Cardiff, Wales is emerging as Canada’s hottest trending travel destination, with flight searches skyrocketing by nearly 1,046 per cent year-over-year, according to Skyscanner’s Travel Trends 2027 report. With 80% of Canadians planning to travel as much or more in 2027, travellers are increasingly looking beyond traditional hotspots for destinations that offer memorable experiences and greater value. Bryan Batista, CEO of Skyscanner, comments on the emerging travel trends: “Travel is entering a new era. As people become more intentional about how they spend their time and money, they’re making different choices about where they go, how they book and what creates lasting value.” Read more
luxury hotels
More women travelling solo and more multi-generational trips. More Canadians staying home. And no slowdown in sight for luxury travel. The Virtuoso Luxe Report Canada was revealed at a Virtuoso media event in Toronto this week. The briefing provided an in-depth look at the booming luxury travel market and a bevy of travel trends. It also provided a few surprise facts about how Canadians are making choices that differ from other travellers. The Luxe Report was issued as part of Virtuoso’s On Tour event, which saw dozens of advisors on hand to meet with destinations, hotels, cruise Read more
Fancy hotel rooms don’t necessarily equate with luxury. A new Vrbo/Harris poll of some 1,700 travellers from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia finds that travellers place greater value on the consistent delivery of the fundamentals. In an increasingly competitive market, mastering the basics can be more important to travellers than offering additional amenities or elaborate in-home experiences. The poll asked for travel opinions for people who have stayed in a vacation rental and found that 86% would pay more for a place to stay that had a higher-quality listing. Respondents made it overwhelmingly clear that quality is not Read more
TORONTO – Urban sophistication in the heart of downtown Toronto. And fully Canadian, to boot. The SoHo Hotel Toronto is an elegant but approachable place to stay in the city’s entertainment district; a hotel that feels very European but has rooms the size a North American visitor truly appreciates. Not only that, Ian Thorley, director of sales and marketing, told me it’s one of the few Canadian owned and managed hotels in Toronto. In these days of “elbows up” social posts, that’s definitely a plus. Rooms (there are 89 rooms and suites) feature blonde, Canadian maple and are decorated in shades Read more
A pair of luxury hotels in Toronto and New York City are the newest properties to receive the AAA Diamond Program’s highest designation. The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto and Waldorf Astoria in New York City have earned AAA Five Diamonds for their stunning surroundings, thoughtful amenities, and unparalleled service, the Canadian Automobile Association and the American Automobile Association announced. I haven’t been to the recently renovated Waldorf in Manhattan, but I’ve stayed at the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville district a couple of times, and dined there on several occasions. It’s an elegant property that definitely worthy of Five-Diamond Read more
