Travel Trends Report 2025: Hyper-Personalisation

In this sixth article in a series looking at travel trends for the year ahead, I investigate the rising demand for curated and bespoke travel and why there is an increased appetite for unique and personalised experiences.

According to Future Market Insights Inc, customisation in the travel market is rapidly growing and is projected to increase at a CAGR of 17.8% in the forecast period from 2022 to 2032, with the global customisation and personalisation in travel market size expected to reach US$620.71 million by 2032.

What does this mean in reality? Audley Private Concierge, a service which was launched this year to work with Audley Travel’s highest spending and most frequently-booking clients, reports an increase in the desire for micro-hospitality, with experiences such as a private fine-dining lunch on the top of a mountain reached by helicopter. This is supported by research that Audley conducted with the top end of the market earlier this year, which found that 48 per cent ranked having exclusive experiences as one of the top three requirements of a luxury holiday.

Purple Ski, which has been offering luxury catered ski chalets in Méribel since 1991 and has recently extended its boutique collection to Courchevel and Val d’Isère, reveals that it is hyper-personalised offerings that are in demand with its clients.

“Purple Ski will always try our hardest to accommodate any client request,” says Zac Brown, group head of Sales & Marketing. “Our aim is to deliver exceptional service on and off the piste, so it’s very rare indeed that we are not able to fulfil a client’s request. Most recently we have sourced reindeer and a helicopter for a photo shoot in Méribel. Previously, we set up a DJ booth in one of our chalets, sourced a very rare vintage of Perrier-Jouët, and also arranged for a specific orthopaedic mattress from America to be available upon arrival in the chalet. We regularly arrange challenging dining requirements and, last ski season, we sourced particular types of gym equipment for a client to be installed at Chalet Harmony. We understand that it’s the finer details that make all the difference, which is why we do everything we can to ensure our guests’ Purple Ski experience exceeds all expectations, every time.”

When it comes to luxury goods and services, HNW consumers have come to expect personalisation at every touch point, says Heckfield Place, a five-star hotel in Hampshire. This can be seen across the industry with wellbeing programming attuned to individual needs, curated hotel experiences that evoke a sense of place and bespoke culinary creations.

“At Heckfield Place, this is reflected throughout the guest journey with keys card embossed with guests’ initials upon arrival, monogrammed leather tags placed on guest luggage prior to check out and personalised cocktail menus for weddings and private events. Understanding the central importance of tailored and bespoke services to wellbeing, this year The Bothy by Wildsmith, the hotel’s spa, launched Bespoke Paths, a hyper-personalised retreat attuned to individual needs.”

Reka Seres-Erdei, The Bothy’s spa operations director, says: “2024 has seen a strong uptake in guests opting for bespoke programmes over standalone treatments, a phenomenon the team expects to see grow over the coming year. One week before arrival, guests booked to experience a Bespoke Path undergo a deep, one-to-one assessment of mind and body led by eco-psychologist Amy Steadman which informs their personally curated programme.”

In response to the demand, Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts has launched its Incredible Occasions offering across its portfolio—a programme that signposts bookable spaces around the hotels where guests can privately celebrate a special occasion—from a romantic proposal to a blowout birthday. Unlike grand settings or spacious ballrooms, Incredible Occasions harnesses the hotels’ intimate spaces, with experiences meticulously tailored to guest preferences—whether it is a beautiful tablescape, a private masterclass or a decadent dinner in a suite—all elevated with thoughtful, hyper-personalised touches throughout.

Intercontinental has also partnered with the pioneering jetlag app Timeshifter, to offer a bespoke way to tackle jet lag. Based on the latest circadian science, the Timeshifter app creates plans based on guests’ chronotype, normal sleep pattern, itinerary and personal preferences to tackle the underlying cause and symptoms of jet lag. Whether a quick business trip or a more complex multi-city trip, the app creates a personalized solution specific to each trip, using the same algorithm applied by astronauts, elite athletes, and Formula 1 drivers to perform at their best.

Rixos Hotels, which has a collection of top-end properties across Turkey and the Middle East, says that guests in the luxury market are placing a greater emphasis on hyper-personalisation than ever before. Ali Ozbay, VP of Marketing & Communications, All Inclusive Collection and Rixos Hotels, says: “There is no longer a one size fits all approach to meeting and exceeding the expectations of the discerning traveller as they seek those exclusive and personalised experiences. Detail is at the heart of creating a personalised stay across our Rixos properties. The personalisation becomes even more integral to the experience with our Club Privé offering. At Club Privé by Rixos Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, for instance, part of the experience includes a 24-hour butler service, which can answer guest’s whims at any hour. As well as having unlimited access to the restaurants and bars at the Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island resort, Club Privé guests can enjoy a unique dining experience at Club House, an exclusive venue only for villa guests. Our concierge team are also on hand to help our guests build their perfect, personalised itinerary.”

At the private game reserve, Sabi Sabi, in South Africa, hyper-personalisation is at the core of the each guest’s experience, says the brand. “We recently hosted BBC presenter and disability activist Lucy Edwards (who is blind) and although she was unable to experience safari in the traditional sense through sight, the team created a safari experience for all the senses, including creating wooden figurines of the animals for her to outline as they describe them and sharing the vast variety of scents and taste of the safari. Personalisation like this means we can finely atune our offering to everyone.”

The trend is also not confined to super-luxury travel experiences. With competition soaring in the budget hotel space, many providers are leaving behind the basic offerings of old, and introducing new ‘value adds’ for guests to set them apart. In 2024, citizenM, the affordable boutique hotel brand with locations across the world, commissioned a whitepaper study with sleep expert Naomi Hilliard, looking at the ‘first night effect’ and how to get the ideal first night’s sleep when travelling away from home.

The findings guided their decision to add a new Sleep Schedule service for all bookings. Upon check in or before their stay, guests can fill out a questionnaire about their habits and specific sleep chronotypes, resulting in a provided sleep schedule showcasing the ideal pre-bedtime routine. This routine is made even easier during the stay with the hotel’s unique in-room features. Guests can use an iPad to set mood lighting, change the scent of the room and control the temperature, allowing all visitors to get that perfect first night’s rest.

Meanwhile, when booking with Regent Hotels & Resorts, guests are connected with Experience Agents to make the guest’s journey seamless with attention to detail and discreet, anticipatory service. Staff at Regent Hong Kong even receive specialized training in ‘human understanding’ to be equipped to anticipate the guests’ needs, from the simplest of requests to those beyond a guest’s imagination. Small, personal attentions are dotted throughout the stay, such as tucking in a teddy, proactively repairing an earring’s closing mechanism, rejuvenating dusty trainers after a day of exploration, or bringing in canapés the guest visibly enjoyed at dinner as a mid-day snack. From a thoughtful gesture to devising a detailed bespoke itinerary, the Experience Agents take care of each guest individually, from before they book all the way through to their return home.

Elevating their already five-star offering, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts has launched a one-of-a-kind initiative: Arq by The Leela in the gardens of The Leela Palace Udaipur. The Arq includes three ultra-private, ultra-luxury spa villas, looking out onto Lake Pichola, each providing butlers, world-class cuisine, wellness treatments and activities and immersion into the finest of Indian traditions.

Guests of Arq arrive on one of The Leela Palaces’ private electric boats, accompanied by a personal butler, who will offer an explanation and orientation of the lake and its breathtaking surroundings, while attending to guests’ needs. Escorted from the jetty to the portico under a traditional royal-ceremony umbrella, guests will be surrounded—as are all Indian VIPs—by a Lavajma troop (an entourage of traditional singers and dancers) to provide a rare, royal and immersive experience. The villas are lavishly decorated with brass inlaid wooden floors, traditional Thikri artwork, and rare lapis stones, with private plunge pools offering lake views. On arrival, all guests will receive a soothing foot ritual, after which they will be presented with a curated selection of villa activities for the days ahead. These include morning yoga sessions, floating breakfasts in the villa’s pool and high tea. Each Arq villa has a dedicated chef to offer tailored menus and mixologists on hand to craft cocktails.

“The launch of Arq by The Leela at The Leela Palace Udaipur represents our vision of reimagining luxury for the most discerning travellers,” said Shweta Jain, chief sales and marketing officer, The Leela Palaces, Hotels, and Resorts. “This isn’t just another destination—it’s a continuous ascent into the true essence of luxury, where every detail is designed to be a personal exploration of beauty, creativity, and indulgence.”