Strategic Vision

04/30/2026

Private sector partnerships are the backbone of travel and hospitality, and London-based NoteWorthy brought that to life this month by hosting 170 top U.S. travel advisors in London for its 40th anniversary. Led by Managing Director and Owner, Nic Butler, and supported by eighteen of the city’s leading luxury hotels, the program combined meticulous detail, imaginative programming, and standout event design, with unforgettable evenings at the National Portrait Gallery and the Natural History Museum alongside curated daytime experiences across the city.

Together, hoteliers, suppliers, and cultural partners showcased the enduring strength of the U.S.–U.K. tourism relationship. Peter Bates, President, Strategic Vision, was honored to introduce HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at the opening evening at the National Portrait Gallery, to mark and celebrate the unique transatlantic tourism partnership.

Congratulations to all involved for demonstrating the power of creativity and collaboration.

04/09/2026

Our latest Luxury Beat: Luxury travel is no longer just competing with other destinations or properties. It’s competing with the friction of travel itself — and increasingly with the question of whether the effort is justified at all

My wife Camilla and I flew down to Miami for a weekend last month that offered a useful snapshot of where luxury travel stands right now. Some aspects went smoothly. Despite concerns about long lines at TSA, we sped through security in both directions. Our flights were uneventful in the be

02/17/2026

Our latest Luxury Beat: Is Luxury Travel Really Built for Humans?

Luxury prides itself on intuitive service: anticipating what a guest needs before the guest articulates it — or even knows they need it. But there is one area where the industry consistently falls short: accessibility. Too often, we expect travelers who require special arrangements to explain prec...

12/29/2025

In discussions about loyalty programs, AI booking tools, and OTAs, one critical element of luxury travel is often overlooked: the travel advisor.

For high-net-worth travelers, the advisor is not an intermediary to be disintermediated. They are trusted partners who understand context, preferences, and intent in a way technology and mass platforms cannot.

Luxury travel is rarely about “where” alone. It is about why: celebration, privacy, recovery, family, or discretion. A skilled travel advisor translates that intent into a personalized journey — selecting the right destination, hotel, room, timing, and experiences, while advocating for the client before and during the trip. At this time of year the advisor is particularly important as clients travel, relax and celebrate.

This is also where recognition begins. Advisors provide hotels with valuable insight that allows them to welcome guests as individuals rather than anonymous bookings. The best luxury hotels, Four Seasons, Maybourne, Rosewood, Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula as examples understand this and work collaboratively with advisors to deliver thoughtful, human recognition rather than formulaic rewards.

Points and rewards may influence behavior in the mid-market. In luxury, loyalty flows through relationships. High-net-worth clients are not a commodity to be optimized; they are individuals whose trust is earned through understanding, discretion, and consistency.

As AI and OTAs continue to evolve, the enduring value of the human travel advisor in luxury travel is not diminished — it is reinforced.

Companies including Marriott and Hilton push to improve perks and get more direct bookings

12/23/2025

11/19/2025

Our latest Luxury Beat:

The Biggest Shift in Luxury Travel Right Now? Two Words: Gen Z

We’ve all been hearing a lot lately about Gen Z, the so-called “digital natives” aged 13 to 28 who are now entering the workforce and, increasingly, the travel marketplace. By 2030, they’ll make up roughly 30 percent of all workers worldwide and drive up to 25% of global luxury spend. That’s only a few years off, raising important questions for those of us in the luxury travel industry: How do we attract them? What do they want?

The Biggest Shift in Luxury Travel Right Now?Two Words: Gen Z — Strategic Vision

08/08/2025

Thanks to Insider Travel Report for reporting our 2025 Pulse of the Industry Report

Insider Travel Report

08/06/2025

Our Pulse of the Industry 2025, as seen in Forbes:

New research from Strategic Vision with luxury travel advisors shows HNW travelers are increasingly pushing back on higher prices.

08/06/2025

Today, we are releasing our 2025 Pulse of the Industry Report, and the message from senior travel executives is clear: High-net-worth clients are still traveling, still spending, and still dreaming big. But they’re also more selective, more attuned to value, and more vocal about what they want — and what they don’t.

Today, we are releasing our 2025 Pulse of the Industry Report , and the message from senior travel executives is clear: High-net-worth clients are still traveling, still spending, and still dreaming big. But they’re also more selective, more attuned to value, and more vocal about what they want

07/28/2025

If you had any doubt that the iconic Waldorf Astoria New York has reopened, it has.

Wonderful careful restoration. The substantial investment has created an up to date version of one of the great hotels of the world. Even more importantly the hotel has opened with a motivated, well informed and knowledgeable staff who are really impressive.

Definitely worth a visit.

06/10/2025

Our latest Luxury Beat highlights a trending destination that we expect will compete with Japan for luxury travelers looking to experience Asia.

So many places are overcrowded: Venice, Barcelona, and we must now add Kyoto to that list, as my own recent visit confirmed. But one destination remains truly undiscovered by most American and European luxury travelers — despite its global status as a cultural and culinary heavyweight. I’m talki...