Avid traveler Lora Bowler is cutting back on holiday spending. That doesn’t mean she’s skipping the resort.
The New York resident said she’s spending more than expected in 2023, including travel costs, and is reining in her spending. She uses travel tips and perks to cut some costs, and she’s one of a growing number of people turning to hotel day passes as a cheaper option for relaxation.
“It’s like a great way to escape reality and feel like you’re in a five-star hotel, but you can’t afford the accommodation,” Bowler said.
Day passes for hotels and resorts allow guests to use facilities without having to reserve a room. Bowler said she has reserved daybeds and poolside service and even found a pass that provided a room where her husband could work on his laptop.
Restaurants and third-party partners are offering more convenient day passes to help bridge the gap between travel-savvy consumers and luxury prices.
According to CoStar, a global provider of real estate data, analysis and news, the typical room price at a U.S. luxury hotel between January 1 and April 6 was about $400 per night. These ratios are about 1% higher than the same period last year.
According to luxury travel company Virtuoso, luxury hotel room rates in July are expected to be 85% higher than the same month in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic.
“People are starting to think about travel budgets again,” said Hayley Berg, chief economist at travel website Hopper. “They’re prioritizing vacation spending over consumer spending.”
in a poll To be conducted in July 2023 Booking.comMore than 60% of respondents said their cost of living will determine their travel plans for 2024, while just over half said they were likely to pay for accommodation upgrades.
According to a Booking.com press release about the survey, a majority of U.S. travelers said they would pay for a day pass to use the facilities of a five-star hotel without staying there. The survey included nearly 28,000 adults from 33 countries who said they planned to travel in the next 12 to 24 months.
Berg said consumers’ travel spree after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted has fueled the trend of “revenge travel” and boosted demand for luxury accommodation. Now that trend is “largely over,” she said, many travelers are on an increasingly tight budget.
Berg said day passes “give people something they really want” and provide a separate revenue stream for hotels.
“Restaurants get an incremental revenue stream by offering something they already have,” she said.
One of them is Virgin Hotels New York City, located in Manhattan’s Koreatown neighborhood. On May 8, the hotel opened its rooftop pool for the second time, with day guests able to choose to use the facility.
The pool, tiled in sky blue and flanked by black and white lounge chairs, offers guests views of the Empire State Building and the city skyline.
Customers can reserve pool loungers or upgrade to a cabana and invite up to four other people. The cabin offers free service and refreshments including wine and fruit. Pool Club day ticket users also get their own personalized server, depending on their choice. Day passes to the pool club start at $130.
“Everyone needs a little escape,” said Sarah Payton, hotel partner and project director.
In May 2023, the hotel partnered with ResortPass, a website that offers day passes to luxury hotels, resorts and spas, often at discounted prices.
Launched in 2016, ResortPass holds 95% of the daytime guest market and works with more than 1,300 luxury hotels, including Waldorf Astoria, JW Marriott and Fontainebleau, according to the company.
The company said its day visitor platform has served more than 3 million users and has launched day passes in more than 250 cities for as low as $25.
“What we can really do is give people a more local way to travel without having to leave,” ResortPass CEO Michael Wolf said. “I think it can complement other types of travel and potentially replace other types of travel. travel.”
The average cost for a ResortPass customer to purchase an all-day pass is about $165, the company said. Wolfe said customers who purchase day passes through ResortPass are generally more willing to splurge on poolside or other hotel amenities than overnight guests.
“Our guests spend an average of over $250 at the hotel, and often much more than that,” he said.
Wolf said ResortPass is currently working on a membership-like program for frequent day pass customers and expects to make an announcement later in 2024.
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