According to TripAdvisor's 2013 summer travel survey, 86% of Americans are planning a leisure trip this summer, making it one of the most popular seasons for travel in recent years. With hotels introducing new experiences, amenities and even flavors that are better than ever, it really is the best time to take a vacation. Below are the top ten trends for travel this summer – what's in, what's out, and what's happening at luxury hotels around the world, so you can pack your bags and get traveling:
Top Hops
What's Out: Cooling down with a fruity cocktail
What's In: Cooling down with a beer
Forget fancy cocktails with sugary names and even sweeter taste. This summer, hotels are inviting guests to beat the heat with cold brews. The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC is serving up an exclusive Centennial Pale Ale to celebrate their 100th anniversary, while Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH teamed up with local New England brewery Peak Organic to create the resort's signature Organic Amber Ale. Twenty-Two Storys at Hyatt Regency Atlanta showcases 22 bottled beers plus beer-infused menu items such as beer cheese nachos, Hefeweizen steamed brats and a Sweetwater 420 beer float for dessert. Guests at the Nines in Portland, OR can opt for the Bikes & Brews package and enjoy bike rentals to explore the city and brews from Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing to enjoy after the ride.The new Hotel Vermont in Burlington has partnerships with multiple local breweries including Drop-In Brewery and Wolaver Brewery.
The Fifth Taste
What's Out: Ketchup on burgers
What's In: Umami sauce on burgers
Umami – the mysterious, "fifth taste," is the newest sensation – literally. Described as a "pleasant, savory taste," the umami flavor can be found in foods like ripe tomatoes, green tea and soy sauce. Omni Hotels & Resorts offers their own Umami Sauce at select properties including Omni Royal Orleans in New Orleans, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Pennsylvania and the Omni Mount Washington Resort in New Hampshire. The sauce is so popular that it's quickly replacing traditional condiments like ketchup and mustard on dishes like scrambled eggs, burgers and more at the hotels' restaurants. Those who can't get enough umami can purchase a bottle of Omni's sauce for $9.95.
Taste Testing
What's Out: Seasonal menus
What's In: Tasting menus
Chefs are putting the spotlight on fresh flavors from summer gardens with tasting menus comprised of small portions of seasonal flavors straight from the nearest farmer's market. Rev Restaurant at Hotel Madeline in Telluride, CO introduced a weekly Telluride Farmer's Market Wine Pairing and Market Sampling, which features small creative culinary courses showcasing items guests collected at the Telluride farmer's market earlier that day with Chef Bud Thomas. The Dolder Grand in Zurich offers a Vegetarian Tasting Menu of eight or five vegetarian-friendly courses including artichokes braised with mashed licorice, pine-nuts, basil and "Blauer Büffel" and mountain potatoes and morels pan fried with emmentaler cheese and horseradish. Guests at Hotel Caesar Augustus in Capri, Italy can enjoy a five course "Walks of Flavors" tasting menu paired with a selection of five wines. The dishes are made with fresh ingredients found in the hotel's on-site garden and include chilled tomato soup with king prawns and warm orange pie topped with bitter orange sorbet.
Girl Power
What's Out: Male-only kitchens
What's In: All-Star female chefs
Gone are the days of male dominated kitchens. Restaurants at luxury hotels are turning over the reins to capable female chefs with impressive backgrounds and innovative ideas. Michelin-starred Donatella Zampoli heads up the kitchens at Ferragamo – family owned Lungarno Collection hotels throughout Italy. One of the youngest female chefs awarded a Michelin star, Chef Zampoli creates traditional Italian dishes with contemporary twists and is also available for private cooking classes at Lungarno properties. Chef Allison Thomas of Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort in the US Virgin Islands works with local farmers and producers to bring top-quality dishes to the Turtle Bay Estate House at the resort, blending local Caribbean ingredients and flavors with French techniques. Female sommeliers are responsible for the wine lists at three Dorchester Collection hotels including 45 Park Lane in London, Le Meurice in Paris and Principie di Savoia in Milan.
Man Manicures and More
What's Out: Ladies-only spa days
What's In: Just-for-men spa treatments
Voted a top trend by this year's SpaFinder Wellness Spa and Wellness Report, special men's treatments are the newest additions to spa menus. The Dolder Grand in Zurich offers a Gentleman's Spa World package including three spa treatments at the resort's spa and a martini cocktail at the bar. The spa at The Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires treats their male guests to Men's Sports Manicures and Men's Sports Pedicures, while the spa menu at the new Canyon Ranch SpaClub at The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA features a long list of treatments just for men including a Gentlemen's Scalp Renewal. Men can refresh their skin with the Men's Skin IQ Facial and Men's Urban Cleanse Facial developed specially for men's skin types at the Seagate Hotel & Spa in Delray Beach, FL.
Ancient Spa Treatments Go Luxe
What's Out: Seaweed wraps
What's In: Hammam treatments
An ancient spa ritual, hammam treatments are coming back in a big and luxurious way. The new Marti Istanbul Hotel features four hammams in its top-floor spa, plus individual hammams in each suite room. Spa-goers at Marti Wellness by SpaSoul have the ability to add an express hammam treatment onto any massage or facial, or indulge in an hour-long Oriental Turkish Bath, complete with exfoliation, soap massage and a spice rub inside the hammam. Gstaad Palace in Switzerland offers a relaxing two-hour hammam consisting of a soothing foot bath, cleansing soap foam body massage and a dip into the spa's floating pool. Guests traveling to Morocco with CW Selects stay in La Maison Arabe and can treat themselves to a traditional Moroccon hammam treatment with black soap, ghassoul, and finished with argan oil. Visitors can also ask their guide to bring them to a communal hammam center in the city, for an even more authentic experience.
Family Vacations 2.0
What's Out: Getaways with the gals
What's In: Getaways with the whole gang
Voted the number one trend in luxury travel by this year's Virtuoso Luxe Report, multi-generational family travel is the newest way to travel, with hotels finding unique ways to keep vacations fun and flexible for every generation. Ferragamo family-owned Villa Le Rose in Tuscany has plenty of room for big groups and provides a private chef, waiter, butler and housekeeper on staff, and laundry facilities, plus the ability to coordinate tailored itineraries. Tour operator CW, recently launched 13 Family Adventures, customizable and suited for every family member in destinations from Bryce & Zion Canyon to Iceland. The Dorchester in Mayfair, London invites families to participate in "Glamping at the Dorchester," with bespoke tents in Beatrix Potter patterned fabric, themed parties like "Princess for a Day" and "Doorman for Day" and kid-friendly welcome amenities such as freshly baked cookies and kid-sized bathrobes. The Lodge at Doonbeg in County Clare, Ireland keeps the little ones happy and active with a petting farm, soccer pitch and peddle carts, as well as a Kid's Club offering supervised activities daily. The Lodge's one to four bedroom cottages are also the perfect setup for families.
Tees for Tots
What's Out: Mini golf and putt putt
What's In: Family golf on the green
Families no longer need to visit the mini golf park to golf as a group. Destinations around the country are offering golf options for all ages. Families can golf together at The Tides Inn in Irvington, VA, where junior tees are available for all 18 holes at the Golden Eagle Golf Club. Kid's size rental equipment, junior tees and scorecards are on hand at The Old Course at the Homestead in Hot Springs, VA and the Family Tee Program at Kiawah Island, SC invites players of all ages to learn the game on four of the resort's championship golf courses, with specially placed family tee markers set in each fairway for all members to tee from. Children under 17 even play for free!
Wildlife Encounters
What's Out: Checking out wildlife at a zoo
What's In: Checking out wildlife from your canoe (or dinner table!)
With vacation spots and hotels inviting guests to get up close and personal with wildlife and nature, there's no need to battle crowds at the zoo this summer. Travelers staying at Nomadic Expeditions' Three Camel Lodge in the heart of the Gobi Desert will spot goitered gazelle, ibex, argalis, golden eagles and the elusive snow leopard from the perch of their traditional ger dwellings or from the back of a lumbering Bactrian camel. Kayak alongside dolphins, river otters and ospreys, partake in alligator adventures, bird watch and spot rare bobcats, gray foxes and raccoons in their natural habitat on Kiawah Island, SC, or scope out Japanese leopard sharks, smooth-hound nurse sharks, guitar sharks and horn sharks, plus stingrays, lobsters and moonfish in the new 2,500-gallon shark tank at the Atlantic Grille in the Seagate Hotel & Spa in Delray Beach, FL.
Bedtime Goes Local
What's Out: Chocolates on your pillow
What's In: Local turn-down amenities
Chocolates are delicious but a local touch is more thoughtful. The new Hotel Vermont in Burlington offers guests a special "bedtime menu" featuring everything from a local Lunaroma Aromatherapy selection to Vermont Teddy Bears to a Vermont-inspired hot toddy selection. Guests at the Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa are treated to a Tortuga Rum Cake turndown amenity made from a four generation-old family recipe, while visitors at Caneel Bay, a Rosewood Resort are greeted with a sea shell and nighttime quote as they turn into bed.
Source: HINTL
