The third edition of Walpole's Art of Luxury Hospitality report, unveiled during the organisation's biennial trade mission to New York, identifies 'culture and connection' as key drivers shaping the future of British luxury travel. Olivia Palamountain reports

Walpole, the official body for British luxury, has launched the third edition of its Art of Luxury Hospitality report.

Authored by creative consultancy Notable and Globetrender, it was unveiled during Walpole's biennial British Luxury Trade Mission in New York.

The report (available to download here for free) highlights how British luxury hospitality providers are becoming "catalysts of culture and connection" in response to global uncertainty and technological disruption, with consumers increasingly seeking authentic human experiences and meaningful interactions.
Tiffany Winter, parter at Notable, explains: "In a world marked by volatility — from geopolitical tension to economic turbulence and accelerating technological change — we are seeing a natural counterforce emerge. A return to what is human, sensory, emotional, and shared. At the same time, the soft power of culture — through art, food, literature, music and film — provides a vital antidote to the hard power of politics, economics and war. These cultural forces transcend borders and foster mutual understanding — and among them, travel continues to be the most powerful unifier of all.

"Nowhere is this dynamic more evident than in British luxury hospitality. Always innovating, unafraid of eccentricity and with an eye on the horizon, Britain’s luxury hospitality pioneers are not just preserving tradition – they are redefining it."
Trends identified include:

• Hotels acting as patrons of the arts and endangered crafts - Supporting traditional skills such as straw hat weaving, lacquerwork and wooden boat building that are at risk of disappearing from Britain
• Reinventing rituals - Pioneering hotels injecting humour and eccentricity into traditional British service experiences, such as The Savoy's reimagined "Scoff" afternoon tea and The Dorchester's "scent memories" cocktail menu
• Unreplicable programming - Creating one-off, hyper-personalised experiences that offer guests unique cultural moments and "bragging rights," exemplified by Mandarin Oriental's partnership with The Luminairex

Jenny Southan, founder of Globetrender, says: "The sector has long been a custodian of heritage and tradition, but its true strength lies in its ability to evolve. Today, the sector is not merely preserving the past but actively forging the future of creative expression."

The findings come against a backdrop of significant growth in the UK luxury travel market, which was estimated to be worth US$94 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach US$163 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research cited in the report.

London alone is set to welcome 20 new five-star hotel openings by the end of 2028, including properties from Six Senses, Auberge Resorts, Rosewood, and St. Regis this year, followed by Hilton's first Waldorf Astoria in the capital in 2026.

With Visit Britain forecasting £33.7 billion in tourism spending by the end of 2025 - with the US remaining the largest market - the economic and cultural impact of British luxury hospitality appears stronger than ever, despite global challenges.
This year, Walpole's biennial British Luxury Trade Mission to New York City saw a delegation of 25 representatives from member organisations participate in a week of briefings, meetings and events supported by the Department for Business and Trade.

"Since we started organising these delegations, our mission has been twofold: to develop business opportunities in the US, while also enticing American visitors to the UK, writes Charlotte Keesing, director of corporate affairs and international at Walpole. As I've discussed with many of our members in hospitality, American guests remain vital, not only for our hoteliers and restaurants, but also for our cultural institutions and retail brands."At a hospitality roundtable hosted by Artfarm at its newest US venue, Manuela in Soho, industry leaders discussed the report's findings with travel advisors and media representatives, exploring how British luxury hospitality is evolving to meet changing consumer expectations.

The New York trade mission included events with JP Morgan, Hearst, the Financial Times, Bergdorf Goodman, and Christie's, culminating in a cocktail reception at the British Residence hosted by Acting HM British Consul General, Melanie Hopkins OBE.