The sound of our footsteps echoes through the cavernous hallways of Rome’s Capitoline Museums, at least an hour before the doors open to the public. I’m on a private group tour, organised by Hotel de la Ville, where I’m staying during my time in the Eternal City, and to say I’m impressed would be an understatement. Our knowledgeable guide recounts the fascinating highlights of Rome’s history in front of ancient relics and intricately chiselled statues while there’s absolutely no one else around – incredibly rare for one of the city’s most-visited attractions.
We’re then taken through underground hallways connecting two of three buildings, leading us to an exhibition by Cartier in the museums’ Palazzo Nuovo. Here, glittering tiaras, ornate brooches and elaborate necklaces sit next to age-old Roman artefacts and marble sculptures that inspired each piece of jewellery.
This isn’t something you can book unless you’re staying at the hotel, and it’s this kind of exclusive access – experiences you simply wouldn’t get any other way – that’s driving a new trend in luxury hospitality.
Beyond contactless check-in and technology-driven innovation, travel today is about forging meaningful, authentic connections in real time. In a world of social media saturation and overtourism, it’s no longer only about thread counts, square footage and star ratings, but an insider’s view of a destination that is, often, not even available to the locals.
“Today’s conscious, hyperconnected traveller seeks emotional value, well-being and a sense of belonging,” says Barbara Lo Giudice, cluster PR manager for Rocco Forte Hotels, the group behind Hotel de la Ville. “Hotels become a true home away from home, spaces of relationship, purpose and lasting authenticity. The journey is evolving from the ‘where’ to the ‘why’.”
That feeling of everything being bookable has made rarity a new currency. Where once luxury was about grand hotels and visible opulence, followed by bespoke service and personalisation, now it’s about opening hidden doors.
This is why Lo Giudice has designed a collaboration with Cinecitta Studios, Rome’s home for Italian and international cinema, allowing guests to get a behind-the-scenes peek at the studios, which are usually closed to outsiders. This is also offered to guests at nearby sister property Hotel de Russie, a five-star stay beloved by celebrities that made an appearance on the latest season of Emily in Paris.
“Luxury travel is now measured in the access it unlocks,” says Matteo Atti, global chief marketing officer at VistaJet, which organises a range of experiences for its members, including dinner at Andrea Bocelli’s family residence in the tenor’s hometown of Lajatico.
“What we see consistently is that today’s ultra-high-net-worth travellers value trust, continuity and anticipation. They want a single partner who understands their rhythm, can support multi-stop, multipurpose travel and deliver exceptional service without adding complexity.
“Hospitality is no longer about individual touchpoints – it is about who can unlock access, remove friction and create the impossible at every stage of the journey,” says Atti.
It’s not only hospitality brands that are getting in on the trend, as even Visa has teamed up with Emirati tour operator dnata to offer curated resort and hotel offers, including bespoke experiences with the likes of Paris-headquartered Club Med, Vietnam’s Villa Le Corail and Seehof Davos in Switzerland.
Six Senses is another brand that’s incorporating access into its resort offerings. For example, private tours are arranged with local estates at the property in Portugal’s Douro Valley. In India, Six Senses Fort Barwara organises access to areas of a 14th-century fort that aren’t otherwise open to the public. In Thailand, meanwhile, Six Senses Yao Noi offers bioluminescent night safaris with marine experts in the waters of Phang Nga Bay after dark.
Exclusivity is no longer characterised by premium settings, says travel content creator Yvonne Mtengwa. “We are witnessing a strong delivery for curating moments that are standout as much as they invoke emotion, connection to people and a sense of place,” she says, giving the example of enjoying sundowners while getting up close with wildlife in Africa. She’s also slept on a “skybed” – a raised platform – under the African sky surrounded by the sounds of elephants, hippos and lions.
True exclusivity, she says, is less theatre and more connection with the guest. “Luxury for me, when it comes to hospitality, is abundance of choice, with experiences tailored to suit my asks, however small or elaborate.” Sometimes, it’s just about having that story to tell when you get home; one that’s unique and, for many, simply unattainable, she adds.
That little something special now comes from what’s removed rather than what’s added. Fewer people, fewer barriers and less noise. Access strips away the mechanics of tourism and leaves behind something closer to immersion; there’s no sense of being processed, hurried along or funnelled through a highlight reel designed for mass consumption.
This shift also reflects a growing fatigue with spectacle. In an era where landmarks are endlessly photographed, tagged and reviewed, the appeal lies in moments that can’t be replicated.
They exist more privately, valued not for how they look online, but for how they feel in the moment. The most memorable experiences aren’t always the most extravagant, but rather the most intimate – when a place reveals itself subtly.
This is as long as exclusivity doesn’t turn into performance, and brands continue to work with local experts, historians or conservationists, shining a light on the destination’s most treasured secrets. If hoteliers and tour operators can nail that, then it’s a trend that’s only set to grow.
For me in Rome, there’s nothing performative about it. There are no queues, no timed slots, no security shuffle and no technology. Just seamless discovery and the opportunity to slowly witness up close and mull over historic beauty.
As we snake through the Capitoline Museums’ labyrinthine halls, we arrive at the upper terrace. The sun is peeking through the clouds, shining on the Roman Forum, which I look over from my vantage point. The doors have only just opened, so there’s still no one else around. There’s no one bustling me out of the way and spoiling the view. I can hear every bird tweet, every car horn in the distance and I can see the Eternal City stretch out for miles towards the horizon, undisturbed.
If you ask me, this is what true luxury is all about – escaping the crowds, slowing down and having the time to appreciate what’s in front of you. And that, increasingly, is what travellers are hoping – and paying – for.
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