In Luxury Travel, the Smallest Details Make the Biggest Difference

By Lybbi Hebel, Creative Marketing Strategist 

Last week, I stayed at the Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya for the 2026 Gifted Travel Network Conference. When I checked into my room, I was delighted to find a small stool in the corner of my shower, and boy, was I excited! Now, I don’t need a stool for any accessibility reasons, but as a lady who would probably need to shave her legs at some point that week, having something to prop up my foot makes the process so much easier.

Then, while trying to tame my hair into submission (with little success – you won that round, humidity!), I was thrilled to discover that one of the giant mirrors had a small table and chair right in front of it, along with an outlet next to it. So even though I knew my hair effort would struggle to make it to lunch, I could at least sit comfortably within the cord range of my curling iron and give it my best shot.

Depending on who you are, these details might not mean much. But you would be surprised at how few showers I’ve come across that don’t have so much as a ledge to put your foot on, which can create a perilous situation when you have to balance in a slippery space. And even in some very nice properties or cabins I’ve had the pleasure to stay in, I’ve had to either try to see my hair in a mirror across the room or prop up my phone with the front camera on so I could see what I was doing, all because the outlets were not in a convenient spot.

Luxury can mean many different things and can be very subjective. One traveler’s peaceful getaway is another’s boring weekend trapped in the middle of nowhere. But one universal element of luxury is attention to detail. So many micro moments can impact someone’s experience by causing little zaps of friction, and sometimes they don’t even notice how much it affects them until that zap is removed and they realize how much easier it could have been.

Back when I was working in the brewery biz, I attended some Cicerone trainings and learned a lot about all the ways a taproom can affect the overall drinking experience, many of which have nothing to do with the actual beer being consumed. One of the tiniest things that has stuck in my brain is hand soap in the bathrooms. Not a lack of hand soap (though that is a different type of issue that should be addressed), but the scent. Much like with wine, enjoying a craft beer is a sensory experience, and a lot of the overall flavor profile comes from the aroma. While a lot of beer drinkers aren’t taking it that seriously, there are plenty who do and will notice how the flowery scent of their freshly washed hands affects the taste of their IPA. I still can’t help but notice when a taproom bathroom has scented soap, and though it really doesn’t bother me that much, it does give me an indicator of how serious they actually are about the craft beer being poured.

Once you start noticing these tiny game-changers, you'll see them everywhere. Some of my other travel-related things are having a black washcloth in the bathroom specifically for make-up removal so I don’t feel like a monster when I smear my black mascara and red lipstick across a pristine white one. Or having a well-lit mirror with a surface and outlet that isn't in the bathroom, so I don’t have to hog that space while doing my make-up if I’m sharing the room with someone else.

As a luxury travel advisor, I invite you to start paying more attention to these micro-moments. While having firsthand knowledge and personalized recommendations from your own travels is a huge part of your value, it’s just as important to look within and see where you may be adding or removing friction for your clients. If you haven’t recently done so, take some time to go through your whole process – from when someone is added to your prospect list, all the way to the welcome home reach-out. Are there any spots along the way where there’s an annoying extra step? Or where different clients have different preferences, and you can offer them a choice that fits what they are most comfortable with?

Being a luxury travel advisor is all about being an expert on your client, and being an expert means paying close attention to detail.