destinations

Upscale travelers are just like us

Where are upscale Americans spending their travel dollars?

Should you do what they do?

Wealthy or not, it’s good to know where the well-do-to are vacationing and where the up-and-coming “it” destinations will be for the next few seasons.

A shortcut to that intel comes from the advisors who consult with upscale Americans about their vacation goals and bucket lists and then book those journeys.  

So where are well-to-do Americans jetting off to? Here’s a story I put together recently for CNBC.

Global luxury travel network Virtuoso polled advisors, crunched numbers from $49.5 billion in bookings and transactions for September through December 2019 and shared a couple of Top 10 lists as well as insights on some emerging travel trends.  

The Top 10 destinations

“Americans increasingly choose to travel domestically for the holidays,” notes Virtuoso, which puts the United States, with its vast array of destinations and attractions, in the lead spot in the Top 10 list.

As it has in the past, Europe’s appeal as a summer destination is extending into the fall this year, with destinations such as Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain in spots 2, 3, 4, 8 and 10, respectively, on the Top 10 list.

South Africa and Israel, in the middle of the list, at #5 and #6, remain popular destinations for families seeking “trips of a lifetime” during the holiday season, according to Virtuoso. And Japan, the top emerging “it” country in Virtuoso’s 2019 Luxe Report, takes its place on the Top 10 list of fall and holiday season destinations at #9.

Luxury leisure travel bookings being made by advisors in the Ovation Travel Group for 2019 and 2020 seem to be following those trends, said Gina Gabbard, Ovation’s Senior Vice President of Leisure & Independent Advisors.

“Italy is overwhelmingly the hands-down favorite among international destinations, with increased interest now in Southern Italy,” said Gabbard, “Our advisors note its amazing food and wine, culture and diversity of things to do, including history and art, along with available luxury accommodations. Direct flights from the U.S. are a plus.”

Despite concerns about Brexit, bookings to the United Kingdom are holding their own, said Gabbard, “The added benefit to our clients is that the value of the U.S. dollar is so strong against the pound.”

Virtuoso’s Hot 10 list

Virtuoso also shared its “Hot 10” list, which is made up of countries experiencing the largest increases by percentage in year-over-year bookings. In some cases, the increases come from a country and its offerings being “discovered” or better promoted; in other cases, political fears may be subsiding.

For September through December 2019, the list is topped by Uruguay (up 286 percent), which Virtuoso attributes to the country’s award-winning wineries, pleasant climate and adventure opportunities.

Bookings are also way up for travel to the beach retreats of the Maldives (up 171 percent) as well as Malta (up 140 percent), Romania (135 percent) and Egypt (up 122 percent). Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Qatar, South Korea and the fjords of Norway (up 96 percent) round out the “Hot 10” list.

Where are upscale Americans staying?

“We’re seeing a rise in exclusive-use travel as people look for the ultimate in privacy and seclusion while getting away from it all,” said Misty Belles, Virtuoso’s managing director for Global Public Relations, “Home rentals, from villas to condos, jumped 56 percent this year, with millennials and multigenerational trips both contributing to the growing popularity in residences.”

Belles says private yacht travel is also gathering momentum as people look to escape crowds and explore smaller, lesser-known ports of call.

When it comes to hotel stays, Becky Powell, President of Virtuoso-member Protravel International, says hyper-personalized stays are in.

“Increasingly, hotels are using technology to connect and build relationships with guests and instantly fix issues,” says Powell. Hotels are also focusing on sustainability and emphasizing connections to the destination or city they are in with local partnerships and unique experiences, she said.  

Upscale travelers and overtourism

Lots of stories about overtourism have been in then news, “But now we are seeing it translate into client conversations and influence decisions,” said Jack Ezon, founder of Virtuoso member Embark, “Our clients want to feel like travelers, not tourists. And no matter how wealthy they are, they don’t want to see a Prada or Gucci on every corner,” he said.

Instead, Ezon says upscale travelers are increasingly seeking out charming and “new” secondary destinations, staying in neighborhoods beyond the popular city centers and traveling during the off or shoulder-seasons not to save money, but to have more of the city to themselves.

Have a destination you’d like to tell us about? Please share your tips in the comment section below.

Seattle’s Space Needle gets a reboot

Seattle’s space-age inspired Space Needle marked a milestone in its $100 million makeover this week, with the unveiling of the first batch of specially-slanted clear glass benches on the outdoor Observation Deck at the 520-foot level.

The benches, dubbed “Skyrisers” are attached to some of the viewing deck’s newly-installed 11-foot tall glass windows and invite visitors to lean back and snap selfies that will make them appear to be floating out over the landscape.

Courtesy Space Needle LLC

Over the past year, while the Observation Deck remained open to the public, construction workers replaced the view-obstructing but structurally-necessary half wall and caging installed when the 605-foot-tall Space Needle was built – in just 400 days – as a centerpiece for the World’s Fair held in Seattle in 1962.

“We needed to update some of the aging mechanical and electrical systems in this 56-year-old building originally designed to look like a flying saucer on a stick,” said Karen Olson, chief marketing officer for Space Needle LLC, “And we figured, while we’re up there, let’s update the experience and expand the view.”

Seattle-based design firm Olson Kundig, the project architect, maintained the landmarked features of the building while significantly opening up the Observation Deck view with 48 floor-to-ceiling glass windows that are each 7 feet wide and 11 feet high.

The group also added direct viewing lines to the outside for everyone who steps off the elevator, a state-of-the art ADA lift that (finally) makes the outdoor deck fully accessible, an indoor café and the newly unveiled inclined glass “Skyrisers” that will make a trip to the top of the Space Needle super selfie-worthy.

While ten glass benches were unveiled this week in time for Memorial Day visitors, Space Needle officials say all 24 of the Observation Deck’s planned Skyrisers should be installed by the end of June.

Next phase: World’s first rotating glass floor

When the Space Needle opened at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962, it featured a rotating restaurant on the 500-foot level, just below the Observation Deck, that operated on turntable powered first by a 1 horsepower and, later, a 1.5 horsepower motor. (While novel, it wasn’t the world’s first rotating restaurant. That honor goes to a restaurant that operated in the Ala Moana shopping mall in Hawaii.)

Over the years there have been three different restaurant concepts in the rotating space and, when the current makeover is completed, there will be a fourth.

In the meantime, construction workers have built a grand, open circular staircase to connect the two decks and replaced the original rotating floor on the lower-deck with a 37-ton glass floor that is being billed as the world’s only rotating glass floor (in a building open to visitors).

Inspired by the (non-rotating) glass floor the Eiffel Tower opened in 2014 on its 1st floor, 187 feet above the ground and by the glass floors at Chicago’s Willis Tower and the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the rotating glass floor at the Space Needle will offer visitors a view down at the fountain, the green spaces and museums on the 74-acre Seattle Center grounds. The mechanics of the new turntable, now powered by a series of 12 motors, will also be visible through the see-floor flooring.

Space Needle officials expect the rotating glass floor (and wine bar) on the lower deck to be ready for visitors by the July 4th weekend. Details about the new restaurant concept to occupy the space are expected to be announced this fall.

Planning a visit

Admission: Entry costs for the Space Needle usually shift (up) to summer pricing on the Memorial Day weekend, but because the makeover is not fully complete on the upper deck, off-season/preview pricing of $26 for adults, $22 for seniors (65+) and $17 for kids (ages 5-12) is still in effect.

Around July 4, when both the upper deck (with the open-air observation area) and the lower deck (with the rotating glass floor) are open, admission prices will go up to $29 for adults; $24 for seniors and $22 for kids.

Discounted admission may be available with bundled attraction passes or some auto club and other organization memberships.

When to go:  More than 1.3 million people visit the Space Needle each year, and lines can be especially long during the busy summer tourist season. The attraction is likely to get even more popular now that the Observation Deck renovations are nearing completion and once the rotating glass floor feature opens.

Consider purchasing a timed entry ticket online and visiting first thing in the morning (the Observation Deck opens at 9 a.m. Monday to Thursday and at 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday) or at the end of the evening: closing time is 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 12 a.m. Friday to Sunday, with the last entry 30 minutes prior to closing.

To get a unique view of the iconic 650-foot-tall Space Needle, plan a visit to the Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tower, in downtown Seattle. At nearly 1000 feet, the observatory is the tallest public viewing area in the Pacific Northwest.

(My story about the reboot of the Seattle Space Needle first appeared on USA TODAY).

 

Greetings from Brussels – and all the city maps

Greetings from Brussels – looking forward to touring the airport, but first trying to see as much of the city as I can.

That task is made easy with these handy themed maps Visit Brussels puts out. Starting with these two today – surrealism and comics – but also moving through the city with all of these, which are themed to food, shopping, jazz, kid-focused adventures and more.

Too hard to decide, so taking them all – and my new souvenir hat (it is super hot here) – along.