Top 10 Take-Aways from Virtuoso Travel Week 2016

Top 10 Take-Aways from Virtuoso Travel Week 2016

Every fall the hottest designers, top models, reporters, and bloggers descend on New York City during Fashion Week. But did you know just a few weeks before Fashion Week the best of the best in luxury travel take over Las Vegas for Virtuoso Travel Week? The finest hotels, resorts, cruise lines, tour operators, and destination specialists share the latest travel trends and hottest openings with travel advisors. Sure, Gisele might not be strutting down the halls of the Bellagio, but if travel is your passion, this is THE place to be in the beginning of August. Over 50 of Brownell’s finest advisor were lucky enough to grab a front row seat to all of the action.  I was there and, here we share our best take aways from the week!

So do you want to be in the know with travel?? (Duh!) Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the best to come from this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week!

Spain: Malaga is all the buzz! Tons of our partners in Spain said Malaga is where they love to go, calling it the “new Barcelona.”

Mexico: San Miguel de Allende is a must-see destination in Mexico. It is a colonial city with cobblestone streets, a beautiful gothic church with pink towers, a fabulous art scene, and many festivals.

Explore in Style: Cavallo Point in San Francisco has a fleet of Lexus vehicles that guests can use for the day to explore nearby Sausilito, Muir Woods, or drive up the coastline.

Put on the Ritz: The Ritz Paris that is! This stunning hotel recently re-opened after extensive multi-million dollar renovations and it has gotten rave reviews. As a Brownell client, you get exclusive (and amazing!) benefits:

• Upgrade guaranteed at time of booking
• Roundtrip limousine transfers with VIP meet & greet at airport (a HUGE value for Paris!)
• Flexible arrival and departure times
• Signature Ritz Paris breakfast at l’Espadon
• Complimentary Wi-Fi

Oh Canada!: Canada is on SALE! With the current US Dollar to Canadian Dollar exchange rate, a US traveler gets around 40% off. Head north for Christmas markets in Quebec City, go shopping in Montreal, unplug at the Fogo Island Inn, just to name a few ideas!

For the Music Lovers: Blackberry Farm now has a new intimate concert space (no outside guests allowed!) and has upcoming concerts from Luke Bryan, Kacey Musgraves, Emmloy Harris, and more. And in addition to their exceptional culinary offerings, Blackberry Farm has new facilities for children and a new beer program.

Crystal, Crystal, Crystal: Crystal Cruises is expanding in a major way. This luxury cruise company has launched river vessels and yachts with more to come. And if sailing on the water isn’t enough, Crystal is hitting the skies with Crystal AirCruises and Crystal Luxury Air.

Villas Around the World: From California to Cuba, we met with fabulous villa and residence rental partners around the world. You can have your home away from home with all the benefits of a luxury hotel – concierge services, housekeeping, and more. Plus, our partners personally inspect each property, so you won’t end up next to a dance club, in a construction zone, or with some other unknown that can ruin a vacation.

Luxury is Personal: The theme for this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week is a timeless trend (we’ve known this at Brownell for nearly 130 years!): Luxury is Personal. Just like everyone has different taste in clothes, travelers have unique preferences and needs. We use our DISCOVER MORE process to really understand each client, and this sentiment was felt throughout the week.

And, in addition to the Top Ten, here are some additional tid-bits that may entice you to these destinations:

Cuba's New Accommodation Options:  Cuba is one of the HOTTEST destinations currently and it does not seem like that is going to change anytime soon, especially with new ways to see an island that has seemingly been frozen in time (the late 1950's).  But many are hesitant to visit the island due to the lack of 4- or 5-star hotels (the hotel property descriptions are also stuck in time), but that has now changed.  Visitors to the island that are traveling with International Expeditions now have luxury villa options as a choice in their place to stay, and the company is bringing more villas into inventory in the coming months!  You better hurry, though, because this island is on the brink of change.....Contact joanne@smithluxurytravel.com for more details on how you can visit this fascinating island nation before it changes forever.

Havana, Cuba

Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey:  This is a great hotel in itself, but for travelers stopping over for a night through LAX, the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey s a fantastic option and so close to the airport (11 minutes).  The hotel offers a Lavish Layover Package that includes round-trip airport transfers and all Virtuoso amenities! And parents with college students at LMU and USC can use the hotel as their base for Parents Weekend.

Loews San Francisco: This hotel, centrally located on Sansome Street, was the former Mandarin Oriental and occupies the top 11 floors of a 48-story office building, for outstanding views.  In addition to breakfast daily, a $100 Food & Beverage Credit, free wi-fi and early check-in/late check-out (on availability), is an upgrade at booking as Virtuoso amenities.  And, with complimentary wine from 5 PM to 6 PM on weekends, what a great way to start a couples getaway!

San Clemente Palace Kempinski, Venice, Italy:  On an island off of Piazza San Marco in the Venetian Lagoon, this former monastery is a fantastic home base from which to see everything the City of Bridges has to offer via the hotel’s own complimentary water taxi. San Clemente Palace is a private sanctuary for guests seeking accessibility and luxury.

Kempinski San Clemente Palace, Venice

Experiential Luxury in New Zealand:  For those seeking a special holiday, Annandale New Zealand offers 4 luxury villas, all situated uniquely on a 4,000 acre sheep and cattle farm on the South Island.  Farm-to-table cuisine, hiking, biking, helicopter tours are just some of the wonderful features of this special place.

Bali and Beyond:  The Aman Indonesian properties, Amandari, Amanjiwo, Amankila, Amanusa, and Amanwana, all have something special to offer visitors to this Southeast Asian island nation. Amandari ("peaceful spirits") is an enclave of Balinese elegance and grace overlooking the Ayung River gorge. Amanjiwo, which means “peaceful soul”, is fashioned out of limestone and takes its inspiration from the surrounding culture of Central Java.  Amankila, which means “peaceful hill”, is set on a Cliffside overlooking the Lombok Strait in East Bali, above its private stretch of sand and beach club – perfect for a romantic beach vacation!  Amanusa (“peaceful isle”) enjoys a commanding position on a garden hillside in southern Bali just above the Bali National Golf Resort.  If it is a beautiful beach you are after, Amanusa offers one of Bali’s best, fringed by a coral reef and offering a wide range of watersports. Amanwana (“peaceful forest”) is a wilderness hideaway and eco-initiative on the nature reserve of Moyo Island east of Bali.  Lodging is in luxury tents, with wall dives directly offshore, jungle treks to waterfalls and limestone pools, as well as spa treatments, among the offered activities.

Brand New for Caribbean Lovers:  The Park Hyatt St. Kitts is open for reservations beginning March, 2017, with 125 guest rooms (of which 48 are suites), 2 pools (one adult-only), a kids club and fitness center, this beautiful property is just what the doctor ordered for peace, quiet and an idyllic location!

Park Hyatt St. Kitts

All in, it was a frenetic paced week, action-packed with back-to-back meetings, lunches and dinners, and I came home exhausted, but exhilarated and full of fresh ideas for my clients' next destinations!

Some of the original content of is from the Brownell Travel blog; see http://www.brownelltravel.com/blog/top-10-travel-trends-from-virtuoso-travel-week/