Why institutional, sovereign, and private capital are betting big on luxury expedition travel, where I’d send you for this sort of trip, and why everyone is chasing experiences
What feels most interesting here is when “experiential” stops being a programming layer and becomes the operating model itself.
The safari lodge model works because accommodation, food, guides, activities and place aren’t experienced as separate products. They’re designed as one journey.
That creates an interesting advantage beyond share of wallet: coherence.
Perhaps the strongest experiential hotels won’t be the ones offering the longest activity menu, but the ones where every part of the stay seems to belong to the same reason for being there.
Really enjoyed this. From the ground-operator side in Morocco, the three-generation trend is the biggest change I see: families want the Sahara to work for grandparents and kids at once, which means slower pacing and fewer hotel changes. Are you seeing Morocco come up as a closer alternative to safari for those families?
I haven’t seen Morocco raised as an alternative to Safari for my clients yet, but we did put together two multi-gen Morocco trips this year with kids that were teenagers!
Love that Anne! Teenagers are some of the best travelers in Morocco. The Sahara wins them over fast. If you ever need a local partner for another multi-gen trip, I'd be glad to help.
Thank you, Anne Marie, I really appreciate it! I'll send you a quick message with my details so you have them handy whenever a client asks about Morocco. Have a wonderful trip!
It feels like Aman is growing at a rapid pace lately; to me that's usually when brands begin to lose the special cache. As for Beckons; they feel like a brand made for me and I need to do a tour de Beckons.
The shore-excursion point is interesting. Once a brand sells the whole journey as the product, “that part was outsourced” stops being a very useful excuse.
As always, such an insightful deep dive into what’s shaping hospitality. On a side note, my daughter turns 8 next month and this Parent Trap themed birthday party is inspired!
Great quote! “He who dies with the most toys still dies. She who takes her children on an expedition without having to sleep on the ground leaves a legacy of memories, and maybe a few mosquito bites.”
Half of those you listed are on my full hotel wish list- Shinta Mani Cambodia, Amangiri (but the cost, is it worth it?!) which I suppose means I am exactly the millennial who is looking for experiential travel, but seamless.
I’m not sure Amangiri is worth it - I’ve heard reports that the asset is getting a bit worn and onsite experience for activities isn’t quite up to snuff. But, this is entirely second hand as I haven’t been there myself.
Yeah I think $5k a night is hard to stomach. We are planning Japan in the spring and for the cost of Amangiri, I can do really nice hotels there. Hard to justify at the moment. Should of gone pre-pandemic :/
Always love reading this series — so informative! The luxury sailing is for sure the next big thing. Met with RC Yachts last week and it’s nice (for advisors) that it’s so cut and dry. No promos, no discounts, no point redemption, the price is the price and you pay it or don’t.
This wasn’t an exact mention here, but curious of your thoughts of all these VC firms backing these brand new host agencies that are popping up left and right promising Fora-level tech, crazy AI but “less work” for the advisor… I’ve had conversations with one, but since then I’ve seen numerous more advertised.
Thanks Kayla! Glad you’re enjoying the upgrade! As to VC firms backing new host agencies, I think all this money is chasing Fora lookalikes. It’s a huge market and it’s only growing, but feels a bit like a house of cards. a friend sent me this one yesterday : https://pirate.travel/advisors/ I still maintain that reputation is one of the most important currencies a long standing host agency has. This is such a relationship business. If you’re making a go of it as an advisor, choose a host agency who has been in the business for a while. If you are a hobbyist, it’s fine to use these more commodified platforms
What feels most interesting here is when “experiential” stops being a programming layer and becomes the operating model itself.
The safari lodge model works because accommodation, food, guides, activities and place aren’t experienced as separate products. They’re designed as one journey.
That creates an interesting advantage beyond share of wallet: coherence.
Perhaps the strongest experiential hotels won’t be the ones offering the longest activity menu, but the ones where every part of the stay seems to belong to the same reason for being there.
Yes I think you nailed the thesis here. The hotel and location need to be an integrated experience where the destination feels complete
Exactly, “complete” is such a good way to put it.
The destination shouldn’t feel like something the hotel sends you out to experience. At its best, it’s already woven into the stay itself.
Really enjoyed this. From the ground-operator side in Morocco, the three-generation trend is the biggest change I see: families want the Sahara to work for grandparents and kids at once, which means slower pacing and fewer hotel changes. Are you seeing Morocco come up as a closer alternative to safari for those families?
I haven’t seen Morocco raised as an alternative to Safari for my clients yet, but we did put together two multi-gen Morocco trips this year with kids that were teenagers!
Love that Anne! Teenagers are some of the best travelers in Morocco. The Sahara wins them over fast. If you ever need a local partner for another multi-gen trip, I'd be glad to help.
I’m always looking for good local operators, I’ll keep you in mind!
Thank you, Anne Marie, I really appreciate it! I'll send you a quick message with my details so you have them handy whenever a client asks about Morocco. Have a wonderful trip!
It feels like Aman is growing at a rapid pace lately; to me that's usually when brands begin to lose the special cache. As for Beckons; they feel like a brand made for me and I need to do a tour de Beckons.
Let’s do a tour de Beckons together!
The shore-excursion point is interesting. Once a brand sells the whole journey as the product, “that part was outsourced” stops being a very useful excuse.
As always, such an insightful deep dive into what’s shaping hospitality. On a side note, my daughter turns 8 next month and this Parent Trap themed birthday party is inspired!
aw thanks! I’m not sure who had more fun planning it, me or Malia!
Great quote! “He who dies with the most toys still dies. She who takes her children on an expedition without having to sleep on the ground leaves a legacy of memories, and maybe a few mosquito bites.”
💁🏼♀️ thanks! My dad used to always say the first part. The second is my take on it ha
Half of those you listed are on my full hotel wish list- Shinta Mani Cambodia, Amangiri (but the cost, is it worth it?!) which I suppose means I am exactly the millennial who is looking for experiential travel, but seamless.
I’m not sure Amangiri is worth it - I’ve heard reports that the asset is getting a bit worn and onsite experience for activities isn’t quite up to snuff. But, this is entirely second hand as I haven’t been there myself.
Yeah I think $5k a night is hard to stomach. We are planning Japan in the spring and for the cost of Amangiri, I can do really nice hotels there. Hard to justify at the moment. Should of gone pre-pandemic :/
Always love reading this series — so informative! The luxury sailing is for sure the next big thing. Met with RC Yachts last week and it’s nice (for advisors) that it’s so cut and dry. No promos, no discounts, no point redemption, the price is the price and you pay it or don’t.
This wasn’t an exact mention here, but curious of your thoughts of all these VC firms backing these brand new host agencies that are popping up left and right promising Fora-level tech, crazy AI but “less work” for the advisor… I’ve had conversations with one, but since then I’ve seen numerous more advertised.
Thanks Kayla! Glad you’re enjoying the upgrade! As to VC firms backing new host agencies, I think all this money is chasing Fora lookalikes. It’s a huge market and it’s only growing, but feels a bit like a house of cards. a friend sent me this one yesterday : https://pirate.travel/advisors/ I still maintain that reputation is one of the most important currencies a long standing host agency has. This is such a relationship business. If you’re making a go of it as an advisor, choose a host agency who has been in the business for a while. If you are a hobbyist, it’s fine to use these more commodified platforms