Hotelbeds is seeing a notable rise in consumer demand for luxury travel with travellers around the world seeking more premium experiences than ever before. The trend  has led the TravelTech company to respond by signing new partnerships, including The Lux  Collective. 

The United States, Mexico and Europe are among the largest source markets for luxury travel for  Hotelbeds, while travellers from India (109%), Australia (216%), China (78%) and Spain (66%) have  been increasingly looking for a premium experience over the past year versus the previous 12  months. 

Nicolas Huss, Hotelbeds’ Chief Executive Officer, doesn’t see this momentum subsiding any time  soon. “The post-covid ‘carpe diem’ mentality shows no sign of abating,” he said. “Travellers want to  make the most of every day and they don’t want to compromise. We’re seeing spend on travel  remain a top consumer priority with people actively seeking unforgettable trips and are willing to  pay for a high-quality experience.” 

Within Hotelbeds’ country portfolio, the UAE, Mexico, Turkey, U.S. have the largest concentration  of 5-star hotels with Thailand its fastest-growing destination. Meanwhile, Dubai, where Hotelbeds  is exhibiting at Arabian Travel Market this week, continues to maintain its status as one of the  company’s largest luxury destinations with growth up 10% over the past year versus the previous  12 months. 

This view is shared by other industry leaders, including Olivier Ponti, Vice President-Insights at  ForwardKeys, who told the audience at Hotelbeds’ MarketHub Europe last month that the luxury  sector is a huge opportunity for the travel industry. “This year, premium travel is recovering much  faster than economy, which is still 19% behind 2019 levels. It is even growing by 4% compared with  pre-pandemic levels. Premium travellers represent a very interesting visitor profile because they  tend to fly a lot, spend more than average, and also tend to spend more time at their destination  than the average traveller,” he said. 

The Lux Collective (“TLC”) is a global luxury hotel operator headquartered in Singapore and manages  brands LUX*, SALT, TAMASSA, SOCIO and Café LUX*. Other properties managed by TLC include Hotel  Le Recif, Reunion Island and Ile des Deux Cocos, Mauritius, a private paradise island.