Editor's Letter: Home for the Holidays

Where has the year gone? It’s a refrain I’ve heard in every ballroom, boardroom and hotel lobby these past few months — usually delivered with equal parts exhaustion and disbelief. Let’s be honest: 2025 hasn’t been a banner year for everyone. The news cycle felt like a treadmill set a little too fast, and many of you navigated challenges that no glossy brochure could sugarcoat.

Cameron Sperance
(Luxury Travel Advisor)

And yet, here we are still showing up, still dreaming big and still elevating the extraordinary. For Luxury Travel Advisor, that spirit has defined our 20th anniversary year, which also happened to be my first at the helm. A new guard, a new voice and a new look have all arrived, but our mission remains unchanged. If anything, it’s only sharpened.

I’m deeply grateful to everyone I’ve met on the road since January … and just as excited to meet the many of you still on my list. Your generosity, candor and humor have made this whirlwind year feel a little more like home. And speaking of bright spots, you showed up for us. Traffic across the LTA ecosystem climbed significantly this year, proof that even in a complicated travel landscape, the appetite for trusted insight hasn’t waned. Thank you for that.

Before we all attempt to shut our laptops and step into whatever version of “festive mode” awaits — eggnog optional — I hope you’ll savor the stories in this holiday issue. I channeled my inner Nancy Meyers and decamped to the Cotswolds just before Thanksgiving, where Accor officially launched The Emblems Collection with Lucknam Park. Our cover feature with Maud Bailly, CEO of The Emblems Collection, and Accor CEO Sébastien Bazin is a highlight — and, fine, I’ll say it: a must-read for those curious on the launch of this new ultra-luxury brand.

Elsewhere, correspondent Albert Stumm digs into the quietly thrilling culinary scene in Loch Ness and Northern Scotland. Editor-at-large Melissa Klurman offers a dreamy guide to destination weddings, and senior cruise editor Susan J. Young has your first look at new itineraries shaping 2026 and beyond.

If you don’t close this issue with at least a few Santa-worthy getaway ideas, we haven’t been doing our jobs. Thank you for being part of our story — and for letting us be part of yours.

Here’s to a joyful holiday season and a bright, inspired 2026. Cheers.