64% Luxury Travellers Prefer Advice From Locals Rather Than AI While Travelling: Report

Luxury travel is reshaping the hospitality industry. In a new report ‘The Luxury Travel Report 2025’ by Preferred Hotels & Resorts in partnership with The Harris Poll, industry experts have revealed affluent travellers are changing the rules of high-end vacations. Instead of traditional luxury, luxury travellers are prioritising meaningful connections, authentic experiences, and personalised journeys.

Luxury Travellers Move Over Traditional Luxury’s Flash And Formula

Preferred Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s largest independent hotel brands, recently released its first Luxury Travel Report, a comprehensive luxury consumer trends study. One of the key findings showed the desire for travel remains robust and luxury travellers are planning an average of eight leisure trips in 2025. More than half of them are expecting to spend more on travel than they did last year.

Luxury travellers are seeking rare, authentic experiences that fundamentally shift their worldview and create lasting memories. More than four in five mentioned that insider connections unlock the most unforgettable travel moments. Interestingly, 64% of luxury travellers prefer to navigate a destination with advice from locals rather than the ones from artificial intelligence (AI). They live the human touch over AI-driven concierge services and digital guides.

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Top 5 Travel Trends For Luxury Travel In 2025

According to the Luxury Travel Report has shared ‘Five Emerging Forces of Luxury Travel’ for 2025 –

1. Resisting beige-ification: Nearly 70% say modern luxury hotels have lost their soul to standardisation. They feel that the rise of “dupe culture” and algorithm-driven itineraries has fueled a wave of “destination disillusionment,” where cities and stays feel indistinguishable. Affluent travellers now crave the unrepeatable, with nearly three-quarters saying they won’t pay for luxury accommodations that feel generic.

2. Legacy moments are the new luxury currency: Travellers are seeking rare, authentic experiences that fundamentally shift their worldview and create lasting memories. Over four in five say that insider connections unlock the most unforgettable travel moments.

3. Curation is the new standard of luxury: Over 90% of luxury travellers say the best journeys feel effortless yet are expertly crafted. About 89% have expressed
interest in seeing local charm reflected in hotels.

4. Heritage is the new frontier: Over 90% of luxury travellers are seeking experiences that immerse them in history and culture. They are now favouring heritage-rich stays over normal ones.

5. Loyalty programmes are lifelines to consistency and customisation: For 82% of luxury travellers, loyalty programs are very important to ensuring hotel quality, while nearly two-thirds say a great past stay drives repeat bookings.

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Cover Image Courtesy: Canva (representative image)