From Thai boxing lessons and macabre Dracula tours to the Australian Outback, the Four Seasons hotel chain launched a series of new travel packages this week designed to heighten guests' experiences beyond a good night’s sleep and fine dining.
In what is dubbed the "Get Away, Get More" program, the Canadian luxury brand has created travel itineraries that offer guests unique, hyper-local cultural and educational experiences.
The Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest, for example, has created a "Twilight in Budapest" experience that explores the spine-tingling story of Vlad III, the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
After a limousine-guided tour of the city, participants will visit the hilltop Visegrad Castle, where the 15th century warrior -- known as Vlad the Impaler for impaling his victims on giant spears -- was kept prisoner for 12 years.
At the Koh Samui outpost in Thailand, guests can also try muay thai or Thai boxing under the guidance of a former world champion.
The Four Seasons Hotel Sydney has created a full-day excursion into the Australian Outback that includes a bushwalk tour led by an indigenous guide and encounters with native animals like koalas and kangaroos.
It’s become a widely used marketing strategy in the luxury hotel industry: promises of rich, once in a lifetime travel experiences.
Also this week, the Ritz-Carlton launched a new social media channel on Tumblr that aims to entice guests with longform travel stories of the chain's more secluded, exotic Reserve resorts around the world.
Posts on the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Tumblr page are written as journal entries and are accompanied by video and photos.
In the same week, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts launched a new app it calls CUR8, designed to automatically edit guests’ videos and photos into a digital album that can then be shared on social media networks.
The Four Seasons "Get Away, Get More" packages are available for stays from June 15 to September 15.
AFP RELAXNEWS
Sun Apr 20 2014
The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui in Thailand offers muay thai boxing lessons. -AFP Photo
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