Travel is defined as the action of making a journey, typically of some length or abroad. The reasons behind traveling are many such as getting to know a new culture, new people, new places and new backgrounds. There are many ways in which we can travel such as planes, cruises, adventure, backpacking, among others. The truth is that the main component we all need to travel is just will and initiative.
Nowadays many generations have changed the concept of traveling and have made trends like backpacking or hitchhiking famous in the travel industry. Even though both of the aforementioned traveling are experiential and interesting, there is a certain type of traveling that stands out from the others: luxury travel.
Decades ago the term luxury had often been associated to great comfort, bigger quantities, extravagance and business mainly. Throughout time however we have been taught otherwise. For instance, nowadays luxury can be directly linked to time. For many people having actual time stands for luxury; time to be with the ones they love, time to work in something you are passionate about, time to have a dinner with the one that keeps you up every night. Clearly luxury has transformed into a new concept, into a term that represents hope, passion and love.
Luxury in the travel industry
That is where luxury travel comes into play. This category of traveling is constantly changing and evolving into an option available to all guests who want to experience something different and special. Through luxury travel, one can sense different things that one cannot feel otherwise.
First of all, the relationship with the customer is deeper and more real. People will be taken care of because they are important and everyone surrounding them knows they are all important and that is why they will treat each other in such a way that respect and attention are primordial.
This concept of luxury traveling was however new for many destinations around the world, including Ecuador. Before Ecuadorians thought that quantity was a good reference to show tourism’s efficiency. Nevertheless time was the only one that showed the entire population, and still does day-by-day, that the efficiency and efficacy of tourism can be better evaluated through quality.
Therefore quality standards have risen ever since through different hotels, restaurants and public spaces. Ecuador as a country and as a destination has become more conscious about providing good quality service and infrastructure to all of its guests and own people.
Ecuador’s evolution in luxury travel
Hotels such as Illa Experience Hotel, Hotel del Parque, among others serve as proof to evidence how Ecuador is growing as a destination and as a country itself.
Thanks to tourism many jobs have been created because that is the thing with tourism, the chocolate that you receive on your hotel bedroom went through a whole big process that involved many people and hence many families with a workplace. Luxury travel boosts that help by providing even more jobs as it is this type of passengers and guests that like to go that step ahead due to the fact that they know that luxury goes far beyond a nice hotel bedroom. That being said, even more people join this multiplier effect meaning that more people will have a job and many families will have a plate to eat on their dinner table.
In addition, thanks to luxury travel many Ecuadorians can appreciate their country more. Even though it may not sound realistic, it is completely true that Ecuadorians, as well as many other people, only learn to treasure and cherish what they have already had their entire lives only after someone else has appreciated or even glimpsed at it. Luxury travel is probably one of the types of tourism that involves people who see tourism from a different perspective, from different eyes. Hence, they manage to cherish every little detail more with passion and love. Details like these show all people how we appreciate the work that we do and our destination, Ecuador.
Ecuador is a new country compared to big cosmopolitan countries, hence the tourism standards are different from the rest of the world. A big bed, a big bathroom and a nice infrastructure is how the concept of luxury was perceived and portrayed before. However many innovative and visionaries have changed these standards. The iLLA Experience Hotel for instance is a new hotel that just opened its doors to the public in December, 2017. This 10 room hotel is located in the downtown area of Quito, in a small neighborhood called San Marcos. Unlike many other hotels where it is typical to be greeted with a simple “Hi Mr. Smith, here is your room”, at ILLA guests are indeed treated like family and that feeling that is been transmitted is hopefully being received by all of its guests. Thanks to that ideology and to that vision, TIME magazine included ILLA in their latest edition of World’s Greatest Places for 2018.
Traveling is one of the most beautiful hobbies a person has. Luxury travel is on the other hand a special type of traveling, not only because the standards increase, making the destination grow as a country and city but due to the fact that many jobs are co-created with every single piece. In Ecuador, luxury travel is still growing and there is a big space left for growth that all Ecuadorians are taking advantage by improving their gastronomy with restaurants such as NUEMA, El Salnes, Pacha, among others to improving hotel standards as it was seen with ILLA and others such as Hotel del Parque.
