Belmond Embraces 'Slow Luxury'

On Experience

Colin Nagy is a marketing strategist and writes on customer-centric experiences and innovation across the luxury sector, hotels, aviation, and beyond. You can read all of his writing here.

In a world of hyper-scale and global flag-planting for luxury brands, Belmond is taking a contrarian approach. The brand, known for its collection of hotels, trains, river cruises, and safari camps, is leaning into a style of luxury that is more deliberate and connected with its history. 

The ethos is "slow luxury,” explained Belmond’s CEO Dan Ruff. It’s about commitment to mindfulness – and not cutting corners. 

"Slow luxury is about celebrating luxury craftsmanship, valuing time, and experiential richness," said Ruff. It's a philosophy that Belmond has tried to build into its operations, from depressurized and intentionally slower journeys aboard its trains to the cultural programming at its  hotels. 

Ruff told me that Belmond’s trains, like the storied Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, do more than ferry passengers from point A to B: They serve as moving monuments to the brand’s heritage and values. 

Ruff sees t