The ultimate luxury experience. Space travel. Initiated by Richard Branson, and with detail to design (logo by Ph. Starck) Virgin Galactic promises (for a mere 200,000 dollars), to change your take on the world.
Book your sub-orbital flight now... take off in 2008.
Numbers are up in the luxury industry and many try to predict future trends, spending habits, new markets, upcoming consumer groups etc:
Some reading:
Just-Style Global Luxury Apparel Forecast
Luxury Institute US Luxury Marketing (HNWI)
YBP&R Luxury Travel (US Market)
American Express Platinum Luxury Survey (US Market)
IPSOS Focus on Indian and Chinese Luxury Markets
In a nutshell : Consumer expectations are growing faster than ever - exclusivity has to be maintained. Luxury brands will have to focus more on ethnicity and global welldoing, as well as being at the height of technology. Most impotantly, luxury brands will imperitively have to enhance the luxury "Experience".
With an ever increasing emphasis on "the experience", luxury clients will spend a great deal more on travel. To cater to these golden flyers Forbes has launched a new website :
Forbes Traveler
Eos Airlines Inc., founded by David J. Spurlock in 2003 has seen an unintended boost in business due to the global travel insecurity. The NY/London luxury service was created last october to cater to the affluent traveller.
M. Spurlock sees the retail industry as a model for what's happening in air travel. Different airlines fitting into various market segments.
Reservations at the purchase-based airline are up by a third over the next three weeks, he said, following last week's revelations of a new terror plot targeting commercial aviation between Europe and the United States.
One rotation per day (like the concord) with Boeing 757 jumbos that usually accommodate 220, refurbished to seat 48, create a safe and efficient travel environment.
Eos boasts no cancellations, an average delay of just 14 minutes, and not a single lost piece of luggage on any of its flights. One rotation per day (JFK International Airport to Stansted Airport, 30 miles north of central London) and it plans to expand to two round-trip flights starting Sept. 8. It aims to run 15 north Atlantic flights in 2010.
Eos is still required to follow the same security rules governing other, larger airlines.
Compared to regular carriers, Eos staff do not have to deal with a packed plane and are more available to care for the few passengers aboard.
M. Spurlock (formerly BA) obtained $187 million in venture capital to get it off the ground. The privately held airline hasn't disclosed whether it is profitable, but it did announce this year that it had reached an important break-even airline performance measurement.
Services included in most fare levels are : limousine service, with travelers greeted at curbside, and escorted to the ticket counter. The spacious suites include chairs that fold into beds extending 2 metres, coupled with cashmere blankets and down pillows.
Four-course gourmet meals and individual DVD players with Bose headphones are among the in-flight amenities.
Round-trip tickets range from $2,950 to $6,500.
Eos Airlines
The Candy brothers plan on setting up a chain of retail outlets in cities such as New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong to sell the home furnishings and gadgets available in their yachts, aircraft and apartments.
Nick, 33, was working in advertising when he and Christian, 32, a former commodity trader, decided to go into business together after spotting a gap in the market for designing luxury play pads for high-rollers. They are extending their franchise into luxury jets, yachts, hotels and spas. The brothers have set up Candy & Candy Aviation, working with Bombardier to supply design and jet services for the ultra-wealthy. The new venture aims to transfer the design skills used on luxury apartments to create bespoke luxury aboard private jets for billionaire businessmen and royalty. Exclusivity being the key and the impossible being the "cahier des charges". They are looking at installing spas that work at 40,000ft.”
The brothers snapped up their own luxury vessel from John Hargreaves at the October boat show in Monaco in 2004, a 147ft (45m) Benetti called Candyscape. It has a dining room table that turns into a routlette wheel and a bathroom that is a copy of a Louis Vuitton trunk. Sir Tom Hunter, Paris Hilton and the Rolling Stones are among those to have hired the £12.5 million boat.
They are also considering lending their name to luxury hotel groups and spas. A new brand, Studio Candy, is also under development, selling smaller, cheaper apartments, boats and jet pods.
Brigitta Spinocchia, Nick’s girlfriend, is a design director at Candy & Candy.
Candyscape
Candy & Candy
According to an article in "Cyberpress", affluent travellers are starting to ask themselves this question:
"If I can spend 35 000€ on a luxury suite on the QE2 and have to mingle with people who spent 1200€ on a cabin, I can spend 10K€ more and rent a yacht".
Today renting a yacht or a private island is the privilege of only the outragiously rich, but luxury travel specialists are starting to review their offers. And they are trading them UP.
As luxury brands tend to cater more and more for the "happy masses" to finance ever growing businesses, so the "happy few" are fleeing the mainstream and taking refuge in elite havens.
Will this trend have to kick in soon in other luxury industries? Luxury tends to play on the sentiment of "aspiration". Apparently expectations are growing.
Le voyage de luxe menacé par la classe moyenne
I would like to explain the creative process of this blog.
After checking out real time information on the luxury goods market, I try to vary my sources by going onto non industry sites and typing the search word "luxury/luxe". August being a pretty slow period newswise (today's N°1 info is that Condoleeza Rice is one of the world's best dressed women), I have plenty of time to view infos from other horizons.
I found this little jewel on YOUTUBE.
How people interpret the notion of luxury remains a headscratcher.
(ad for lynx deodorant)
Did you know there is a Ritz-Carlton in Wolfsburg Germany ? (yes - the same place as VW biggest manufacturing plant)
According to WOWtravel this destination is the N°1 on their "7 sensations - macho" packages. You combine a B&O furnished presidential suite stay with the pick up (from a 20 storey high tower) of your brand new car.
WOW travel
Now, to me, this is a complete nightmare holiday.
1. I'm not a macho, so I really shouldn't be picking this package.
2. Sound is not vital when I picture my ideal time out. Bang&Olufsen should be left at home.
3. I'm scared of hights. 20 storeys of cars piled up freaks me out.
4. Travelling to pick up my new car seems pointless. I prefer having things delivered.
According to estimates by the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) - the largest global trade event for the luxury travel market (next edition 4-7th of december 2006 in Cannes)
ILTM
- the top 3% of travellers in the world spend 20% of the total tourism expenditures. With baby boomers set to inherit $3 trillion each year over the next ten years, prospects for this travel sector are excellent.
In a time of consumer coddling the perfect holiday is not just about cushy *****+ hotels anymore. It's about dreams coming true. And dreams come in as many forms as there are topend globetrotters.
For some it's about pioneering. Heisting a 10kg backpack up some hill/mountain and having the distinct feeling of being the first tourist to have scuttled that stiff cliff.
Himalayan Kingdoms
For other's it's about exclusivity. Privacy in all things including the pool. In one deluxe hotel in Indonesia, the pool is private but the bathroom is outdoors (Amanjiwo resort Borobudur).
Aman Resorts
Responsibilty and ecology may be high up on the list for another category of travellers. Kayaking in asian rainforests, meeting "Bud" the Orang Utang.
Responsible Travel
Luxury travel can also be all about the cultural experience. Opera, private museum visits, elite dinners.
The Holiday Planner UK
Some prefer pampering. Spa's and ethnic massages served with hand picked fruit platters by smiling, caring staff.
Raffles Hotel Singapore
For me it's simplicity. Farniente, Food and Family.
What have you been dreaming of?
