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☆ The reason luxury travel is so expensive these days
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Helen Iatrou | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Luxury hotel rates reached "peak levels" this year, with average daily rates up 70% compared to 2019, according to the luxury travel company Virtuoso. The price for luxury train travel is also soaring, with rates for Accor's yet-to-be-opened La Dolce Vita Orient-Express climbing 75% in 16 months. When money is 'no object'As inflation and rising costs abate, luxury travel prices are holding firm. Wealthy travelers also value new and different experiences, such as luxury train travel, he said. Booking early can save money on airfares, but hotel pricing works differently, he said.

Persons: aren't, Belmond, Accor, Henry Harteveldt, Harteveldt Organizations: CNBC Travel, Dolce Vita Orient, Orient, Express, Atmosphere Research Group Locations: Italy, Venice

☆ Italy's new 'Orient Express' isn't running yet — but rates are already soaring
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Helen Iatrou | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Reservations for Italy's new "La Dolce Vita Orient Express" train open Tuesday. Starting rates for a one-night journey on the luxury train increased from 2,000 euros ($2,168) per person in December 2022 to 2,500 euros per person in November 2023. Both rates were set during a pre-sales reservation period, which required a refundable deposit. But starting rates have now jumped to 3,500 euros per person per night, according to a press release published in March. The train is set to start running in the spring of 2025, according to Accor, the French multinational hospitality company that operates the train.

Persons: That's Organizations: Vita

Tokyo's Sézanne is the newly crowned winner of "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2024" list. The two Michelin-starred neo-classical French restaurant, located on the 7th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, climbed from No. Japan had nine restaurants make this year's list, as did the small city-state of Singapore. Odette, which has been in the top 10 list since 2017, is still the highest-ranking restaurant in Singapore (No. Restaurants on the top 50 list are dispersed among 19 cities in Asia.

Persons: Singapore —, Seroja, Les Amis, Gaggan Anand, Le Du Organizations: Michelin Locations: Marunouchi, Japan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Macao, Asia, Bangkok

☆ 'Quiet luxury' was once all about fashion — but now it describes how the top 1% travel too
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Helen Iatrou | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Big-ticket travel experiences like those are indicative of the "quiet luxury" trend which began in the world of fashion, with timeless lines trumping brand-blaring outfits. Less limelight, more connectionJaclyn Sienna India, the founder of the ultra-luxury travel company Sienna Charles, said she considers herself a longtime quiet luxury disciple. Monaco has long been a playground for the elite, but wealthy travelers are increasingly opting for more remote locations, say luxury travel advisors. But another important aspect of the quiet luxury movement concerns security. For them, quiet luxury travel is about exclusivity and privacy, she said.

Persons: Jaclyn Sienna India, Sienna Charles, Vietnam's, Alexander Spatari, It's, Sean De Burca, George W, Bush, Erica, Erica Jackowitz, Jackowitz, Sienna India, Thomas Barwick, Roger Federer, Erica's Erica Jackowitz, Anastasiia Organizations: Monaco, Bank, Getty, Digitalvision, Henley, Partners Locations: Antarctica, Svalbard, Paris, Monaco, Chi Minh City, India, Brazil, Ethiopia, New York City, Africa

Singapore made global headlines last year when the government announced that biometric processing will replace travel document verifications at Changi Airport in the first half of 2024. But the city-state is going "passport-free" in another area: its land border with Malaysia. From Tuesday, people traveling by car between Singapore and Malaysia can show self-generated QR codes rather than handing over their passports at two checkpoints. The new rule, which applies to those traveling via the country's Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, will expedite immigration clearance "without compromising on security," according to Singapore's Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.

Organizations: Changi Airport Locations: Singapore, Malaysia, Woodlands

If the idea of drinking civet cat coffee, which is made from feces from the Asian palm civet, is a turn-off, there may be yet another reason to rethink the drink. This week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) issued a warning aimed at tourists in Bali after an investigator showed undercover footage of how the civet cat excrement, containing partially digested coffee beans, is obtained. Tourists be warned: stay away from civet coffee." Plus, "there's a misconception that civet coffee ... has a unique taste, and this is often perpetuated by businesses to attract consumers and justify higher prices for their products," Baker said. A young civet cat in a cage in Bali.

Persons: Jason Baker, Baker Organizations: Animals, PETA, Bali ., Getty Locations: Bali, Catur, Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesia

☆ These workers take ‘hush trips.’ Here’s how they’re hiding them from the boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Helen Iatrou | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Hush trips may be getting harder to pull off. In the past year, nearly one in 10 workers embarked on a hush trip, according to a survey of 1,010 full-time workers by the vehicle rental website Price 4 Limo. watch nowMany workers keep mum about these trips to fend off productivity concerns and tax ramification questions from their employers. "I know people who have done [hush trips], and their manager calls for an in-person meeting with a client the day before," she said. Concerns about coworkersMaryland resident Ellie said she's taken two hush trips to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley in the past year.

Persons: it's, Price, Alicia, she's, isn't, I'm, Ellie Organizations: CNBC Travel, CNBC Locations: Singapore, Thailand, Asia, Shenandoah

The Michelin Guide added 17 food stalls and two restaurants in Singapore to its Bib Gourmand list this week. In total, 79 dining establishments in the city-state were named to the list, an increase from 67 last year. The Bib Gourmand category recognizes inexpensive dining establishments, which are selected by anonymous inspectors, according to a company press release. Three more stalls are in Adam Food Center — Adam Rd Noo Cheng Big Prawn Noodle, Bahrakath Mutton Soup and Selamat Datang Warong Pak Sapari, which is known for its Malay noodle dishes, according to Michelin. The complete selection of Michelin-starred restaurants in Singapore will be announced on June 27 at an awards ceremony.

Persons: Kok Sen, nasi lemak, Du Du Shou Shi, Heng Kee, De, Heng, Fried, Huat, Chun, Wei Chilli Ban, Cheok Kee, Adam, Noo Organizations: Michelin, Coconut, Geylang Bahru Market, Food Center, Adam Food Locations: Singapore, Geylang

In this article DIS Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTIt's been 17 years since my last trip to Disney World. But if you're an infrequent visitor, traveling with young kids or uninterested in diving into the world of Disney blogs, buying access to shorter lines is your best bet. You may be on vacation, but a trip to Disney World is no time for a digital detox. Jonathan Alder called VIP tours at Disney World "the greatest thing." Buy the bandsMagicBands are part of the ever-growing list of formerly free items that are now chargeable at Disney World.

Persons: Rafael Henrique, —, Peter Pan, Jonathan Alder Organizations: Disney, CNBC, Lightning, Jonathan's

☆ The ‘breakout travel trend’ of the decade: What to know about expedition cruising
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Helen Iatrou | Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Instagram posts — which often showcase trips to Antarctica — may have given expedition cruising more publicity, but this form of cruising isn't new. Today, there is stiff competition among expedition cruise lines to launch more technologically advanced vessels and to secure onboard talent. Source: Aurora ExpeditionsNoah Brodsky, chief commercial officer of Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic, described expedition cruising as the "breakout travel trend of the decade." Expedition cruising is also a good option for the growing number of solo travelers. "Unfortunately, this has meant the new expedition cruise ships have become larger and the expedition experience itself has been sacrificed," he told CNBC.

Persons: LIND, Costa, Greg Mortimer, Carlo Raciti, Bronwyn Stephenson, Aurora expeditioner, Lindblad, Mensun, Robert Bindschadler, Hayley Peacock, Gower, Aurora's Hayley Peacock, Noah Brodsky, James Cole, Hillary, Cousteau, Shackleton, Cole, Xers, hadn't, Carl Raciti, Andrew Marsh, Commandant Charcot, Stefanie Schmudde Organizations: Aurora Expeditions, Panama's UNESCO, Expeditions, Lindblad Expeditions, NASA, Aurora, Geographic, CNBC, Expedition, Cruisers, Environmental, Abercrombie, Kent Locations: Australia, Panama, Costa Rica, Aurora, Antarctica, Its, Greenland, Alaska, Galapagos, French Polynesia, Western, Kimberley, Central, South America

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