In what may be the best sign yet that luxury travel has recovered is a return to unabashed, no-apologies opulence.
During the recession, thanks in part to the public backlash over troubled companies and government agencies holding conferences at luxury resorts, many high-end hotels and resorts downplayed conspicuous consumerism in favor of things like hybrid vehicles, experiential travel and voluntourism.
Many of those trends are here to stay and growing, but hotels are clearly back in the game of promoting good, old-fashioned extravagant indulgences.
L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, for example, this year is offering the Ultimate Romance package, complete with a private helicopter ride to a secluded mountain plateau, Dom Perignon and a private showing with a jeweler.
A press release promoting the package makes no excuses for the "over-the-top and up-in-the air" offering. "Nowhere is luxury and indulgence more extravagantly expressed than in internationally famous Beverly Hills," it states.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts announced this week it has sold out all three of its Around the World by Private Jet tours to date and has added two new 2014 itineraries that promise a departure from ordinary travel with a once-in-a-lifetime experience aboard private luxury 757s complete with an onboard concierge and private physicians and chefs.
"The Rediscover the Americas takes flight from Feb. 24 to March 13, 2014, and touches down in seven of the most stunning Four Seasons destinations in the Americas: Miami, Nevis, Buenos Aires, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Punta Mita and Beverly Hills," the company promises. "Around the World is a 23-day itinerary sure to fill your passport with exotic stamps as you explore 10 legendary destinations across the globe starting March 14, 2014: from the idyllic islands of Hawaii, Bora Bora and Bali to the vibrant city streets of Sydney, Mumbai, Istanbul and London."
And in a return to partnerships with well-known brands, hotels are offering everything from private fittings with representatives of high-end designers to suites designed by luxury motor companies. The St. Regis New York recently unveiled its nearly $10,000-a-night Bentley suite, designed in collaboration with Bentley Motors. A British hotel has launched a similar partnership with Jaguar.
But while luxury travel has roared back out of the shadows, perhaps the downturn's biggest legacy for this sector will be the growing emphasis on unique experiences in travel, often times at the expense of traditional luxury.
Luxury travel operators and agents all seem to agree that some of the hottest destinations this year are be to emerging destinations, including Vietnam, Myanmar and Cuba.