In 2026, luxury is transformative. Your discerning clients are not just seeking a getaway, they are seeking a “glowcation,” a system reset they can feel in their bones. They are trading busy marble lobbies for deep sleep under unobstructed stars, thread counts for soul-deep restoration and Michelin-starred credentials for the quiet, intimate luxury of feeling truly seen. This is deep luxury that is felt, not flaunted.
Research from Virtuoso, Classic Vacations and Expedia confirms the shift. Affluent travelers prioritize intentionality over itinerary, and genuine experience over performative opulence. A successful trip doesn’t mean "where did you go?" but "how did it make you feel."
Here’s what that looks like in 2026:
- Frontier Elegance - Luxe clients are trading the Amalfi Coast for rugged, remote luxury in untouched landscapes.
- Private Estates Over Hotel Suites - Families and groups are choosing staffed, private villas where they control the schedule, the menu and the guest list.
- Wellness as the Core Purpose - We are well past spa days. Think sleep optimization, forest bathing, altitude therapy, biohacking retreats and longevity protocols woven into the stay.
- Hyper-Personalization - Cookie-cutter five-star treatments fall flat. Clients pay a premium to feel seen as individuals, to be remembered, known and anticipated.
- Shoulder Season is the New Peak - Traveling in July is now considered "amateur." True luxury travelers are booking May or October to avoid overtourism and secure a more authentic connection with locals.
- Regenerative Travel - Purposeful luxury means aligning values with choices. Supporting local communities, leaving destinations better than you found them. Sustainability is no longer a constraint. It is the deepest form of privilege.
Big Bear: Where New Luxury Finds Its Home
I have spent the last year scouting California's quiet gems, and Big Bear's evolution into a world-class wellness destination is undeniable. While Malibu and Ojai have long held the spotlight, a new pinnacle of Californian luxury is rising 6,750 feet above sea level.
Just hours from SoCal, Big Bear offers the rare combination of accessibility and seclusion. The destination is close enough for an easy drive, but remote enough to feel like another world. The altitude itself becomes a wellness feature. Fresh alpine air changes how deeply visitors breathe. Pine-lined trails naturally regulate the nervous system and time spent in nature does what no spa menu can replicate. This is biophilic luxury at its purest. Heart rates slow, shoulders drop and your whole body understands: this is what I needed.
Unlike over-crowded destinations where luxury means competing for the best table or the last pool cabana, Big Bear retains its authentic mountain-town character while offering sophisticated dining, craft beverages and outdoor adventures genuinely rooted in place. It feels discovered, not staged or saturated. Locally roasted coffee from people who know your name and guides who know the hidden trails and secret viewpoints that never make glossy brochures. Every touchpoint says the same thing: “you belong here.”
Big Bear is built for glow-cations and soulful stays. Every season offers its own conscious indulgence: firelit winter evenings, spring creative retreats, summer sunrise paddles on the lake, fall slow hikes through shifting colors. And on any given night, an unobstructed Milky Way that feels more decadent than any room upgrade on earth.
Sophisticated Stays in Big Bear
Sessions Retreat and The Burgundy Inn exist because owners Frank and Syd saw something missing in mountain hospitality: spaces where wellness, art and authentic community could converge without pretense or manufactured luxury. What they built is hospitality as relationship, not transaction.
Frank greets guests personally, gives impromptu tours and shares Big Bear's best-kept secrets. Guests will find him by the fire pit most evenings, joining conversations and making introductions between strangers who leave as friends. Syd's genius lives in the details. Curated art, Ram Dass books placed in rooms with intention … these thoughtful touches communicate something no review platform can capture: that you were expected, and you are genuinely welcome. Their two pups, Tootsie and Pepper, add to creating an atmosphere that is warmer and more restorative than any welcome I have ever felt.
Their philosophy is value-driven throughout. Always welcoming and environmentally conscious, partnering with Care for Big Bear and using largely thrifted decor to reduce waste. Community-focused in every decision they make. Guests return, refer friends and stay in touch.
Sessions Retreat
What Frank and Syd describe as “a portal between realities,” Sessions Retreat is a funky art playground that connects the modern explorer to Big Bear's natural magic. Wellness, creativity and community are baked into the design. Common areas inspire conversation, while the high-altitude air and forested setting amplify everything: yoga circles, sound baths, journaling sessions and deep connections that don’t need to end when the event does. For wellness collectives, corporate teams chasing flow state or solo travelers on serious soul-repair journeys, Sessions delivers.
The Burgundy Inn
The Burgundy Inn offers guests softer, slower restoration. Retro-meets-modern design, layered with intention and care, turns every corner into a gentle invitation to slow down and breathe. The active renovations are part of the appeal, each room individually crafted, every detail considered. Frank will gladly show visitors the latest completed space if they're curious about the transformation happening in real-time. For couples seeking a regenerative mountain escape, friends planning a nostalgic elevated weekend or solo travelers needing a genuine reset, The Burgundy Inn offers exactly that.
Both properties adapt to the purpose of the trip, which is exactly what deep luxury demands. Glow or calm-cations focused on wellness, wide-open spaces for yoga, meditation and digital detox, plus access to practitioners for breathwork, sound baths or massage. Multi-generational reunions and groups work perfectly at either property thanks to thoughtful layouts that give families shared gathering zones and private retreats. Nature and altitude do more for creative breakthroughs during corporate resets, than any high-rise boardroom ever could. Pre-wedding healing moons, destination micro-weddings, high-altitude athlete intensives … Big Bear has it all.
Travel advisors who sell outcomes instead of itineraries have an edge. Pair Big Bear with either Sessions Retreat or The Burgundy Inn, add a private trail guide, a sound bath practitioner at sunset and end the day with a curated mountain-to-table dinner, and you are not booking a trip, you are offering the cellular reset your clients have been searching for.
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