8 Luxury Travel Trends for Summer 2012

As we approach the busy summer travel season, one trend is holding strong, at least according to top luxury hotel brands: People are traveling more, often for longer periods of time, with extended families, friends, and children. They want their hard-earned time away to be worth it, with money going towards both value-added and exclusive experiences.

'As the economy continues to rebound, we're seeing strong growth in the Consumer Confidence and Traveler Sentiment indexes, which translates into guests taking longer and more frequent vacations across all channels,' says Jennifer Fox, President of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

Other top luxury brands like Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Orient-Express, and the Regent Seven Seas cruise line are seeing similar growth, while top travel agents have a hand in planning these requests for an exceptional experience. Stacy Small, president of L.A.-basedElite Travel International, designs high-end itineraries for clients around the world and is seeing requests roll in for exotic getaways, but also from those wanting to recharge domestically.

Most of these trends aren't groundbreaking, but are still at the forefront for luxury travel demand in Summer 2012.

Multi-Generational Family Travel: Cruising is possibly the best way to avoid family arguments, because each person can design their own day while still connecting with their family on board. But luxury travelers don't want to be nickel-and-dimed, and want the ease of travel while cruising. Regent Seven Seas proves that all-inclusive doesn't mean cheap, and provides gourmet dining, fine wines & spirits, a selection of shore excursions in all ports, onboard tips, and a complimentary overnight stay in a luxury hotel prior to the cruise. Mark Conroy, President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, says, 'Families as small as six as and as many as 35 are taking advantage of the all-inclusive, elegant, destination-focused, hassle-free cruises.' Conroy's favorite itineraries include a 7-night itinerary from Athens to Venice if you're pressed for time or a cruise through the Best of the Dalmatian Coast, Italy, and the French Riviera.

Regent Seven Seas Cruise

Hotels are seeing the same trend of larger family groups traveling together. Emily Snyder, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the Americas with Mandarin Oriental, says they are 'seeing increased lengths of stay and multiple room bookings to accommodate multi-generational travel.'

High-end villa rentals are also a popular choice for families celebrating big anniversaries or birthdays, with Stacy Small saying she's booking villas 'everywhere from Hawaii to Mexico to St. Barts to the South of France for the upcoming summer season.' Extra-large villas can accommodate multiple families and provide a great base for celebrations.

Active Vacations: Luxury travelers are seeking out ways to stay active and healthy on the road, carving out time for bike rides, hiking, and water sports. Small says that clients 'want to go to places where they have plenty of options to take day trips and enjoy active excursions from trekking and diving in Vietnam to fly fishing and white water rafting in Park City, Utah and Colorado.'

Bespoke Itineraries With a Sense of Place: Travel should be personalized. That's nothing newsworthy. But hotels are learning to blend experiences that are tailored to personal desires along with truly special options that reflect the destination. Orient-Express has a knack for taking historic, priceless properties and turning them into some of the finest hotels in the world. Filip Boyen, Chief Operating Officer for Orient-Express Hotels & Resorts, says that 'All of our properties are gearing up for summer travel with a selection of customized offerings, which blend authentic destination experience with the luxurious Orient-Express style.' Their Maroma Resort & Spa in Riviera Spa features a roster of health and wellness treatments that weaves together ancient Mayan traditions.

Seeking Out What's Next & New: Stacy Small says, 'Clients are asking us to book them to places they haven't been before. We've booked one family to Peru inclusive of a few days aboard the ultra-luxe Aqua Expeditions through the Peruvian Amazon, and another family is taking the kids to Turkey for a few days prior to their Greek island cruise.' While certain destinations like London, Paris, and Rome never go out of style, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts says their properties in Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai and Kenya are experiencing 'ever increasing popularity' which bodes well for their new hotel openings in Kiev, Baku, and Jaipur this year.

Increase In Brazil & China Travelers to United States: Emily Snyder with Mandarin Oriental mentions the U.S. Travel & Tourism's new Brand USA Campaign as a key factor in helping to drive international tourism, particularly from Brazil and China. And Snyder says they're taking extra care of these guests and says that 'mainland Chinese guests, for example, receive tailored amenities to enhance their comfort, such as tea kettles in room, and special Chinese menu items.'

The secret world of Disneyland

Bridget Gleeson 13 Nov, 2012

Christmas lights on Main Street, Disneyland, California

Disneyland may look like a straightforward theme park. But there's a secret world hidden behind the balloons, castles and cotton candy ' a place where wild cats roam the park at midnight, Mickey Mouse hides in the wallpaper, and movie stars sip martinis behind closed doors.

Feline security

It's not easy keeping the grounds of Disneyland utterly spotless, as well as free of unwanted pests. Every night after closing time, 200 feral cats are released into the park to help keep the rodent population under control. Though Disney doesn't comment on the matter, rumour has it that the feline taskforce dates back to 1957, when renovations to Sleeping Beauty Castle revealed a colony of more than 100 stray cats. After unsuccessful attempts to chase them out of the park, Disney decided to put the cats to work instead. Today they spend their daylight hours resting in the park's well-concealed 'cat houses', though you can sometimes spot a furry face peeking out between the mechanical lions on the Jungle Cruise.

Hidden Mickeys

At Disneyland, the round-eared Mickey Mouse emblem is everywhere. But thanks to clever Imagineers (Disney's specially trained designers and engineers), hundreds of 'Hidden Mickeys' are also scattered across the park. The subtle symbols are often difficult to spot: they're camouflaged in the architecture and landscaping as well as in the smallest stylistic details, from the floral wallpaper of the First Aid station and the rust marks atop a treasure chest in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, to the shapes of car speakers on Space Mountain. No one knows exactly how many exist.

Cocktails behind closed doors

Disneyland is dry ' unless you can manage to get your name on the list at Club 33. The secret cocktail lounge, tucked away above the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square, has a limited membership of just 487 and a waiting list of approximately 14 years. Walt Disney designed the club as an exclusive space to entertain possible investors; since then, the lounge, complete with an elegant dining room and a first-class wine cellar, has hosted US presidents, film stars, foreign dignitaries, and lucky guests with connections. It's said that Robert Kennedy dined here on 3 June, 1968, two days before he was assassinated.

Trick of the eye

Things are not always as they appear at Disneyland. The park's design employs 'forced perspective,' creating optical illusions that make structures appear larger or smaller than they actually are. Sleeping Beauty Castle, for example, looks much taller than its 77 feet ' that's because the 'bricks' and other architectural features grow progressively smaller as the towers rise. The Matterhorn also appears more massive than it is, since the tallest trees are at the base of the mountain and the smallest are placed at the summit. Entering Main Street, thanks to clever angles and scaling techniques, the castle seems far away and the old-fashioned shops and ice cream parlours seem to be several stories tall. As you exit, the same Main Street seems much shorter. Walt Disney figured that families coming into the park would be filled with anticipation, but on leaving, they'd be too tired for a leisurely stroll.

Always on stage

At Disneyland, a janitor isn't a janitor ' he's a 'cast member'. So are the legions of cashiers, painters, ride operators, gardeners, and performers, from the girl who portrays Cinderella to the guy pushing a broom around Frontierland. All cast members are trained to follow a specific code of etiquette that helps preserve the Disney magic. On the list of dos and don'ts? Never break character. If wearing a costume that belongs in Fantasyland, don't set foot in Tomorrowland ' it might confuse visitors or break the park's orderly image. When directing guests, point with two fingers or an open palm, never the index finger. Cast members are issued a Disney 'look book' that details the fresh-faced ideal ' no long fingernails, beards, or unnaturally coloured hair allowed. It's a throwback to Walt Disney's All-American standards: when the park opened even guests with facial hair weren't allowed entrance.

A light stays on

When construction was underway in the early 1950s, Walt didn't want to miss a moment of his dream coming to life. That's why he installed a small private apartment for his family above the Fire Department on Main Street. Decorated by one of Disney's set designers, the apartment featured turn-of-the-century decor; the apartment still contains Walt's tiled shower (fitted with multiple shower heads to soothe an old polo injury) and a ceramic bar set Walt used to serve his favourite hot drink, the rum- and brandy-based Tom & Jerry. The lamp in the window, visible from the park, was once illuminated to signal to cast members that the head honcho was on the premises. Today the lamp always stays lit in honour of the man behind the mouse.