PSA: Be Flexible for Holiday 2022-2023 Luxury Travel

If you haven't already reserved holiday season travel for 2022-2023 you may be too late for many of the most popular luxury hotels and resorts; you'll want to be flexible with your plans if still looking to book.

For example, we just had a client ask for a few nights in St. Moritz, where the iconic Badrutt's Palace Hotel is not only fully booked but also has a 10 night minimum and a wait list with over a hundred requests on it.

In Hawaii, sometimes we'll get new clients who are unfamiliar with the market asking for a few nights over Christmas or New Year's at the Four Seasons Hualalai, not realizing that the resort has regular return guests who are given priority, resulting in a permanent sold out situation for peak holiday dates, which for 2022-2023 are from 12/25/22-1/2/23.

Festive Season Tips

What Appears to Be No Availability May Be a Minimum Stay Requirement

Sometimes what appears to be no availability is in fact a minimum say requirement. Some of the most in demand luxury resorts have minimum night stays, up to 10 nights, during festive season. Try a longer date range, or call the property to double check.

Stay Earlier or Later

Even at booked out properties, if you're flexible with your dates you may be able to enjoy at least a few nights. For example, at Four Seasons Hualalai it's possible to reserve dates prior to 12/25/22. For families traveling with school aged children, some schools start their winter break 12/17/22, so that would give you a week before venturing elsewhere or returning home for Christmas and New Year's.

Consider Alternative Locations

If your dates aren't flexible, consider a different location and resort. For example, we can still see availability at Four Seasons Maui at Wailea for 12/24/22-1/1/23 (albeit at high rates). For the client who wanted St. Moritz, we found a different property for part of his requested stay, and suggested either the Chedi Andermatt or a combination of the Dolder Grand and Park Hotel Vitznau for the other stay dates.

Ask the Hotel When Repeaters Will Be asked to Confirm By, and the Wait List Size

For properties where returning guests receive top priority, it's worth asking when these repeaters will have to confirm to the hotel if they're returning or not, and how long the wait list is, so you decide if it's worth adding your name to the wait list.

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Updated: Four Seasons Hualalai, Four Seasons Maui Value Dates 2022