Last weekend I went to my first Club Med, in Charlevoix, Quebec, on a press trip with a group of journalists and creators. On the trip, I got a chance to meet the lovely Sarah Bea Milner, who works at Travel Market Report. Aptly as the name suggests, she has her finger on the pulse of the travel industry. Over tapas and an espresso martini, we chatted about what defines luxury travel. Travelers are continually requesting “luxury” experiences, but the definition is somewhat slippery, either because our English language lacks better words for the range many places fall in, or simply because it means different things to everyone.
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It’s not a new question (“Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.”) Matador Network commissioning editor Suzie Dundas captured current luxury trends in her stories this year: The New Luxury Travel: Small Ships, Solar Power, and Intimacy in Wild Places and These US Destinations Will Be 2026’s Next Luxury Hotspots. But I’m always curious what everyone’s answer to the question is: what is luxury travel to you? So I asked other travelers on the group trip what it means to them as well.
Be it access or amenities, the responses ranged more than I expected.
It’s in the name. Some in our group said certain brands are synonymous with luxury; you know exactly what you’re getting with a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton. Although, if every property looks the same, are you really even experiencing a different country? (That’s a conversation for another day.)
Others swore it’s the amenities. Tyler Fox, editor-in-chief at Travel Off Path, said he can tell if a stay is luxurious if the included hair dryer is over $100. Others swore by the feel of the towels or the brand of shampoo available.
It’s who goes there. A close friend recently went on a luxury all-inclusive vacation to the Dominican Republic and quickly realized it wasn’t luxurious at all, with kids running around everywhere. She’s a mom of three, and she told me being able to unwind and relax is her measure of luxury.
For some, it always comes down to the service. Some noted luxury means exceptional service. They want to feel so completely taken care of that they don’t have to make a single decision. No planning, no decisions. That’s luxury for them.
There’s also the level of customization. There’s a whole range of what luxury travel is, from mid-scale to ultra-luxury. Milner brought up an ultra-luxury vacation she recently wrote about: a month of travel on Abercrombie & Kent’s private jet journeys. At around $100,000 for the trip, the whole thing is built entirely around the customer. A fully customized itinerary takes them to places many people can’t go. The tour company will even build infrastructure to land the jet if needed, or arrange for the client’s preferred wine to be waiting at the restaurants they visit. With a price tag like that (something I don’t make in one year), Milner confirmed there’s a 100 percent return rate. Customers keep going back because it’s curated entirely for them, unlike other travel experiences available to those in that tax bracket.
It’s the access. While writing a story about a stay in Tanzania, I couldn’t technically call the hotel luxurious, since there was no air conditioning and the spa lacked certain amenities (like a sauna). Yet it was one of my favorite stays of my life. What made it luxurious to me? Access. The hotel was place in the Serengeti that crowds couldn’t get to, thanks to a secluded, private road, which allowed us to enjoy sundowners without crowds while watching 11 lion cubs play at dusk.
Photo: Kelsey Wilking
“Luxury” is already overused to describe accommodations (don’t get me started on anything described as “forward”: water-forward, design-forward, etc.) Some places earn the description, but plenty don’t. Is real luxury about control? Space, access, bespoke experiences? Is it about what makes you feel luxurious? Amenities, service, dining? So I’ll pose the question to you.
What defines luxury in travel? 