Luxury Swiss retreat Le Grand Bellevue, Gstaad, has refined its curated guest experiences – from hiking to wild swimming, mountain top yoga to al fresco private dining plus new health and safety protocols – for its reopening on 3 July.

Here, Top Banana Client and Commercial Director, Jemma Peers shares the key challenges, insights and learnings from delivering a with sustainability at its heart…

With luxury travel temporarily on hold, it’s great to see how our inVOYAGERs are working hard behind the scenes to bring luxury experiences to guests and travellers confined to their own homes during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Accor has announced a €70m fund to support employees affected by Covid-19 as it revealed that more than two thirds of its 5,000 hotels worldwide are expected to be closed within weeks due to the deepening impact of the global coronavirus lockdown.

As part of our recently published inVOYAGE Annual Report 2020, David Gould, CEO at CR Worldwide, contributed an article on the growing focus on employee wellbeing by corporations in the UK and US markets. With the Covid-19 pandemic now having a huge impact on people’s working lives around the globe, the mental and physical wellbeing of the workforce is now more important than ever, and the trends discussed in this feature will be even more relevant once the crisis passes…

Luxury travel might not be an option right now, but that doesn’t stop you being able to live well and experience high-end brands like Belmond from the comfort of your own home. The luxury travel company has provided a taste of its experiences for people to enjoy at home, from soothing make-at-home spa recipes and games to entertain, to uplifting cocktails and transportive music…

At the start of the new decade, the future for the incentive travel industry looked incredibly bright. Not only did our own data show that luxury event professionals were seeing increased demand for incentives, but results from the 2019 Incentive Travel Industry Index, a joint research effort from SITE (the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence), IRF (the Incentive Research Foundation) and FICP (Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals), pointed to an uptick in incentive travel spend over the next few years.

This is a new and uncertain time for us all. Where no-one really knows what to expect one day to the next, not to mention what will be happening in a week or month’s time.

Luxury hotel brand Aman has announced a new wellness-oriented lifestyle brand called Janu.

This striking Luxury Collection Hotel, facing the serene Lake Geneva, and just minutes away from the Rue du Rhône with its Mont Blanc backdrop is one of the most desirable properties in this chic location.

The mountains have always provided an incredible ambience to clear one’s head, so it’s fitting that Sir Richard Branson’s retreat, The Lodge, is now welcoming groups for wellness breaks high in the Swiss Alps.

Upskilling escapes, dispersed hotels and conscience-free cuisine have been named top luxury travel trends to look out for in 2020 by Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH).

Visitors hoping to see the Northern Lights this winter will have a new luxurious hotel option, as Arctic Bath prepares to open its doors in the heart of Swedish Lapland in February.

There’s nothing quite like an escape to the Alps for an invigorating and active incentive experience, and this luxury five-star resort is located on an expansive high plateau, at 1,300 m above sea level in an unspoilt location.

Ski season is nearly upon us and what could be more luxurious than a stay at a historic palace in the heart of the resort town of Courchevel? Les Airelles Palace, a 2020 inVOYAGER, exudes opulence throughout, with its 19th century Austro-Hungarian look and its lavish fabrics and furnishings.

Wellbeing is a key trend in the luxury events sector, with planners increasingly looking to incorporate wellness elements into meetings and incentives, from nutritious brain food to fresh air and exercise. And luxury hotel brand Mandarin Oriental makes it easy with its Mindful Meetings programme.

Luxury collection The Standard has made its island debut and chosen the chic hotspot that is the Maldives.

Aman’s third Japanese property is breathtaking – set inside a secret garden for the ultimate serene stay.

Wellness enthusiasts can add Hawaii to their list for 2020 travels, following the launch of a new all-inclusive property by Four Seasons.