by Robin Amster
Last updated: 3:30 PM ET, Mon January 9, 2017
Virtuoso has released its 2017 Best of the Best directory. This is the luxury network's largest collection to date of hotels and experiential itineraries.
At more than 600 pages, the directory includes 75 new properties, bringing the total portfolio to more than 1,150 hotels in 100 countries.
Top trends seen among recent additions to the Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts collection include:
Emerging Destinations' Luxury Hotel Boom: According to the 2017 Virtuoso Luxe Report, South Africa, Portugal and Colombia are among the hottest up-and-coming destinations this year. As a result, a new crop of luxury hotels and resorts are opening, including South Africa's Tswalu Kalahari and Six Senses Douro Valley in Portugal.
Hotel Lobbies that "Work": Hotels are continuing to reinvent the functionality of lobby spaces by creating ultra-cool lounges as places to meet, network and conduct business. The Palace Hotel in San Francisco offers a stunning historic court, with people on laptops gathering in a bar equipped with Wi-Fi and outlets. The new Four Seasons in downtown Manhattan offers lobby-specific amenities, such as laptops and interpreters for business meetings.
Hotels Bring Destinations to Life: To accommodate travelers' growing desire for authentic and adventurous experiences, hotels are increasing on- and off-property activities.
Virtuoso has also responded to this demand by expanding Best of the Best to feature 76 pages of cultural itineraries, including sushi making with one of Tokyo's top chefs, camel rides along Erg Chebbi - the largest dunes in the Sahara - and nighttime safaris in Laos. Hotels immersed in the region's terrain also play an important role in attracting travelers. These include Amanera Resort, recently opened in the heart of Dominican Republic's jungle, and the new Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, based in Peru's Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Boutique Reigns: The desire for personalized travel experiences and Instagram-worthy design continues to drive the popularity of boutique hotels. Of the 40 properties accepted into Virtuoso's collection since June 2016, 60 percent have fewer than 100 rooms.
New additions include Ted Turner's one-room Ladder Ranch in New Mexico, where guests have outstanding wildlife-spotting opportunities on the 156,000-acre property, and his 18-room Sierra Grande Lodge & Spa, also in New Mexico, where guests can enjoy outdoor hot springs first established by the region's Native Americans as a healing tradition.
Wellness 3.0: The rapidly growing travel niche is expected to hit $680 billion this year. It is expanding 50 percent faster than the overall tourism industry and hotels are responding accordingly. Mii amo, a destination spa in Sedona, goes beyond traditional treatments by offering restorative therapies such as Reiki, a Japanese technique for stress reduction, while Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland is a pioneering medical retreat that combines cell therapy and holistic wellness.
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