Luxury Travelers Plan Smarter – With or Without Help
Luxury travelers are increasingly self-directed, planning trips through social inspiration, private groups, or brand content. But that doesn’t mean the travel advisor is on their way out the door. Our research reveals a nuanced pattern: the bigger the trip, the more likely they are to call in help. For complex, multi-stop, international itineraries, or trips that involve extended families and unique access, advisors are valued as insiders. For short luxury getaways? DIY is on the rise.
Notably, this DIY audience is also digitally immersed, relying heavily on the latest content aggregation and AI tools to build their itineraries. More than half of the DIY luxury travelers we spoke with say they’ve built their own unique recipe of planning tools because they don’t trust the alternatives available.
Where does this leave brands? You still have two important audiences: the guest and the advisor. Both need rich content, and both are looking for partners, not booking engines.
Quote from the Tribe:
“I use an advisor when I need the red carpet or elite access. For everything else, I’m the planner.”
- High net-worth individual from the United States, using luxury-branded hotels 7 times per year.
Commercial Takeaway:
Speak to both parts of the luxury planning ecosystem. For self-planners, your brand content must feel like a trusted addition to their planning toolbox and integrate seamlessly with AI tools and social feeds. For the advisor audience, equip them with high-impact assets and insider storytelling that reinforces your value on complex, high-stakes trips. Messaging should validate the traveler’s confidence while reminding them that access, scale, and personalization still come from deep partnerships.
Message us to discuss how your approach compares.
About the MODIV Tribes Series
Since 2022, MODIV’s always-on Mindset® study has engaged more than 48,000 frequent travelers across 25 countries. Our mission: decode the why behind traveler behavior—so travel and hospitality brands can act smarter, faster, and with greater commercial precision.
Our Tribes series distills what hospitality leaders need to know—direct from the source. Each quarter, we engage Business Travelers, Luxury Travelers, Zillennials, and Meeting Planners through our proprietary Mindset® study, then translate what we hear into strategic insights you can use.
This isn't one-and-done research. Each quarter, we go back to a tribe to test sharper questions based on what you tell us you need to know. Got a question you want answered? We invite you to add your voice in the comments or reach out directly.
About the Luxury Travel Tribe
This study reflects insights based on a blended qualitative and quantitative session with 87 travelers from 9 countries who are high-net-worth and prioritize luxury hotel brands and ADRs.
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