Clockwise from top left: Travel Weekly's Christina Jelski and Rebecca Tobin and Jon Makhmaltchi, the founder of J.Mak hospitality, trace the next letter that could be used to describe traveler trends.
In a so-called K-shaped economy, higher earners head upward but lower earners, on the lower leg of the "K," drop behind. This bifurcation is also playing out in luxury hotels, with ultrahigh-net worth travelers snapping up the top-level suites while entry-level luxury rooms sit empty.
In this episode, host Rebecca Tobin talks with hotels editor Christina Jelski and Jon Makhmaltchi, the founder of J.Mak Hospitality, about how hotel companies are physically configuring their properties to appeal to those at top of the K, the pitfalls of over-relying on one market segment and how hotels and advisors are working to attract entry-level and aspirational luxury travelers.
This episode was recorded Jan. 22 and has been edited for length and clarity.
Episode sponsor
This episode is sponsored by the Globus family of brands
Stay on at the end of this Folo episode wraps for an interview with Globus family of brands' chief sales officer Camille Olivere, by Mary Pat Sullivan, Northstar Travel Group executive vice president of marketing and partnerships.
Related links
Luxury hotels and the K-shaped economy: A tale of two markets
J.Mak Hospitality