From electric lights to space flights; exclusivity in travel has taken a huge leap in recent years
In the late 1800s when London’s Savoy Hotel introduced electric lights throughout the hotel, constant hot and cold running tap water and attached bathrooms in most bedrooms, a new standard of luxury, which was then inconceivable to most people in the world, was set.
In the twenty first century, luxury means signing up for an experience in space on Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic commercial flights into space at $200,000 per ticket. Hollywood star Ashton Kutcher was the 500th person to sign up for such an experience that until recently could only be read in science fiction novels.
The goal posts of what defines luxury are forever changing and the super rich and the wealthy are constantly being introduced to the most sophisticated experiences conceived by imaginative brand managers, clever designers and hospitality experts. Current trends have moved from acquiring classy objects to luxury as defined by a whole host of unique experiences.
Recent reports by Wealth-X, the ultra high net worth business development solution for Private Bankers estimated the numbers of ultra high net worth individuals in the Middle East is at 4,595 with a combined wealth of $710 billion. All the Gulf States, excluding Saudi Arabia, featured in Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) latest survey as among top 15 countries for the highest proportion of millionaire households in the world.
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Luxury takes a new look: An illustration of Virgin Galactic astronauts reclining in their seats |
It is no wonder then that the Middle East is very much on the top of the list when it comes to offering the latest in fashion, style, hospitality, entertainment or relaxation.
Three of Dubai’s hotels – Jumeirah Emirates Tower, Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel – are among the 2012’s World’s Best Luxury Hotels as rated by the customers of Five Star Alliance, the well known online travel agency dealing with luxury hotels around the world.
Incidentally all three are part of the Jumeirah Group, which recently announced plans for major expansion in the number of operating hotels from its current 20 to between 35 and 40 in the next five years.
CEO and president of the hospitality group, Gerald Lawless is famous for attributing the group’s success to its tagline – Stay Different. His famous saying is resonated in the group website, which states: “Whenever you stay with us or use any of our services, our aim is for you to come away with a sense of the Jumeirah spirit – a genuinely caring and personal service. In our own words, to ‘Stay Different’.”
Luxury is clearly no longer just about fancy chandeliers, designer rooms or exotic foods but personalised service, privacy and human interaction.
The 2012 World Travel Market Report on global travel trends positioned shopping as a major travel trend in the Middle East. Pointing out to the growing trend of malls within close proximity of five star properties, it took the example of Dubai Mall that retails in some of the biggest international luxury brands and is very close to some of the best luxury hotels in the Emirate.
This is also reflected in the trend adopted by Kempinski Hotels having properties within malls in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates and Bahrain’s City Centre Mall, where it is not only located in the kingdom’s premium shopping destination but is also among the largest hotels on the island in terms of room size.
This report is justified by the findings of the American Express Middle East Luxury Spending Tracker that conducted a survey using the services of Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), a global research-based consultancy. Respondents included the wealthy whose household income was in the excess of $50,000 and the middle income group.
The report revealed that spending on premium luxury goods and experiences was on the rise and reported Qataris as the biggest buyers of luxury goods in the Middle East region whose monthly bill could be as much as $5,000 on cars, high-end luxury goods and fashion accessories.
Interestingly, the tracker reports a customer preference for luxury goods over experiential luxury such as holidays and spa treatments this year. In an interview to Trade Arabia News Service, Mazin Khoury, the chief executive officer, American Express Middle East, said: “Those surveyed said that the brand name was key in determining spend, in addition to sales, price reductions and advertising.”
However, the trend in the hospitality sector does not show any pause in the attempt to create and differentiate their luxury offer to suit the fancy and taste of their international guests. UAE alone has seen an increase of about 10 per cent visitors this year that brings the number to around nine million tourists annually.
In the recently concluded Qatar Luxury Hospitality Summit, industry experts networked and plotted ways of delighting an expected 500,000 international visitors who arrive during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar has initiated plans to get 90,000 hotel rooms available in more than 240 hotel properties. The bill for developing the premium infrastructure projects is slated to be approximately $100 billion.
Earlier this year, at The Hotel Show held in Dubai, events director Frederique Maurell said that there was an increased demand for their top-line products and hotels are looking to enhance guest experience to improve guest retention.
Highlighting the trend of the day was the introduction of a Hospitality Experiences section that showcased products and services that can help the industry take a step ahead of the traditional hotel experience.
Finally, leading on the practise of introducing a trend rather than following the latest, travellers to Dubai will soon be able to get a closer view of coral reefs while sipping their favourite cup of coffee in the underwater restaurants of the rotating Water Discus Hotel – a luxury underwater hotel, complete with spa, garden and an upper-terrace pool – the latest offer from an emirate that only believes in the best and the most flamboyant.