Now in its third edition, The Art of British Luxury Hospitality paper, produced by Walpole in collaboration with luxury branding consultancy Notable and leading travel trend forecasting agency Globetrender, identifies the key themes shaping the luxury travel and hospitality sector in 2025.
First presented in March during Walpole's biennial British Luxury Trade Mission to New York City at an exclusive roundtable hosted at Manuela that brought together US travel agents, American travel media, and leaders from Britain's luxury hospitality industry (please scroll down to see images from the event), the report explores the trends, developments, and opportunities which are shaping luxury travel and hospitality, and the many reasons to visit the UK in 2025 and beyond.
Looking back to our 2023 report, the dominant themes were Fragility and Fluidity – reflecting a world still recovering from the pandemic. In just two years, the luxury travel industry has surged, driven by both established travellers and younger, aspirational customers, with the UK luxury industry rapidly adapting to meet this demand.
In London alone, 20 new five-star hotels will open in the capital by the end of 2028, including high-profile properties such as a second Mandarin Oriental, The Peninsula and Maybourne, which has opened its all-suite property, The Emory. Additionally, we've seen the arrival of boutique properties such as Beaverbrook Townhouse and ...At Sloane, further proving that demand for top-end stays in the capital continues to surge. The Dorchester and The Savoy have also undergone major refurbishments, breathing new life into these iconic properties. On the seas, Cunard's new 3,000-passenger Queen Anne cruise ship, featuring stunning interiors from David Collins Studio, departed from Southampton on her first round-the-world voyage.
This paints an optimistic and energizing picture of the UK's luxury travel industry. However, in times of uncertainty and technological disruption, modern luxury travellers are instinctively seeking comfort in the familiar – turning to hands-on rituals and human-to-human connection.
Reflecting these shifts, in this year's report, two macro themes have emerged: Culture and Connection.
In a world marked by volatility – from geopolitical tensions to economic turbulence and accelerating technological change – we are witnessing a natural counterforce emerge: a return to what is human, sensory, emotional, and shared. British luxury is intuitively responding to these needs through thoughtfully crafted stays and experiences.
Throughout the report, we explore the theme of connection – whether to nature, community, or one's better self. As catalysts of culture, we examine the sector's role as custodians of heritage and tradition, while highlighting its intrinsic ability to constantly evolve – not just preserving the past, but actively forging the future of creative expression. We identify how hotels are acting as patrons of the arts and endangered crafts, how the sector is reinventing rituals, and creating unreplicable programming that meets the desire for one-off cultural experiences, hyper-personalised encounters, and meaningful cultural moments.
The report confirms that the British luxury sector is actively reinventing the art of travel, setting new standards for hospitality excellence in 2025 and beyond.
A special thank you to our Laura Tan and Tiffany Winter, Co-Founders of Notable, and Jenny Southan, Founder of Globetrender, for their partnership on the report, and to all of the expert interviews who provided invaluable insights and expertise.
