Relais & Chateaux eyes younger clientelle

It’s a marketing strategy that may prove challenging at a brand where the average age of the typical hotel guest has been 50. The group claims it’s making a few inroads, having dropped the average age of its clientele to 47 over the last few years.

But when most of the properties come at rates beyond the means of many young adults who’ve only been in the workforce for a few years, how do you generate brand loyalty and keep it?

This year, the group is offering a 30 percent discount to guests visiting properties in Paris and the Champagne region in France who are under the age of 30.

Relais & Chateaux members are often historic or heritage landmarks like castles or manors, set in some of the most bucolic areas in the world. Hotels are admitted based on factors such as ‘charm’ and ‘character,’ while terroir, or ‘the taste of the land,’ is given high importance for restaurants.

The company has recently launched 14 Creation Gift Boxes that start at €169 for 2 people. The boxes are good for 3-course meals and overnight stays at Relais & Chateaux properties around the world.