Luxury travel is booming, bringing the lifestyle segment to the top of travelers’ aspirational bucket list for 2024 and beyond.
According to a report from McKinsey, consumers may spend as much as $391 billion yearly on experiential travel by 2028, supported by the industry’s ability to deliver one-of-a-kind experiences. These and other trends are merging into a rebirth of the luxury lifestyle segment, which has quickly gripped travelers’ consciousness as a new way to experience a high-end stay experience that is out of the norm.
Luxury lifestyle hotels take this ethos to the next level. These properties focus on how they can be the best, from design to service and experiential hospitality. For example, Boston’s Liberty Hotel routinely takes steps to elevate its stay experience through unique activations depending on the date. The hotel partners with local Boston designers and modeling agencies to offer Fashionably Late Thursdays, bringing the runway experience to the lobby once each week. Fashionably Late is one of Boston’s longest-running fashion events and has helped connect world-class designers such as Michael DePaulo with up-and-coming students from Boston’s fashion institutes.
Every hotel possesses its own distinct personality, and not even the Liberty can deliver a live fashion show every night. When models aren’t walking the runway, the hotel offers Gallery Nights, where guests can enjoy art alongside wine and hors d'oeuvres; the Yappier Hour, where dog owners are welcome to congregate over drinks (and “mutt tails” of chicken broth for furry friends); and other curated events. Recognized as Condé Nast’s top hotel in Boston for 2023, this venue has become the city’s premier destination for Halloween and New Year’s celebrations, each with its own distinctive theme. Last year’s Halloween event was a vibrant homage to Barbie, featuring life-sized doll boxes, pink cocktails and a staff dressed as the iconic doll through the decades.
At The Crescent Hotel in Fort Worth, which opened in late 2023, luxury seamlessly blends with local culture. Every detail from the moment guests arrive is thoughtfully crafted. The hotel is adorned with carefully selected art pieces that celebrate the Cultural District, offering stunning views of the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum. These artistic touches are further enriched by a year-round series of events and programs that highlight and celebrate the arts. In 2025, renowned hat maker Teressa Foglia will create bespoke headpieces for guests in honor of the Rodeo, while culinary collaborations with acclaimed chefs, including Dallas's own Dean Fearing and the celebrated team from Oklahoma City’s Nonesuch, ensure each event is an inspiring blend of creativity and art.
While luxury lifestyle hotels often have the resources to experiment and play with these concepts, any hotelier can learn from their example and lend purposeful touches to their property to serve guests’ aspirations while traveling.
Thinking luxury, living lifestyle
In many cases, a hotel need only embrace its roots or its location to offer a more curated experience than guests expect. This is often easier for some hotels than for others. The Liberty Hotel, for example, was once the Charles Street Jail, and its facade and interior still contain callbacks to its past, including a stately clock tower above the property. At the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, history is truly celebrated every day. Established in 1892, the hotel honors its rich heritage with daily history tours, an annual high tea featuring the National Stock Show’s winning steer, and the renowned Champagne Cascade, which supports local Denver organizations each holiday season. While its storied past is a cornerstone of its identity, the Brown Palace comes to life through unforgettable experiences. This year, the hotel introduced a delightful series of "Swift-Teas"—a Taylor Swift-inspired high tea. Guests enjoyed her greatest hits played by the hotel’s own pianist and musical director, John Kite, alongside friendship bracelets and a selection of pastries inspired by the pop icon.
Only some hotels may have such a facade, but operators can always do more to embrace local culture and embody its authenticity. At the Kimpton Brice in Savannah, Georgia, ice cream is a serious business. Visitors to the city and locals alike often enjoy visiting Leopold’s Ice Cream for a sweet, fulfilling break from the heat. Food & beverage directors at the Kimpton Brice worked directly with Leopold’s Ice Cream to offer its products on property — like serving a slice of Savannah to their guests. This thoughtful investment in what guests desire helps separate the hotel from competitors by offering a bespoke, elevated experience even when grabbing a snack near the lobby. The hotel preserves the luxury element of service delivery while protecting and celebrating local businesses.
Luxury lifestyle hotels must study their guests’ behavior while not on the road to deliver an experience they enjoy, sometimes without even considering what went into it. Kimpton is known for welcoming guests who bring dogs with them on the road, and taking small steps to welcome pets on property goes a long way toward satisfying guests. When their pet can relax with their own welcome experience of treats, water, and a comfortable bed, the experience has a marked impact on guest satisfaction. These important everyday moments are amplified throughout the year, such as the annual Barks, Brews, and Bites Festival featuring local beers, a curated food selection, pet adoption and more.
Embracing lifestyles
Ultimately, a luxury lifestyle hotel’s brand is the hotel. While this is technically true in a granular sense for all hotels, luxury lifestyle hotels thrive and fail based on their ability to serve this belief. These hotels are most successful when they target a narrow customer base that identifies with their brand and the experience. However, these properties can aim too narrowly at their customer base, particularly luxury lifestyle hotels in seasonal markets.
The Ashore Resort & Beach Club in Ocean City, Maryland, overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and is truly a destination in the summer. By contrast, the property is often closed throughout the entire winter season. However, the hotel’s management and operations team have worked together to create an environment where the hotel can reopen for catered events. This level of flexibility has allowed Ashore to remain profitable and recoup some expenses, which would not have been possible otherwise.
Other markets must overcome seasonality in different ways. The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel in downtown Chicago, found a clever way to entice Chicagoans to visit its outdoor patio bar even during winter. While this bar typically serves 200 guests at once during the summer, the Chicago winds have a way of driving guests indoors after autumn. In response, the hotel constructed a cabin to keep guests warm, organized a section for curling among guests, created a Chicago-winter-inspired warm cocktail menu and even hired a bagpiper to align with curling’s Scottish roots.
While the Gwen embraces a lifestyle ethos through design by incorporating elements related to its history as the headquarters of former publisher McGraw Hill, its flexibility to adapt to the weather, the market, and guests’ expectations sets it apart as a luxury lifestyle hotel. To enhance this story, throughout the year The Gwen partners with brands that speak directly to its guests, including BOSS, Veuve Clicquot, and La Mer, and activates in various ways from room packages to programming and pop-up experiences.
Even in warmer climates such as Atlanta, seasonality still plays a role. At The Hotel at Avalon in Alpharetta, guests can indulge in a winter wonderland experience — minus the snow. The pool and terrace are transformed into the “Twinkling on the Terrace: Igloo and Chalet Experience,” where groups can savor cold-weather treats from the hotel’s restaurant, South City Kitchen, alongside themed cocktails. The experience includes cozy igloos complete with plush pillows, blankets, heaters and more.
Any hotelier today can learn from the ambitious way these properties serve guests and how to embrace travelers’ personalities through design or intention. Successful hotels never stop evolving, adapting and improving, regardless of segment.
Aliya Kritzler is group vice president of food and beverage and lifestyle brands at HEI Hotels & Resorts.
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