be all about experiential travel; but with increasingly high expectations of travel accommodations, we need to take this one step further. Luxury travelers think of travel as having to be transformative, one that allows for plenty of self-reflection and development. It also typically entails deep immersion in nature and culture.” The digital age has completely transformed guests’ expectations of brands and companies – guests now expect integrated and personalized digital interactions not just across channels, but also beyond the initial ‘research and book’ phase of the travel experience. Harnessing technology to enhance the guest experience during the hotel stay itself has thus become essential in engaging and retaining guests. Mobile has rapidly become consumers’ remote control to the world, and even when traveling, they want the same level of control and convenience at their fingertips, Mr. Welk says. Hilton is piloting the Connected Room to deliver a mobile-first room experience for its guests – from streaming their favorite media, controlling temperature and energy usage, to ordering extra pillows and towels. Hilton is now testing the Connected Room beta technology and will launch its first in the US.