The document explores the evolving behaviors and preferences of luxury travelers, focusing on wellness, personalization, and sustainability. Key consumer segments include wellness-focused travelers seeking unique experiences, independent Asian travelers valuing seamless planning, and new experience seekers prioritizing local immersion. Trends highlight a shift towards mindful travel, slower experiences, and the integration of technology and personalization in hospitality offerings.

1. Brand strategy, trends analysis
and consumer definition
Case study: Luxury hospitality
Pailin Sinhaseni
Date: Jan 2020

2. So who are these consumers?
“To find new opportunities for a client in
hospitality industry aiming to appeal to the next
generations of luxury travellers.”
Brief
Pailin Sinhaseni

3. Wellness-focused traveler
Behaviours
• Well into their career and reaching their peak spending age
• Heavy social media user
• Take wellness getaway trips - invest in mind and body experience
• More likely to purchase in an experience for status and
uniqueness rather than in-store goods
• Spend a greater proportion of their budget to accommodation
• Frequent traveller for both business and leisure purposes
• Trendsetters - need to be known for impeccable taste in fashion,
food, travel and lifestyle
• Value personalised and memorable experience in all senses
Needs
• Comfort zone, feel taken care of
Painpoints
• Unexpected change can cause stress, feel out of place
“I would like to disconnect from
routines and return healthier/
happier after the trip.”
Pailin Sinhaseni

4. Behaviours
• Solo traveling without an organised tour
• Digital savy - expect to find all information online, use social trip
planning applications
• Plan everything in great details (accommodation, restaurants,
activities) before leaving the country
• Travel for “me time”/ slow down time responding to the wellness
movement
• Spend more money while travelling abroad than tourists from any other
country in the world
• Choice of travel destination is influenced by what they saw online
(social media, TV, film)
• Shopping for luxury goods is still one of the priorities when traveling
overseas
Needs
• Privacy, certainty
Painpoints
• Fear of loneliness, safety concerns
Independent Asian Traveler
“It takes more effort to plan
ahead but I need my travel
experience to be seamless.”
Source: https://skift.com/2019/12/11/asian-travelers-to-go-slow-and-solo-in-2020-online-searches-reveal/
https://luxe.digital/business/digital-luxury-reports/affluent-chinese-tourists/Pailin Sinhaseni

5. Behaviours
• Occasional buyer of luxury items
• Getting onboard with reduce, reuse, rethink concept - minimising the
impact they have on the environment
• Travel to destinations that blend with the environment
• Look for once in a lifetime experience
• Participate in activities that show local identity - need to be part of
the culture they visit
• Staying fit on the go - take activity based trips
• Want to be a part of the process
• Knowledge-hungry
Needs
• Local and cultural immersion, to learn something new
Painpoints
• Not being able to find what they want or experiences that are unique
enough
New experience seeker &
sustainable traveler
“I take spontaneous trips and I
travel consistently year round.”
Source: https://www.wgsn.com/blogs/creating-tomorrow-get-onboard-with-sustainable-travel-choices/
Pailin Sinhaseni

6. How are global brands meeting
these needs?
Pailin Sinhaseni

7. Highlights
A wellness staycation for city travellers. Besides standard yoga
sessions, there are bowl meditation, personalized Traditional
Chinese Medicine (TCM) consultation. A stainless-steel straw and
its cleaning brush are placed in guests’ rooms for them to take
home.
Key trends
• Make guests feel good about their choice of vacation, cultural
experience
Case study
Source: https://destinationdeluxe.com/six-senses-singapore-maxwell-duxton-wellness-getaway/
Highlights
Toning down the fitness focus aspect, the hotel is more about
regeneration. The targeted customers are those constantly striving
to be better. The rooms are with integrated technology to optimise
better sleep (Temperature-regulating bed, Equinox Sleep Coach,
etc.)
Key trends
• Personalisation, a combination of performance and regeneration
for younger generation
Source: https://equinox-hotels.com/

8. Case study
Highlights
Traveling without company can be stressful. Hyatt Regency
Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport, enhances guest
experience with a professional therapy dog who helps
people with separation anxiety.
Key trends
• Evoke the warm, and comforting feeling of being at home
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/debbikickham/2018/10/30/authentic-travel-experiences-are-the-
new-luxury-status-symbols-just-ask-sir-hyatt/#6f6df9677903

9. Let’s see some trends that are
shaping the industry
Pailin Sinhaseni

10. Future trends
Slow travel
Travellers are exploring new cultures and new
places in a less stressful way for them. The
emphasis is less on manic sightseeing and more
on taking in the surroundings at a relaxed pace.
Consumers are taking a more mindful approach to
travel. Trains offers travellers an eco-conscious
alternative to flying. The “flight shaming” movement
plays an undeniable role in the revival of rail travel.
As consumers are shifting their daily habits to be
more sustainable, many are turning away from
flying altogether. “Today’s travellers, including
millennials, are very sustainability-conscious,” said
Carlo Boselli, Eurail and Interrail general manager.
https://www.jwtintelligence.com/2019/11/slow-travel/

11. Future trends
Specialist retreats
Purposeful getaways is gaining momentum among
luxury travellers. People take a week or two in an attempt
to rejuvenate and discover something new about
themselves. Choices range from traveling to less
trafficked destinations to digital detox getaways. It
caters to all types of objectives, from yoga retreats and
fitness camps to medical spas and sleep clinics.
Due to a growing awareness of meat’s environmental
impact, and the clean-eating movement, Vegan travel is
also catching up. Companies such as VeganTravel and
VegVoyages arrange tours on the Nile and epic
Malaysian rainforest trips. Intrepid Travel also joined the
fray this year, launching a series of small-group food
adventures, including one through Delhi, Jaipur and
Agra, with input from influencers such as ethical
Vancouver baker Erin Ireland.
Condé Nast Traveller has also long been reporting on
surfing holidays in the world but as the uptake of the
sport grows like never before.
Source: https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/travel-trends-2020?fbclid=IwAR3nsC2bHor-
JgEBGd6DEf-GcylXatgBb98SxfO-3nJiD8A6KaNTzE7POwg
Source: https://www.cntraveller.com/article/vegan-travel

12. How do we use these insights to
benefit your brand?
Pailin Sinhaseni

13. Wellness-focused traveler (Age 33)
• Offer space and experience
that mimics home feelings/
make them feel familiar with
the space
• Staff to connect with guests
on a personal level
• Personalised experience -
solutions that keep their diet
and exercise on track.
Integration with apps/digital
solutions
• AI-powered voice assistants
• Consider enhances
experience in 5 senses to
help them rest better -
sound, timed lighting, meal
planning, etc.
“I would like to
disconnect from
routines and return
healthier/happier
after the trip.”
Needs
• Comfort zone
• Feel taken care of
• Stay organised
Painpoints
• Feel out of place
• Unexpected change
Your opportunities
Pailin Sinhaseni

14. Independent Asian Traveler (Age 29)
• Engage and build
connection with them before
they arrive. Utilise socially
shared pictures and videos.
• Explain experience in great
details (visually) for them to
match expectations with
reality.
• Create opportunities for
them to meet other guests.
• Offer hand-picked
experience based on their
interests.
• Make them feel familiar with
the space. Take their
preferences into
consideration.
“It takes more effort
to plan ahead but I
need my travel
experience to be
seamless.”
Needs
• Certainty
• Privacy
Painpoints
• Safety concerns
• Fear of loneliness
Your opportunities
• Language barrier
Pailin Sinhaseni

15. New experience seeker &
sustainable traveler (Age 22)
• Offer programs for active/
resting days. Be adaptive to
change
• Merge business with local
tour/experience provider
with mobile booking system
• Go beyond traditional
booking of search, book
and stay. Show that they
can take ownership at every
stage of the journey. Be
flexible in offerings.
• Room design that reflects
the character of the city/
neighbourhood
“I take spontaneous
trips and I travel
consistently year
round.”
Needs
• To learn
something new
• Local & cultural
immersion
Painpoints
• Not being able to
find what they want
Your opportunities
• Experiences that
are not unique
enough
Pailin Sinhaseni

16. Thank you!
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Linkedin: pasarapasinh
Pailin Sinhaseni