Like many of you, I get invited to a lot of industry conferences every year — but the must-attend list is short and Virtuoso Travel Week is near the top.
Held this year in Las Vegas from Aug. 8-14, the event drew more than 4,800 luxury travel advisors and suppliers from 105 countries. And because Virtuoso’s data is based on actual global sales, Travel Week offers more than networking and big-stage announcements; it provides a useful snapshot of where the luxury travel market is headed.
Here are six takeaways from this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week.
1. “They’re Still Coming”
During a conversation with a river cruise executive during Travel Week, I listed all the negative factors affecting travel to Europe this summer, including fires, a historic heat wave, overcrowding, low water levels and high prices. The list went on.
She just smiled.
No matter what headlines they hear, the travelers are still coming.
“Yet they’re still coming,” she said. “No matter what headlines they hear, the travelers are still coming.”
And that’s not just true in Europe. According to Virtuoso, this year’s sales are pacing more than 20% higher year over year — with every one of the network’s nine international regions growing by double digits. Hotel average daily rates (ADR) are up over already-elevated rates in 2025. In fact, when compared to 2019, hotel prices have just about doubled across the board.
“It’s really incredible to see that travel just keeps growing,” said David Kolner, executive vice president of strategic communications for Virtuoso. “In the past, if someone stubbed their toe on the Tube, sales would go down. Now [they] just continue to go up. I think it speaks to the fact that luxury travelers just behave differently than the mass market, and it’s a continuing trend that people value experiences over things.”
The future looks strong, as well. Global future leisure sales (one to two years out) are 50% higher this year than in 2025. Future bookings of more than $50,000 are up 47% and future bookings of more than $100,000 are up 49% year over year.
Certainly, part of this growth comes from the continuing increase in ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals. Virtuoso executives cited research that shows 89 people enter the UHNW cohort every day, and that the global population of individuals worth $30 million or more is up by nearly a third (29%) since 2021.Plus, we are in the midst of the greatest generational wealth transfer in history, with $84 trillion in assets moving from one generation to the next.
“For the first time in the history of the world, we have seven generations traveling at once,” said Matthew D. Upchurch, chairman and CEO of Virtuoso. “And as wealth grows around the world, travel is at the top of every list of what people want to do with their money.”
As wealth grows around the world, travel is at the top of every list of what people want to do with their money.
2. Fall Is the New Summer
It probably won’t be long before the term “shoulder season” disappears from our vocabulary. Travelers — especially luxury travelers — are taking advantage of the milder weather, fewer crowds and better values that fall travel offers.
Fall sales are up 69% this year compared to 2025, and bookings are up 59% year over year. September is up 77% in sales and 55% in bookings; October is up 54% in sales and 59% in bookings; and November is up a whopping 71% in sales and 70% in bookings.
“What’s especially interesting is that the gap between August travel and September has been closing over the past few years,” said Misty Belles, vice president of global public relations for Virtuoso. “Now, we’re reaching the point where September will continue to outpace August as the top travel month.”
This seasonal shift is not just travelers hoping for a bargain — bookings to Europe this fall climbed 49% even as ADRs rose more than 7%. Rate growth was sharpest in the French Riviera (up 179%), the Greek Isles (up 130%) and Puglia, Italy (up 78%).
3. Traveling to the Max
Many advisors will remember the days of multicity, multicountry tour itineraries, with several destinations packed into a single trip. Well, all these things are new again.
Expect to hear more about “city-maxxing,” Virtuoso’s term for luxury travelers combining several destinations into longer, multicity itineraries.
“This is really a return to cities,” Belles said. “We saw people moving away from cities for a while, but now they are coming back. And they are not just visiting one city; they are visiting multiple cities in one itinerary.”
In addition, roughly one in two of these trips crosses an international border, creating a “destination-maxxing” opportunity. France and Italy are the most common pairing, followed by France and the U.K., then Italy and Switzerland. In fact, Italy appears in two of every five multicity routings — think: Florence, Rome and Venice.
Related to the “maxxing” trend, Virtuoso reports that the average luxury stay has lengthened and that travelers are showing more interest in using private villa rentals and branded residences as base camps for these trips.
As these itineraries become longer and more complex, private aviation is also becoming part of the equation. Virtuoso advisors report that millennials lead private jet requests, running 6% ahead of the global average.
4. Longevity Leads Wellness
If luxury travelers are asking for more from their trips, they are also asking for those trips to do more for them. According to Virtuoso, wellness-segmented hotels are outpacing the broader hotel portfolio, with bookings up 28%, sales up 44% and ADRs up 23%.
Virtuoso advisors describe three distinct wellness travelers: the performance optimizer, who wants data and measurable outcomes; the restoration seeker, who wants stillness, nature and a digital detox; and the meaning seeker, who is drawn to mindfulness and retreats built around a life transition.
Trends within the wellness category include sleep optimization, metabolic health and mental-health retreats. But the breakout segment is longevity tourism, especially properties and itineraries that pair medical diagnostics with five-star hospitality.
5. Clients Want More From Hotels
As luxury travelers place more value on what a trip delivers, hotels are being asked to play a bigger role. Advisors report that 54% of customers prioritize spending on private experiences and tours. They are also seeing a 12% increase in hotel upgrades, an 8% increase in flight enhancements and an 8% increase in Michelin dining.
This desire for experiences extends into hotel preferences: 70% of advisors say clients are willing to pay more for unique or exclusive accommodations. UHNW travelers in particular are not just booking luxury hotels; they are opting for more “hotel-within-a-hotel” or “private club” experiences. Hotel bookings with ADRs of more than $1,500 a night are growing by 37%, more than twice the rate of rooms with lower average daily rates.
“Hotels are becoming a destination of their own,” Belles said. “It’s not just the place where you lay your head at night. Guests want to have a nice meal, go to the spa or have unique experiences within the hotel.”
Hotels are becoming a destination of their own. It’s not just the place where you lay your head at night.
Luxury clients are also looking for hotels and resorts that are strong in “regenerative travel” — properties that not only reduce harm but actively contribute to improving a destination.
6. AI Is Both Friend and Foe
During the opening keynote address, famed author, professor and storyteller Dr. Brené Brown said that for the first time in her long career, nobody can predict what business will look like in 10 years. Brown said Fortune 100 CEOs are dealing with chaos and unpredictability just like the rest of us.
In travel, much of that uncertainty now centers on AI.
Virtuoso executives point out that the network’s advisors have adopted artificial intelligence faster than most agents, with 74% now using it in their business, well above the 59% industry adoption rate reported by research firm Phocuswright. (Note: Phocuswright and TravelAge West share the same parent company.)
Virtuoso also announced that it is creating a strategic intelligence capability with AI at its core. The goal of the new system is to connect “data, systems and security across the network.”
“What we’ve built is a foundational digital capability that is ever evolving with infinite possibilities,” Upchurch said. “It brings together the expertise, insights, data and relationships that exist within the Virtuoso community — our advisors, member agencies, preferred partners — and makes it easier to access, combine and act on. Collective knowledge has always been at the heart of how this network operates, grounded in a shared commitment to excellence and collaboration.”
While AI is clearly a growing force within the network, Virtuoso says its advisors have also exposed the technology’s limitations, with clients clearly wanting a more personalized, human touch in travel planning. Three in four Virtuoso clients cite their advisor’s accommodation and destination expertise as a key benefit, and three in five point to an advisor’s ability to curate experiences tailored to them.
An advisor has firsthand experience, expertise and a client’s trust, and those things are becoming more valuable than ever.
“An advisor has firsthand experience, expertise and a client’s trust, and those things are becoming more valuable than ever,” Belles said. “In fact, we are seeing that overall, 79% of luxury travelers say they are open to using an advisor for future trips.”
Luxury travel may be entering an era defined by higher prices, shifting seasons, more ambitious itineraries, wellness goals and AI-driven uncertainty. But at Virtuoso Travel Week, the clearest takeaway was also the simplest: The more complicated travel becomes, the more a trusted advisor matters.
