Trend report
Slow Luxury: Why the Best Trips Are Getting Shorter Itineraries
The new status symbol is three nights in one neighbourhood instead of five cities in seven days.
6 min read · Updated September 2026
The most expensive thing in travel is no longer a suite. It is time — and the travellers spending the most are the ones now refusing to spend it in transit.
Across the properties we track, the average luxury stay has lengthened while the number of cities per trip has fallen. Fewer flights, longer dinners, one museum done properly.
One hotel, used properly
A grand hotel is not a bed; it is a building with a bar, a spa, a florist and a concierge who knows the city. Treating it as a base rather than a stopover is the cheapest upgrade available.
Book four nights instead of two and almost every rate card improves — and so does the service.
- Le Meurice
Stay · Paris, France
- Claridge's
Stay · London, United Kingdom
- La Mamounia
Stay · Marrakech, Morocco
One great table, booked early
Slow travellers reserve dinner before they book the flight. The tables that define a city release seats one to three months out and are gone within hours.
- Septime
Eat · Paris, France
- Gramercy Tavern
Eat · New York, United States
- Roscioli
Eat · Rome, Italy
One long morning outdoors
The best hours in any city are the first ones. A single early walk does more for a trip than three afternoons of sightseeing.
- Platteklip Gorge Trail
Nature · Cape Town, South Africa
- Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Nature · Kyoto, Japan
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