Luxury travellers expected to increase travel spend in 2025, report finds

More than half of luxury travellers expect to increase their travel spend in 2025 compared to 2024, according to a new report by Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

The independent hotel brand’s inaugural Luxury Travel Report found that affluent consumers expect to take eight leisure trips on average in 2025, with three international journeys planned.

In addition, nearly two-thirds of the 503 US-based wealthy consumers surveyed are allocating more than $25,000 to their travels this year.

Despite this, the report identified the importance of loyalty schemes and programmes as a key trend for consumers, as a way to both assure quality and mitigate economic pressures. 

A total of 47% of those surveyed said they are using loyalty points and memberships to offset costs, and 36% are travelling off-season to avoid higher costs. 

Some 32% are booking fewer trips but of a higher quality, while 26% are opting for extended stays to maximise value. Nearly 20% said they are choosing to travel closer to home but still with premium services.

The research also highlighted a growing dislike of ‘beige-ification’ – the phenomenon of locations looking more and more similar in order to appeal to the Instagram ‘aesthetic’. 

Six in 10 travellers surveyed said they felt luxury hotels are feeling increasingly similar, and 72% said they would not pay to stay somewhere that looks like everywhere else.