After a 12 months of pandemic precaution, motels are seeing a surge in celebrations: Journey Weekly

“We have seen a surge in celebrations in the Beverly Hills Peninsula Suites that we actively helped to plan. “

“Fairmont Scottsdale Princess saw a 36% increase in recreational guests celebrating milestones. ”

“We’ve seen a 150% increase in bookings for all types of celebrations Shangri-La, the Shard [London] since summer 2019. The number of suggestions booked with us has also increased particularly by 232% compared to 2019, followed by birthdays, our most popular celebration, which rose by 146%. “

After a year of lockdowns, reduced capacity, and a general sense of limitation, luxury hotels are seeing an explosion in the festivities. Some are occasions delayed due to the inability to gather during the pandemic, others seem to celebrate the fact that partying is even possible.

A survey by Affluent Consumer Research Co., commissioned by Strategic Vision for Travel Weekly, shows that 88% of consumers with household incomes above $ 250,000 who reported staying in luxury hotels are also interested in staying there To organize celebrations. And 52% of them say they spend more money than they normally would for a celebration.

“There is a clear feeling that after the lockdown, the guests want to make up for the lost time and celebrate with a big party,” said Mike Bonner, Director of Sales and Marketing at Rosewood London. He estimates that spending will increase by 20%. “We’re seeing more lavish celebrations: more flowers, food and drink, and entertainment.”

On the other side of the world is Christian Westbeld, managing director of Raffles Singapore, struggled with capacity constraints. But that may be partly responsible for the “dramatic upward trend” – 30 to 50% – in the average per-person party spend the hotel sees.

Westbeld cited a marriage proposal in which the presidential suite was adorned with 9,999 roses, “symbolizing eternal love, to ensure that the happy couple can share the joy with friends and families on social media”.

A suite in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park decked out for a birthday party. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

It turns out that this type of sharing not only brags the couple, but also benefits the hotel. The Affluent Consumer Research poll found that there is an 81% chance a wealthy consumer would want to do the same if they know someone else is celebrating at a luxury hotel.

The Peninsula Beverly Hills sees the benefit of social-sharing guests too, but combined with a trend toward smaller – but no less expensive – events.

“Instead of big, big parties, more and more people are opting for extravagant, intimate celebrations,” said Christina Vu, director of digital and brand marketing at the property. “We’ve seen couples firsthand through our social channels how our team can hold a smaller celebration without sacrificing size.”

Rather than associating the smaller celebrations with constraints, Vu attributes the trend to “customer adopting a quality over quantity mentality. At large parties in the past we’ve come across couples who focus on lowering the cost per guest Now individuals are excited “to provide their loved one with a superior experience by spending significantly more per person.” Even with fewer guests, couples’ budgets appear to be similar to what we’ve seen in the past. “

“Lockdowns must have brought a lot of couples a lot closer, as we’ve never seen so many requests for marriage as we did in 2021,” said Calum Donoghue, director of public relations for the Dorchester in London.

To keep up with several staged proposals each week, London’s Shangri-La, the Shard has partnered with a company called The Proposers. “We can transform a room or suite with candlelight, white balloons and” Marry Me “signs. Dinner is served with a floor-to-ceiling view of London,” said General Manager Kurt Macher.

A room dressed for a marriage proposal by the proposers for Shangri-La, the Shard in London. Photo credit: Courtesy of Shangri-La, the Shard

Other guests might want more than balloons, flowers, and candlelight. Much more. In the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London, the hotel arranged for a member of Girls Aloud to sing a Middle Eastern couple’s favorite song when the man asked the question.

While luxury hotels might be expected to hold exaggerated celebrations, airport hotels are even taking action. the Denver Airport Marriott in Gateway Park offers a two-night package in a suite with chauffeur service, a nine-course menu for two, a bottle of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Brut Gold Champagne, a Roaring ’20s casino night event for 20 Guests, Art Deco jewelry, a bespoke suit with Art Deco cufflinks, and a $ 2,000 donation to a charity of the guest’s choice. The price starts at $ 20,000.

Many of these extravagances come together in a relatively short amount of time. at Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris, the hotel recently welcomed a group of friends traveling from all over the world to celebrate a Russian model’s birthday and booking more than 180 nights less than 10 days in advance.

A wedding was recently signed and planned Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa within just a month. The couple had booked elsewhere but were concerned about staff shortages in the other property. Accor’s senior public relations and communications manager, Hadley Sullivan, said the event brought in $ 18,000 in room income and $ 80,000 in on-site food and drink.

And within two weeks is London savoy put together a circus wedding for 100 US guests for a total of 445 night stays over a period of three weeks, said Virginia Webb, director of marketing communications.

While only wealthy guests were surveyed when researching hotel celebrations, travel consultants should not limit offers for a luxury celebration to wealthy customers only.

“The majority – 90% – of the guests who stay at our hotel to celebrate are those who saved up for the occasion,” said Amanda Hyndman, Area Vice President of Operations and Group Director of Quality and Rooms for Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. “They were first stays.”