ITB screened a couple of virtual events yesterday. Vanessa Borkmann, Professor of Tourism at Dresden School of Management, talked about smart bedrooms. 58% of a group surveyed were, she said, more than happy to have room controls geared by devices handling television, lighting and temperature controls, and only 10% categorically said they were not happy.  Citing Yotel’s YOBOT baggage movers in New York, she pointed out how employees are enthusiastic about such initiatives. Ben Jost, from Munich-based TrustYou customer service company, stressed the real-time and genuine customer communication. Note: ITB Berlin and the Berlin Travel festival will host what they call an innovative hybrid event, ‘We Love Travel! – a tourism recovery pop-up’ from 16-18 October 2020.

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Want to please Chinese customers? Offer wellness treatments and products that specialise in anti-ageing and/or TCM, Traditional Chinese Medicine. These were the two main takeaways from the 2020 China Beauty Expo CBE, held, in reality, at Shanghai New International Expo Centre a couple of weeks ago. CBE founder and Chairman Sang Jingman must have been happy to attract over 3,000 exhibitors.

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Want something special in ‘Vegas? MGM Resor,ts’ Viva Las Office packages,  at ARIA and Bellagio, offers three-to-five night stays, plus  access to discounted airfare through JSX hop-on jet service. Go for The Associate package, the enhanced Manager package, or the ultimate Executive. All have such benefits as rooms or suites, early check-in and late check-out, food and flight discounts – and more. All are pet-friendly.

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Forbes Travel Guide CEO Filip Boyen is current guest on MARY GOSTELOW GIRLAHEAD PODCAST. Do not miss it https://anchor.fm/gostelow – and see the Almont Global Media hub, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQQ46fTWxv1u8g-Eq4oXAXQ

Yesterday,  Virtuoso Travel Week VTW opened – virtually, of course. After general sessions attracting over 4,000, Chairman Matthew Upchurch shared one-to-one thoughts with Girlahead. Major trends in luxury travel include multi-generational trips expanding to multi-family trips, travelling, as if in a ‘bubble’, with another family. Nightly room turn-down gives way to turn-it-down, saying no thanks to housekeeping. Stay longer, wherever, and evolve from stuff to experiences, a trend which offers a myriad of ideas – Upchurch cited staying at Ferragamo’s Portrait Suites in Rome and finding its lack of an onsite restaurant an exciting opportunity to explore yet more local eating places.

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Tonight, Tuesday 11 August, CUT OUT opens, outside on London’s Curzon Street. Operated by Dorchester Collection’s 45 Park Lane and under the baton of the luxury hotel’s new Executive Chef Jamie Shears, it features dishes from the hotel’s Wolfgang Puck restaurant, CUT. Try the famous Negroni of barman Franceso Orefici, above.  The restaurant, open seven nights a week, has four tables for four.

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Listen to MARY GOSTELOW GIRLAHEAD PODCAST to catch words of worldwide wisdom from Filip Boyen, CEO Forbes Travel Guide.  Following him is Susie Ellis, Chairman of the New York-based Global Wellness Institute and the annual Global Wellness Summit, which this year will be held at The Breakers in Palm Beach, 8-11 November 2020. https://anchor.fm/gostelow