The millennial tour provider Intrepid Travel plans to open 15 hotels
Australia-based tour company Intrepid Travel is getting into the hotel business, it announced this week.
A popular provider of immersive tours with an emphasis on adventure and sustainability, Intrepid aims to open 15 hotels across Australia and New Zealand over the next four years before, hopefully, branching out to popular destinations in Asia, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
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Teaming up with Drifter Hospitality Group, the new properties will be called “Drifter — an Intrepid Hotel” and offer a mix of private and hostel-style shared rooms in urban locations focused on attracting millennial travelers. The hotels will also feature on-site restaurants and bars designed to cater to the same demographic, alongside cultural attractions. The hotels, it seems, are geared toward the same types of younger travelers who already book Intrepid trips from Alaska to Peru and beyond.
To get there, Drifter and Intrepid are working to snatch up closed or distressed hotels across the two countries, with initial plans to raise roughly $56 million to open the first 15 properties. Four hotels, according to Skift, are slated to open in 2022 with Brisbane, Australia, and Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand in the first wave.
If all goes according to plan, approximately $375 million will be raised for its future expansion into Asia.
As the Sydney Morning Herald reported, Intrepid booked over 1 million hotel rooms for travelers in 2019, but that doesn’t mean these new hotels will be used exclusively for tours. In fact, James Thorton, Intrepid’s CEO, told Skift that they’re “more about the attraction of a new customer.”
Intrepid isn’t the only well-known lifestyle brand expanding into the hotel space. Earlier this year, the travel booking site Kayak opened its first Kayak-branded hotel in Miami, leveraging its loyal customer base and sheer brand power to create a physical space for a digital brand.
Similarly, the wellness brand Equinox, which has luxury gyms around the world, opened a fitness-centric hotel in New York City; Luxury retailer Shinola brought its passion for Detroit design to the next level with the Shinola Hotel; and Restoration Hardware, now called RH, is opening a series of guesthouses in New York and Aspen.
While we wait for more solid details about the new Intrepid Hotels, most of us don’t need to feel too rushed to make travel plans. Opening dates for the properties are still a mystery and both Australia as well as New Zealand remain closed to tourists.
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- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
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Rewards Rate
6X | 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. |
4X | 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. |
2X | 2x points on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.Earn 125,000 points75,000 pointsAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is a stacked card with a rewards rate that will help you earn bonus points on everyday and business-related purchases. You'll earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, and receive automatic Gold elite status. Finally, the free night award certificate with a redemption level of 35,000 points or less can get you hundreds of dollars in potential value each year.Pros
- 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping
- 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
- Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
- Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines
Cons
- Airline points transfer ratios are poor
- Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
- Terms apply.