Hospitality concept development

Reimagining Luxury Family Travel: Aikenwood Resort & Farm

My role

  • Research and Trend Synthesis

  • Strategic Positioning 

  • Experience and Brand Ideation 

  • Concept Development 

  • Creative Executions

deliverables

  • Luxury Family Travel Insight Report

  • Hospitality Concept Strategy

  • Full Resort Concept Walkthrough and Design

the ask

Identify an emerging audience opportunity in luxury travel and design a new resort concept that reimagines the traditional hospitality experience.

the challenge

In a post-pandemic world, affluent families aren’t just looking for a vacation, they are looking for a meaningful experience fit for the entire family. Most upscale resorts force tradeoffs for families: relaxation or recreation, indulgence or enrichment, luxury or authenticity.

Resorts often feel one-size-fits-all, disconnected from passion-driven lifestyles, or overly transactional.

Insight

Through trend analysis, hospitality research, and behavioral analysis, we identified a tension in luxury family travel: highly active families feel forced to compromise when planning vacations. Families don’t just want amenities, they want alignment. They desire vacations that reflect who they are.

63% of affluent travelers seek unique outdoor experiences post COVID, and 58% of upscale family travelers want educational experiences for their children.

And for many affluent and active households in the United States, equestrian culture is something that connects and unites the entire family, as 1.5 to 2 million households in the United States own horses.

Equestrian tourism is emerging as a high-growth niche within experiential travel, as the global equestrian tourism market is valued at $8.9 billion and projected to grow at a 4.9% CAGR through 2035. 

Our Solution

Introducing, Aikenwood Resort & Farm: a modern, equestrian-rooted destination immersed in America’s horse country. Aikenwood blends immersive outdoor recreation, wellness driven programming, and refined hospitality into one seamless experience.

The resort provides affluent equestrian enthusiasts with the opportunity to ride, learn, and unwind, and even board their own horses. By centering the resort experience around equestrian culture, Aikenwood stands out in the hospitality industry by providing something rare in the luxury space: passion-based hospitality. 

Hotels with a high focus on in-destination experiences see dramatically higher revenue per room — up to 262% more than hotels that don’t prioritize experiences.

Justification

Our hospitality concept stands out as it eliminates the trade-off between indulgence and enrichment, aligns with the identity of affluent, active families, and taps into a fast-growing experiential travel segment. This concept also proves profitable, as it creates multiple revenue streams through events, memberships, seasonal programming, and horse boarding. In doing so, Aikenwood Resort & Farm doesn’t just respond to where hospitality is headed, it sets a new standard for what luxury travel can be through the introduction of a passion-centered, experience-based resort.