THE LUXURY COLLECTION EXPEDITIONS EXTEND THE ART OF TRAVEL BEYOND THE HOTEL

Travel has increasingly become less about collecting destinations and more about understanding them. The Luxury Collection’s newly launched Expeditions responds to that shift with a series of journeys that move beyond the traditional boundaries of a hotel stay, connecting travellers with the people, traditions, environments and specialist knowledge that shape a place.

Announced on 18 August 2026, The Luxury Collection Expeditions expands the brand’s long-established position as a gateway to distinctive destinations. The initial programme brings together 10 experiences across North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, ranging from privately guided cultural itineraries and culinary encounters to marine conservation, winemaking and astronomy. Rather than treating a destination as a backdrop, the programme places its character at the centre of the journey.

The experiences are built around access that would be difficult to arrange independently. Historians, artisans, chefs, winemakers, conservationists, archaeologists and other local specialists become guides through the landscape, offering context alongside access. The result is a style of travel shaped less by a checklist of attractions than by sustained engagement with the places being visited.

The concept is divided into three formats: Private Tailored Journeys, Day Discoveries, and Residencies & Collaborations. Each offers a different scale of exploration while retaining the same emphasis on local expertise and cultural connection.

Private Tailored Journeys are multi-day itineraries created around particular interests, linking several Luxury Collection properties with private transportation and locally hosted experiences. In Japan, The Imperial Journey unfolds over 10 days across Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara, using three hotels as bases from which to explore distinct aspects of Japanese culture.

The itinerary moves from culinary traditions to spiritual heritage and historic craftsmanship. Among its experiences are a visit to a samurai residence, sushi-making with a fourth-generation master and access to temple spaces accompanied by a resident monk. In Kyoto, guests can also experience a private geiko dinner in Gion. Chauffeured transfers and Green Car rail travel connect the three destinations, giving the journey a sense of continuity rather than presenting each city as an isolated stop.

Italy: The Grand Italia Rally takes a different approach. Inspired by the country’s historic endurance road races, the six-night journey places guests behind the wheel of a classic Italian automobile, travelling between Milan, Venice and Florence. The route passes through Franciacorta, Lake Garda, the Apennines, Tuscany and the Ligurian coast, combining driving with private boat arrivals, rooftop dining and stays at Luxury Collection hotels.

The Aegean Odyssey turns towards the Greek islands, linking Mykonos, Paros and Santorini over nine days. Private helicopter and yacht transfers provide the framework for experiences rooted in archaeology, cuisine, wine and local craftsmanship. On Delos, guests explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site with a local archaeologist; in Paros, the journey examines the island’s longstanding relationship with marble; while Santorini offers insight into indigenous grape varieties and wine-making traditions, including a tasting within a historic canava.

The second category, Day Discoveries, demonstrates that cultural depth does not necessarily require a lengthy itinerary. These single-day experiences focus on a particular tradition, landscape or craft and are available through selected Luxury Collection properties.

At Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto, Farm to Fermentation follows the relationship between agriculture and preservation. The experience begins at a local farm before moving to a fermentation house, where guests learn about nukazuke, a traditional rice-bran preservation method. Seasonal ingredients, agricultural knowledge and Japanese culinary practice eventually converge around a chef-prepared dinner.

In Arizona, Desert Icons: A Private Journey Through Living Legacy explores the Sonoran Desert through conservation, architecture and food. Guests receive privately guided access to the Desert Botanical Garden, including areas dedicated to biodiversity preservation, before visiting Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert laboratory. The experience concludes with a meal inspired by the ingredients and landscape of the Sonoran Desert.

At Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Diriyah, Doors of Diriyah: A Najdi Palette & Palate takes a more hands-on approach to Saudi heritage. Guests explore the historic A-Turaif district and a private Najdi palace before preparing Henini, a traditional dish made with dates, ghee and cardamom. An artisan-led painting session follows, drawing on the colours and geometric motifs found in the region’s historic doors.

The third category, Residencies & Collaborations, places specialist knowledge at the heart of the experience. These limited-time programmes allow guests to learn alongside experts whose work is closely connected to a destination.

At Hotel Marqués de Riscal, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Elciego, The Art of Winemaking: A Rioja Alavesa Masterclass unfolds over five days. Guests participate in the grape harvest, visit the winery’s gravity-fed cellar and work with the laboratory team to create a personalised blend. Their wines continue to mature in French oak barrels after departure, with custom-labelled bottles eventually sent to their homes.

South Caicos provides another example of the format through three programmes centred on the marine and night-time environments of the island. Reef Revival Expedition brings guests alongside marine scientists and researchers to explore coral restoration. Angler’s Paradise Expedition focuses on bonefishing in the island’s remote flats, while From Tides to Stars Expedition combines kayaking through the Northern Cays with guided stargazing beneath South Caicos’ dark skies.

The initiative builds on The Luxury Collection’s unusually long relationship with destination-led hospitality. Its heritage can be traced to the Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi, or CIGA, founded in Venice in 1906 to accommodate travellers drawn to the historic city at a time when steamships and railways were transforming international travel. CIGA became The Luxury Collection in 1994, and the brand continues to position its hotels as expressions of their individual locations rather than as uniform properties.

Today, the collection spans more than 130 hotels and resorts across more than 40 countries and territories, according to the brand. Its existing approach already places considerable emphasis on local cuisine, traditions and cultural experiences, from traditional fishing in Austria to wine-making in Spain. Expeditions extends that philosophy into longer and more structured forms of exploration.

The programme also reflects a broader understanding of what luxury travel can offer. The value of these experiences lies not simply in proximity or exclusivity, but in interpretation: knowing why a food tradition matters, how a landscape is protected, what craftsmanship reveals about a community, or how centuries of history continue to influence contemporary life.

In that sense, The Luxury Collection Expeditions is less a departure from the brand’s heritage than an expansion of it. The hotel becomes the starting point rather than the destination itself, while the surrounding culture supplies the substance of the journey. For travellers seeking a more considered relationship with the places they visit, that distinction may prove increasingly significant.

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