U.S. car buyers who enjoy a bit of adventure have been being Volvos, Mercedes, and BMWs in Europe for years and driving them around a bit before saying a temporary "good bye" and having them shipped back to the states. As BMW has built its headquarters into an experience hub (of sorts), it's formalizing the tourism aspect of its sales process in a new partnership with Butterfield & Robinson that will build on the BMW experience via pre-packaged itineraries for car buyers. Shopping is also the key for our second story about luxury consumer habits as we look at a Bain report that has good news for some markets and serious warnings for others.
In our conversation with Kimpton CEO Mike DeFrino, the leader of IHG's most forward-thinking brand talks about "luxury without the attitude" and why it's different than traditional luxury offerings. Over in Europe, Finnair CEO Pekka Vauramo explains how his carrier is reshaping connections between Europe and Asia — especially China — and what that means to destinations at both ends of the flights. — Jason Clampet, Editor-in-Chief |