By Hadassa Kalatizadeh
Travel has taken on a new meaning post-pandemic and to many so has the place called home. The summer was full of disappointment for some people who had to forgo their expected vacation destinations in Europe and other countries. That didn’t, however, stop people from seeking out vacation spots. As per a recent article by Bloomberg News, Julie Danziger, the managing partner of travel advisory Embark Beyond, had a busy June and July booking exciting domestic alternatives for her posh clients. To her surprise, by the time August rolled in, it became apparent that people were not ready to return to their homes. “Suddenly, all of my clients were asking where they could spend the rest of the year,” she says.
Danziger told Bloomberg News that her New York-based clients have secondary homes in the Hamptons or by the New Jersey Shore. Some even have a third home in Florida or Aspen, Colo., but notwithstanding they expressed their desire to go to a hotel and stay there for an extended vacation.
With work and school both remaining remote for the foreseeable future, well-to-do Americans are not interested in returning to their residences. They much prefer to book a several month long stay at a stylist hotel, skipping the cold NY winter and lock-down style of living.
Danziger went to work finding hotels which would offer preferential pricing for long term stays as well as necessary amenities like breakfast, parking, and laundry. Hotels, entrenched in losses incurred during the Covid-19 lockdown, were only too happy to comply, she says. Even top hotels, which usually scoff at requests for discounts, were eager to please. “I’ve been getting quotes for 30%, 40%, and even 50% off the best available rates for one- to three-month stays at coveted places like Amanyara, the Four Seasons Anguilla, and Montage Laguna Beach,” said Danziger.
Danzige isn’t the only one finding long term hotel options. As per Bloomberg, one fourth of the guests at Timbers Kaua’i in Hawaii are now booked for stays longer than 30 days. Also at the Gurney’s Montauk, which is usually a weekend destination, there are multiple visitors staying a full month. Ocean House in Rhode Island booked three or more long-stay families for the fall.
