Walk into almost any so-called “luxury” hotel today and you’ll find the same tired equation: upgraded linens, a marble vanity, maybe a “signature” cocktail on arrival. The price? $1,200 a night, give or take. And yet—despite the polish—it still feels… safe. Predictable. Sanitized.

The problem isn’t the product. It’s the assumption underneath it: That today’s guest is a rational spender looking for a taste of upscale.

They’re not.

They’re ultra-fluent, ultra-wealthy, and suffocating in five-star mediocrity. They’re not looking to spend less—they’re looking for someone who understands what’s worth spending on.

The Hidden Wealth in the Room

In property after property—especially those under 50 keys—I encounter the same refrain from ownership:

“Our guests are well-off, but they’re price-sensitive.”

“We’re already at the ceiling.”

“People aren’t spending like they used to.”

Wrong, wrong, and wrong again.

Today’s top guests are sitting on unprecedented liquidity. Many of them are principals of multi-generational family offices, second-generation founders, or private market allocators.  Many of them arrive without an entourage and without a need to be seen, yet they hold equity in half the businesses you admire.  They’re not booking your $1,200 room because that’s their limit—they’re booking it because that’s all you’re offering.

These guests are:

• Collecting artists you’ve never heard of for $500K a canvas,
• Booking annual $100K retreats to rewire their nervous systems.
• Funding entire ecosystems of taste – architecture, landscape, craft – and expecting the same in their stays.

And your hotel is leaving $3K/day per guest on the table.

They Want Meaning. Not Just More Stuff.

The new wealthy don’t need status symbols. They are the status symbol.

What they want—what they crave—is aesthetic intelligence, cultural fluency, and emotional resonance. They want the story behind the mosaic. the provenance of the linens, a conversation with the winemaker, not another curated tasting.

They want to feel something rare.

And the truth is: most legacy hotel owners are not delivering it. Not because they don’t care—but because they’ve failed to recognize the new game. They’re playing checkers while the guest is playing baccarat.

The Failure of Imagination Is a Balance Sheet Problem

Let me put it bluntly: If your RevPAR is under $1,000 and your guests are decamillionaires, the issue is not the market. It’s your ambition.

Undercharging and under-delivering isn’t humility—it’s missed opportunity in formalwear.

At one Relais & Châteaux property I’ve advised, a single guest generated $240,000 in post-stay purchases after falling in love with the property’s custom furniture and design ethos. Not because it was offered—but because it was available to be desired.

Design, curation, immersion, and mystery aren’t flourishes. They’re monetizable levers.

Stop Managing Costs. Start Curating Obsession.

The future belongs to operators and owners who stop asking “What’s the going rate in this market?” and start asking “What is the guest secretly aching to pay for?”

Not everyone can answer that. But if you can, you don’t just win share. You win love, loyalty, legacy . . . and liquidity.

The luxury guest is richer than you think. And hungrier than they look. The real question is—are you ready to feed them something unforgettable?