Avid traveler Lora Bowler is saving less money on vacation, but that doesn't mean she's giving up on resort vacations.
The New Yorker said she spent greater than expected in 2023, including on travel, and is now cutting back on her spending. She's using travel suggestions and perks to chop a number of the costs, and he or she's one among a growing number of individuals turning to day passes for hotels as a less expensive solution to calm down.
“It's a nice way to get away from it all and feel like you're in a five-star hotel,” Bowler said, “but you can't afford to stay.”
Day passes from hotels and resorts give guests access to amenities without having to order a room. Bowler said she booked beach chairs and pool service and even found a pass that included a room where her husband could work on his laptop.
Hotels and partner firms are increasing the provision of day passes to bridge the gap between travel-hungry consumers and luxury prices.
A typical luxury hotel room within the U.S. cost about $400 an evening between Jan. 1 and April 6, in accordance with CoStar, a worldwide provider of real estate data, analytics and news. Those prices are about 1 percent higher than the identical period a yr ago.
According to luxury travel company Virtuoso, prices for luxury hotel rooms in July are expected to be 85% higher than the identical month in 2019, before the Covid pandemic.
“People are thinking about travel budgets again,” says Hayley Berg, chief economist at travel website Hopper. “They're prioritizing vacation spending over spending on consumer goods.”
In a Opinion poll conducted in July 2023 by Booking.comMore than 60% of respondents said their cost of living will dictate their travel plans in 2024, while just over half said they’re more likely to pay for accommodation upgrades.
According to a Booking.com press release concerning the survey, a majority of U.S. travelers said they’d be willing to pay for day passes to benefit from the amenities of a five-star hotel without staying there. The survey included nearly 28,000 adults from 33 countries who said they plan to travel in the following 12 to 24 months.
Consumers indulging in travel sprees after Covid restrictions were lifted fueled the “revenge travel” trend, Berg said, driving up demand for luxury accommodations. Now, she said, that trend has “very much run its course” and lots of travelers are on tighter budgets.
Berg said day passes “give people exactly what they want” and supply an extra income for hotels.
“Hotels are generating an additional revenue stream by offering exactly what they already have,” she said.
One of those hotels is the Virgin Hotels New York City in Manhattan's Koreatown district. On May 8, the hotel opened its rooftop pool for the second time and offers day guests the chance to make use of this facility.
The pool, with sky blue tiles and black and white lounge chairs, offers guests views of the Empire State Building and the town skyline.
Customers can reserve a poolside lounge chair or upgrade to a cabana and invite as much as 4 additional guests. The cabana includes complimentary services and refreshments equivalent to wine and fruit. Pool club day pass users can even get their very own personalized server based on their selection. A pool club day pass starts at $130.
“Everyone needs a little escape,” says Sarah Payton, the hotel’s director of partnerships and programming.
In May 2023, the hotel partnered with ResortPass, an internet site that provides day passes for access to luxury hotels, resorts and spas, often at a reduced rate.
Launched in 2016, ResortPass has a 95% market share of day guests, in accordance with the corporate, and has partnerships with greater than 1,300 luxury hotels, including the Waldorf-Astoria, JW Marriott and Fontainebleau.
The day guest platform is utilized by greater than three million users and has introduced day pass access in greater than 250 cities with prices starting at $25, the corporate said.
“We can offer people a way to relax in their local area without having to drive away,” said ResortPass CEO Michael Wolf. “I think it complements and can potentially replace other types of travel.”
The average ResortPass customer purchases all-day access at a price of about $165, the corporate said. Customers who purchase day passes through ResortPass often spend more cash on the pool area or other hotel amenities than overnight guests, Wolf said.
“Our guests spent an average of over $250 on site, often significantly more,” he said.
Wolf said ResortPass is currently working on a membership-like program for purchasers who regularly use day passes, and an announcement is predicted in late 2024.
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