ILTM Cannes 2025: The Luxury Travel Trends That Actually Matter

ILTM Cannes wrapped its biggest edition yet, and the scale was impossible to ignore. The show has grown a steady 12 percent year over year and this time brought nearly 10,000 attendees for more than 100,000 pre-scheduled meetings. Buyers from 83 countries, over 2,350 global luxury brands, and more than 100 leading international travel journalists converged in Cannes for one very full week devoted to one thing: the unstoppable momentum of luxury travel.

This was my fourth year at ILTM, and every time I go I’m reminded that no matter how many press conferences I attend, meetings I squeeze in, or cocktail receptions I say yes to, there is always more happening. The FOMO is real. But so is the reality check. You can’t see everything, so you have to listen closely to what you do hear and stay present with the people you have the privilege to meet. I’m genuinely grateful to be part of the media cohort, which gives me a front-row seat to the ambition, ideas, and power players shaping where luxury travel goes next.

What kept coming through, again and again, wasn’t that luxury is changing completely. It’s that many of last year’s biggest themes are being sharpened. Wellness became longevity. Heritage became strategy. Cruising became a main character. And suddenly, people, purpose, and connection felt less like slogans and more like what brands are actually being judged on.

Here’s what stood out most from a week that felt equal parts exhilarating, overwhelming, and deeply instructive.

High-Net-Worth Is Carrying the Market and the ADR Ceiling Keeps Climbing

The macro backdrop to everything at ILTM, according to data shared by Visa, mass-market travel spend has barely moved this year, growing at under 1 percent. Affluent card spend rose 7 percent. High-net-worth card spend surged 15 percent. The next wave of big luxury spenders is emerging fast from India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Dr Simon Baptist, Principal Asia-Pacific Economist, Visa Business and Economic Insights shares the global economic outlook at ILTM

At the same time, the ceiling on luxury pricing continues to lift. Virtuoso reported an average daily rate now exceeding $2,000, while Internova Travel Group confirmed its luxury ADR is north of $1,800 a night. The contradiction is only on the surface. Prices keep rising because buying power is rising even faster.

The Booking Window Has Collapsed, but the Best Trips Still Belong to the Planners

This was one of the clearest data-backed realities of the week. Internova, which represents more than 100,000 advisors across 80 countries, reported that 53 percent of luxury bookings now happen within 30 days of departure. To drive the point home, Internova SVP Albert Herrera shared a wild proof point: a $1.9 million wedding in Italy booked just 40 days out. High-net-worth travelers are moving fast, and patience is no longer baked into the buying cycle.

But here’s the counterbalance. According to Virtuoso, leisure sales for 2026–27 are already up 24 percent, with ultra-high-value trips rising 36 percent. The message underneath both data points is the same: you can throw money at many things, but it is very difficult to shortcut deeply custom, one-of-a-kind experiences.

Growth Is the Backdrop to Everything

One of the quiet through-lines at ILTM was just how much new luxury product is coming online.

Hyatt shared that it now has 140 luxury hotels open and 170 more in development, putting the brand on track to more than double its luxury footprint. Hilton is tracking a luxury and lifestyle pipeline approaching 500 hotels worldwide. Marriott, already the scale leader, now operates 550+ luxury hotels across 72 countries, with 35 luxury openings slated for 2026 alone.

Mandarin Oriental confirmed 34 hotels in the pipeline, while Capella plans to double from 10 to 20 hotels. Rosewood has five openings coming in the next two years and more than 30 in development. Both Leading Hotels of the World and Preferred Hotels & Resorts also flagged steady global expansion.

Ships Ahoy: ILTM Christened Cruising This Year

Between a new dedicated SAIL pavilion and a first-ever SAIL Report focused entirely on the category, this was the year cruising was officially christened at ILTM.

The tone was set on center stage when Tyler Brûlé of Monocle sat down with Anna Nash of Explora Journeys, Steve Odell of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, alongside Simone Gibertoni, CEO of Clinique La Prairie.

Tyler Brûlé of Monocle sat down with Anna Nash of Explora Journeys, Steve Odell of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, alongside Simone Gibertoni, CEO of Clinique La Prairie

Nash captured the appeal in one perfect line: something happens on a ship. Your time is given back to you. No taxis. No reservations chess. No bill shock. With all-inclusive pricing, Explora is already seeing more than 30 percent first-time cruisers. The brand is also getting into the long game with Endless Worlds, a 128-day around-the-world sailing aboard Explora I, spanning four continents and 29 countries, departing Dubai in 2029.

Odell pointed to the weight behind the trend: more than 60 new luxury ships will enter the market over the next decade across yacht-style vessels, expedition ships, and large-format ultra-luxury cruising.

The hotel industry is moving fast to meet the moment. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is already on the water, while Four Seasons and Orient Express both have yachts launching in 2026, with Aman following in 2027. Global Hotel Alliance has expanded its partnership with Regent to create land-and-sea combinations. Regent also formed an alliance with Knightsbridge Circle for ultra-exclusive pre- and post-cruise itineraries. And just after ILTM, Hilton announced a partnership with Explora that will allow Hilton Honors members to earn and redeem points on luxury ocean travel starting in 2026.

People, Not Product, Are the Differentiator

For a few brands, the focus was people. Let’s be real, at this level of luxury, all of the hotels are stunning. Rocco Forte Hotels CEO Rocco Forte, as always, was the most direct about it. While many brands talked about service and connection, he stood out by talking about staff happiness, frontline investment, low turnover, and even a third-party happiness index to measure it all. It was refreshingly old-school and quietly radical.

Rosewood Hotel Group COO Anthony Ingham shared that technology and data should remove friction for teams, not replace them, so staff can focus on guests. They also spoke about investing in local communities, from education to training to building real economic pathways around their hotels.

Meanwhile, Hilton beamed with pride over being named Best Place to Work and Best Place to Work for Women. The subtext was unmistakable: you cannot outsource soul, and luxury still lives or dies on the people delivering it.

Heritage Is Not New. Luxury Is Just Leaning In.

Luxury travel has always loved grand buildings and deep history. What felt different this year is how deliberately heritage is now being treated as a commercial growth engine, not just a romantic backdrop. According to the Capital One Travel Luxury Trendcast 2026, 87 percent of luxury travelers value authentic and exclusive cultural experiences.

At Orient Express, CEO Gilda Pérez-Alvarado framed the brand as a platform for historical storytelling, spanning a 17th-century palazzo in Rome, a 1920s-inspired yacht launching in 2026, and revived legendary train journeys. Guests are not just booking rooms. They are buying entry into a cultural narrative.

Leading Hotels of the World echoed this from another angle. CEO Shannon Knapp reinforced that when ownership spans generations, heritage is not a design concept. It is the business model.

At Sofitel, CEO Maud Bailly described a brand-wide reset built on restoring pride through renovation, cultural partnerships, and French identity. And at Waldorf Astoria under Hilton, the reinvention of New York and the upcoming London flagship made one thing clear: icons now outperform inventions.

Heritage is no longer decorative. It is strategic IP.

Whycation: Purpose First, Destination Second, Brand Last

Hilton coined it, and it might be the most accurate way to describe how people are traveling now. At the Hilton breakfast, CMO Mark Weinstein put it simply: purpose first, destination second, brand last. Travelers are no longer asking where to go. They are asking why they are going.

Celebration, recovery, reconnection, self-work, creativity, joy. The emotional driver has become the itinerary.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts is leaning into this shift. CEO Lindsey Ueberroth spoke about the rise of purpose-led travel and introduced Live Like A Legend, a new curated collection of experiences focusing on once-in-a-lifetime access, like Mardi Gras at Windsor Court, private island stays (Branson Beach Estate), Armani Milano Fashion Week access, Brush Creek Ranch winter adventures, and a new private jet journey. They are created to deliver a feeling, a shift, a story.

Capital One’s Luxury Trendcast reflected the same momentum, showing that affluent travelers are designing travel around connection, culture, learning and emotional return.

The destination matters, but the reason for going matters more.

Wellness Has Gone Clinical and Digital Detox Has Gone Mainstream

Wellness has officially gone clinical and the scale is staggering. Shannon Knapp shared that the global wellness economy is set to reach $6.8 trillion in 2025, with Gen X and Millennials now driving 41 percent of U.S. wellness spend, according to McKinsey. Across presentations, the language shifted from spa menus to diagnostics, longevity, and measurable performance. Blood panels. Sensitivity testing. Biological age assessments. Structured recovery. This is no longer about indulgence. It is about extension.

At Rosewood, future-forward projects like its upcoming Red Sea development were framed not as retreats, but as regenerative longevity destinations designed around long-term health. Six Senses reinforced the same shift through sleep science, hormone health, metabolic testing, breathwork, and longevity retreats.

Running parallel was a countertrend: intentional disconnection. At Emblems, the newest brand in Sofitel’s orbit, Maud Bailly spoke about slow rituals, sensory restraint, and spaces designed to lower stimulation, not amplify it. Digital detox is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s being built into the brand DNA.

Lindsey Ueberroth and Michelle Woodley of Preferred Hotel Group

Preferred Travel Group echoed this through its Beyond Green portfolio, with CEO Lindsey Ueberroth doubling down on remoteness, nature immersion, and low-impact living. Here, wellness is delivered through setting, silence, and scale.

Food Is Still the Ultimate Experience, Even in the Age of GLP-1s

Despite the rise of GLP-1 medications and the cultural noise around eating less, food and dining continue to hold their place as one of luxury travel’s most durable experiences.

American Express reported that U.S. cardholders spent $87 billion on dining in 2024. On its 2025 earnings call, Amex noted that restaurant spending was up 8 percent in the first quarter, even as weight loss medications dominate headlines. Translation: people may be eating differently, but they are not opting out of eating well.

At ILTM, food remained one of the great cultural connectors. It is still how guests engage with heritage, place, community, and memory. Whether through Michelin-starred dining, chef residencies, private vineyard tastings, or hyper-local sourcing, gastronomy remains one of the most emotionally charged luxury touchpoints.

Last but Not Least: Herteliers at ILTM

Amid the sea of suits, one thing felt different this year. Women were not just present. They were driving the conversation. It was a thrill to break the scoop on Tamara Lohan stepping into her new role leading luxury for Hyatt, and to spend time with the women shaping the next chapter of global hospitality.

In alphabetical order, the powerhouse lineup included: Maud Bailly, CEO of Sofitel, MGallery, and Emblems; Jenna Hackett, SVP at Hilton; Shannon Knapp, CEO of Leading Hotels of the World; Gilda Pérez-Alvarado, CEO of Orient Express and Chief Strategy Officer at Accor; Rebecca Moffatt, Managing Director at Oxford Hotel Collection; and Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO of Preferred Travel Group. Interviews with these C-suite leaders are coming next. Stay tuned.

My favorite part of ILTM will always be the off-stage moments. The hallway catch-ups. The quick coffees. The real talk between press conferences. Hearing what is keeping leaders up at night and what they are quietly building next. Apologies for not naming and grabbing photos of everyone, please know that I am grateful to you!

Thank you to Lucy Clifton and her team at Spotlight Communications for another beautifully run ILTM. Until next year.