Luxury hotels are changing their focus for 2020 to ensure guests’ experience is more than the traditional five-star stay, according to the Luxury Travel Trends Report from Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

Topping the list is conscious luxury, with a focus on conservation, plastic-free initiatives and carbon neutral hotels, along with a rising number of plant-based restaurants.

Upskilling also makes the list, granting guests VIP access to specialists teaching new skills, and wellness therapies based on local spa practices, as well as those designed to improve sleep.

But there’s also a move away from traditional resorts to dispersed hotels, scattered through a town or village to create a community, such as the eco-luxury hamlets of Le Refuge de la Traye in Meribel, France, or Enzo Ango Fuja II in Kyoto, split among five buildings in one Japanese street.

Murder on the Orient Express

If you’ve ever fancied yourself as Hercule Poirot — or are tempted by a taste of 1920s luxury travel – there’s a chance to experience it first-hand with a special trip through France on the Orient Express.

The immersive murder mystery break from Ariodante will take place on May 17, as guests travel from Paris to Nice with a plot based around Agatha Christie’s novel, The Mystery of the Blue Train. 

Along with 1920s costumes and vintage glamour on the Grade 1 listed train, you can opt for a VIP package including chauffeur service in an original 1920s car, plus personalised costume fitting, and hotel stays in both Paris and on the French Riviera.

Tickets start from £7,950 per person with another event planned for October 2020.

Mandarin Oriental comes to Tel Aviv

The Mandarin Oriental hotel group has announced the brand is coming to Tel Aviv, with a new hotel scheduled to open at the end of 2023.

The five-star hotel will have 225 rooms, including 44 suites, as well as five restaurants and bars plus the group’s signature spa and a pool area.

Due to be located on the beachfront, in the city’s ‘Golden Kilometre’, the precise site is still under wraps and due to be revealed closer to the time. 

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