The Shift That’s Been Hiding in Plain Sight

The shift in luxury that’s been hiding in plain sight (and ILTM Cannes is about to make it unmistakable).

Everyone talks about 'the future of luxury,'
but this shift didn’t appear out of nowhere.

ILTM has been circling it for years,
and so has the media that shapes the conversation.

Publications like Skift, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel Weekly, and Luxury Briefing have all been signaling the same evolution:

• “Travel is becoming more human-centric.”
• “Luxury is shifting from things to feelings.”
• “The next era of travel: emotional transformation.”

Not in your exact words,
but the same unmistakable pattern.

And if you zoom out over the last decade of ILTM, the timeline becomes crystal clear:

𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵–𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭: 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗹𝘂𝘅𝘂𝗿𝘆

ILTM spotlights wellbeing, restoration, and personal renewal.
Luxury begins to shift from external → internal.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭–𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮: 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Sense of place and community-rooted hospitality rise.
Travel becomes connection, not escape.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮–𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯: 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲

Neuroscientists, behavioral experts, and psychologists appear at ILTM.
A sign the industry is asking:
“What’s changing inside the traveler?”

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯–𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰: 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀

Identity, purpose, reinvention.
Not “What are your amenities?”
But “How do people feel when they leave?”

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗟𝗧𝗠 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 (𝗗𝗲𝗰 𝟭–𝟰),
𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲:

Travelers aren’t choosing properties.
They’re choosing internal transformations.

And the brands leading the market already design for this:

OUR HABITAS → cultural identity
Aman → stillness
Red Sea Global → regeneration
Department of Tourism - Bhutan → policy-led meaning
Rosewood Hotel Group → a sense of place

They weren’t chasing trends,
they were simply building what the world was moving toward.

Luxury is shifting from aesthetic experiences → 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀.
From what you see → 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲.

As ILTM opens Monday, here’s the evolution I’ll be watching:

→ From marble → to 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆
→ From amenities → to 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆
→ From service → to 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
→ From brand storytelling → to 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵
→ From sustainability claims → to 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱
→ From place → to 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

In the end, noise is temporary.
Clarity is strategy.

More next week as ILTM Cannes unfolds.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱.

Image via Habitas AlUla