Monaco - When the Leading Hotels of the World group held its convention  in Monaco, delegates of five-star hotels gasped when Andrew Sacks, a Manhattan-based expert on high-end marketing, declared that luxury was dead.

Before the 420 hoteliers at the convention fainted dead away, Mr. Sacks explained what he meant: the word “luxury” is so overused at this point that it is almost meaningless. Unless hotel operators are specific about selling points, invoking mere word luxury will fail to impress, he said.  " Luxury " has become an over used word, unless you are a hotel for pets.

One way to add value, Mr. Sacks said, is to give more away. Even though wealthy guests can well afford it, don’t charge them for Internet use, bottled water, shoe shines, or laundry service. “Respect their respect for money,” he said.  Value is the new hotel standard.