Brand USA Invites Luxury Travelers to Discover Authentic Experiences Across the USA
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (September 9, 2026) — Brand USA is showcasing the breadth of luxury travel experiences available across the United States, from its vast wilderness and legendary cities to its extraordinary culinary talent and some of the world’s most recognizable hotels. Increasingly, however, the country’s most compelling luxury experiences are about something harder to buy: privacy, access, and the feeling of being somewhere few other travelers can reach. America is, after all, a land forged by the pioneering spirit.
That spirit still shows up in a handful of exceptional, unconventional stays — private desert camps, storied family estates, remote islands. But increasingly, it also appears behind the scenes after the doors close, when a famous chef cooks for you, while a guide escorts you through the backcountry. Time has always been a luxury, but access to truly American experiences you can only touch, taste, and witness alongside in-the-know insiders can be just as indulgent, gratifying, and memorable.
“Across the USA, luxury is increasingly defined not only by where travelers stay, but by the access, personalization and sense of place they experience along the way. From authentic, only-in-the-USA moments to bespoke journeys tailored to individual passions, destinations coast to coast offer extraordinary opportunities to connect more deeply with our people, landscapes, and culture,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of Brand USA.
From the wilderness of the American West to the cultural capitals of the East Coast and so many places in between, luxury travel in the United States is now rarer, more personal, and increasingly impossible to replicate anywhere else in the world. Here are a handful of places that deliver on the high-end traveler’s American dream.
PRIVATE ACCESS: MUSEUMS, LANDMARKS & HISTORIC SITES
America’s cultural institutions are following a pattern already well established in Europe: selling not just the art, but the absence of a crowd around it. Book your own guide and world-class museums are yours to amble through alone.
MoMA Private Before/After-Hours Tours | Midtown Manhattan, New York City
MoMA’s private-tour program, run directly by the museum rather than a third-party operator, opens the galleries an hour before the public arrives or an hour after they leave. Each group — of up 25 people — enters through a private door rather than the main lobby and gets a professional art historian entirely to itself. And this behind-the-scenes, away-from-the-crowds bucket-list experience is a bargain, ranging from $1,100 to $1,400 for the entire party.
Private Masters Tours of the Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois
Explore the highlights of this legendary, 300,000-piece collection with a private guide. Guests can stand before Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte and view works by Monet, Renoir, Picasso and van Gogh without the usual crowds. The tour also includes American icons such as Grant Wood’s American Gothic and Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. Private access offers a more intimate way to experience one of the country’s premier art collections.
Alcatraz Behind the Scenes | San Francisco, California
Alcatraz’s Behind the Scenes experience takes a limited number of visitors beyond the main cellhouse into tunnels, former workspaces and other areas not included on the standard route. The tour is led by a National Park Service ranger and extends into the evening, when the regular day-trip crowds have left the island and San Francisco’s skyline is beginning to light up across the bay.
CHEF-LED TABLES & BUCKET-LIST FOOD FESTIVALS
For culinary travelers who measure a trip by the sheer exclusivity of its dining, these high-water-mark experiences turn a meal into narrative theater. From six-seat private omakase counters and open-fire feasts to VIP access at premier food festivals, these table bookings offer rare, personal face time with the most visionary chefs and winemakers cooking in America.
Kira Omakase | New Orleans, Louisiana
Tucked beside the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, Kira Omakase offers a six-seat, 20-course experience from chef Yoshi Okai, marrying Japanese technique with Gulf seafood and other local ingredients. The tiny scale makes dinner feel like being invited into a chef’s personal dining room. With only six seats, reservations are limited and advance booking is essential.
Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann | Miami Beach, Florida
At the fabulous Faena Miami Beach, Uruguayan star-chef Francis Mallmann’s open-fire kitchen transforms meat, fish, and seasonal produce into a theatrical contemporary asado. He’s one of the most sought-after chefs in the world, yet somehow welcomes guests to experience the heat of the hearth right beside him and his team.
Private Cellar and Vineyard Access | Napa Valley, California
Guests staying at Stanly Ranch, on the southern edge of Napa Valley, can arrange access to places rarely open to the public. Experiences include a private library tasting at Quintessa, or a walk through Donum Estate’s collection of contemporary art alongside its Pinot Noir. Private, chauffeured wine-country tours can also include storied estates such as Far Niente, Stag’s Leap and Domaine Carneros.
Food & Wine Classic | Aspen, Colorado
The Classic returns each June, bringing together 60 chefs, sommeliers, and drinks experts for more than 80 events across three days. What separates it from a standard food festival is its highly limited top ticket tier, called the Summit/Classical Invitational pass. The pass includes the Top of the Mountain party, private tastings, and intimate Saturday-night pop-up dinners that general admission ticket-holders never reach.
Pebble Beach Food & Wine | Monterey, California
Pebble Beach Food & Wine takes place each April at The Inn at Spanish Bay on the Monterey Peninsula. It draws more than 300 chefs, restaurateurs, winemakers, and mixologists across roughly 50 events. Gold and Diamond packages combine accommodations with VIP access to the opening-night reception, invite-only after-parties and intimate dinners with James Beard Award winners and Michelin-recognized chefs.
James Beard House | New York City
The James Beard Foundation’s historic Greenwich Village townhouse, where Beard lived, taught and cooked, hosts guest-chef dinners throughout the year. A featured chef from a nationally or internationally recognized restaurant prepares a five-course tasting menu with wine pairings, served family-style in what was once Beard’s own living quarters. Guests can visit the basement kitchen and hear directly from the chef following the meal.
EXCEPTIONAL RETREATS
The strongest American properties remain those offering something no chain hotel can manufacture — namely, total privacy, exclusive buyouts, and a sense of place with real provenance. So go ahead and build a remarkable trip around some of these spectacular stays.
The Point | Saranac Lake, New York
Built in the Adirondack Mountains as a private retreat for the Rockefeller family, The Point combines Gilded Age elegance with pristine wilderness. The all-inclusive Relais & Châteaux property has just 11 guest accommodations, and the entire estate can be reserved exclusively, including the period Pub, recreational facilities, and timber relaxation spaces. In winter, guests can explore the Adirondacks by cross-country ski or snowshoe, then return for fireside cocktails and dinner — with the chance to dine outdoors on the frozen lake when conditions allow. In summer, activities include boating, fishing and relaxing beside the lake.
The Ranch at Rock Creek | Philipsburg, Montana
The Ranch at Rock Creek delivers a remarkably polished take on the American West, set in a secluded Montana valley. Spread across 10 square miles, the Forbes Five-Star guest ranch combines timber-and-stone buildings, private cabins, and glamping tents with the service of an all-inclusive country estate. Guest can horseback ride, fly-fish, and visit the spa, while winter brings skiing, snowshoeing and fat biking.
Blackberry Farm | Walland, Tennessee
In the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm has built an entire luxury experience around Southern hospitality and authentic pastoral living. Its 4,200 acres combine intimate accommodations with celebrated cuisine, wine, outdoor activities, and programming featuring visiting chefs, winemakers, musicians, and artists.
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort | Kaʻūpūlehu, Hawaiʻi Island
Kona Village first opened in 1965 on the site of an abandoned fishing village, becoming a barefoot-luxury favorite for its cluster of thatched-roof hale along Kahuwai Bay. The March 2011 tsunami swept the resort away, and the land sat dormant for more than a decade. The reimagined resort, which opened in 2023, spans 81 acres of volcanic coastline with 150 standalone hale ranging from 600-square-foot bungalows to a four-bedroom, 6,500-square-foot oceanfront suite with its own pool. One holdover survived the rebuild: the Shipwreck Bar, built around a restored schooner and now serving cocktails and sushi on the beach. The dress code is effectively barefoot, but the experience is anything but casual.
Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve | Dorado, Puerto Rico
Conservationist Laurance S. Rockefeller acquired the former plantation in 1958 and developed it as one of his original RockResorts, with no building rising above the palm trees. The Ritz-Carlton Reserve opened as the brand’s first Reserve property in the Americas. Today, it spans 50 beachfront acres, with 100 ocean-facing accommodations and personal butlers, known as embajadores. The historic Rockefeller Nature Trail still runs through the property, and Su Casa — the original plantation house, now roughly 8,000 square feet with four bedrooms and a private pool — remains the resort’s most storied address.
Lovango Resort + Beach Club | Lovango Cay, U.S. Virgin Islands
Reachable only by boat, Lovango occupies a private 40-acre island. The resort runs on solar and wind power and uses its own desalination system. Its accommodations range from glamping tents to elevated treehouses to a three-bedroom private villa with its own pool. Guests can snorkel alongside the coral restoration work conducted with the University of the Virgin Islands, turning a luxe beach holiday into a getaway to feel good about.
WILD BY DESIGN: PRIVATELY GUIDED PARKS & WILDERNESS
The standard national park experience is giving way to something closer to a managed expedition. Book a private guide and your pace, permits, and privacy are guaranteed.
Utah’s Mighty Five Parks | Utah
Utah’s five national parks — Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion — encompass some of the American West’s most dramatic landscapes. Private operators like Utah Luxury Tours build fully custom itineraries through all five at a guest’s own pace, adding slot-canyon canyoneering, backcountry Jeep routes, and detours built around your specific interests, including Native American history and Western film locations in Monument Valley. Travelers can stay at Camp Sarika at Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah, set amid 900 acres of dramatic red-rock wilderness, with just 10 spacious tented pavilions, each with a private pool, fire pits, plus indoor-outdoor living and dining areas.
Grand Canyon With a Navajo Guide | Page, Arizona
Sacred Edge Tours is a Navajo-owned and -operated outfitter based in Page, Arizona, offering private 4×4 trips to the canyon’s East Rim. By Jeep, travelers exchange the standard overlook for an uncrowded view of the Colorado River while learning from a guide sharing Navajo history and the cultural significance of the land. Want to get in some thrills? Step into one of Papillon’s helicopters and float above (and into) America’s deepest and widest holes.
Maine’s Lost Coast | Casco Bay, Maine
Casco Bay Custom Charters, based in Portland, Maine, runs fully customizable trips on classic wooden vessels past the islands and lighthouses of Casco Bay. The operator partners with Portland chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti of Chaval and The Ugly Duckling to incorporate locally inspired food and drink into the day on the water. Further Downeast, small operators in Bar Harbor and Penobscot Bay offer similar private access to islands and lighthouses not reachable any other way.
AMERICA BY RAIL
For international travelers seeking the ultimate American journey, cross-country rail offers rare access to the country’s vast, untamed interior. Whether hitching a private, fully staffed vintage car to standard passenger routes or boarding luxury express trains through red-rock canyons, these multi-day itineraries turn the classic American road trip into a seamless, high-end expedition.
Halloway Private Rail Cars | American West
Launched in January 2026, Halloway offers exclusive-use luxury railcar journeys through the landscapes of the American West, attaching restored vintage cars to regularly scheduled Amtrak trains. A private chef prepares all meals onboard, and the experience includes housekeeping, laundry, and nightly turndown. One current route runs overnight from San Francisco to Denver, climbing through the Sierra Nevada and the high deserts of Nevada and Utah before finishing in the Rockies.
Canyon Spirit | Colorado and Utah
Canyon Spirit offers two- and three-day luxury rail journeys between Denver, Moab and Salt Lake City, traveling through the red-rock landscapes of the American Southwest. The route includes remote stretches of the Colorado River accessible only by train, with overnight hotel stays in Glenwood Springs and Moab. Travelers can upgrade to the Premier experience, which includes an exclusive lounge car, elevated dining, signature cocktails and an additional outdoor viewing area.
Alaska Railroad GoldStar Service | Alaska
Alaska Railroad’s premium GoldStar Service is available aboard the Coastal Classic between Anchorage and Seward and the Denali Star between Anchorage and Fairbanks. Bi-level glass-dome railcars offer panoramic views of Alaska’s mountains, rivers and remote backcountry, along with an upper-level outdoor viewing platform that is the only one of its kind in the world. The experience also includes meals in a full-service dining room, beverages and onboard narration from an Alaskan tour guide.
THE SPORTING LIFE
Beyond standard grandstand seats and crowded concourses lies a discreet universe of ultra-prime sports spectating.
VIP Access at the Masters Golf Tournament | Augusta, Georgia
While general ticket holders line up for concession-stand pimento cheese sandwiches, limited Map & Flag badges grant VIP visitors access to an exclusive air-conditioned facility with a private garden and more than 80 high-def screens just outside the gates. Golf fans enjoy unlimited chef-driven dining, from raw bars to chilled lobster rolls alongside premium open bars. Each weekly pass includes guaranteed tournament entry, dedicated concierge service, and valet parking.
A Box and a Hat at the Kentucky Derby | Louisville, Kentucky
Churchill Downs elevates high-end race-day hospitality across two distinct VIP venues. Turf Club offers fine dining, private wagering parlors, and sweeping home-stretch views. The newer Club SI offers floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the saddling stalls and private trackside rail access. Both spaces include white-glove concierge service, culinary offerings, and private betting amenities. Head over to Formé Millinery first for your requisite (and keepsake) hats and fascinators.
Premier Access to the US Open | Queens, New York
Inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, the US Open has unveiled two dedicated luxury suite levels alongside The Blue Room, a reimagined club-level space. The makeover marks the first phase of a multi-year expansion that will introduce nine premium hospitality clubs by 2027. None of these spaces are secret, but securing entry requires booking through official USTA channels or via On Location, the tournament’s official travel and hospitality partner.
TRANSFORMATIVE WELLNESS
America’s premier retreats draw on vast domestic landscapes, from private Hudson Valley estates to high-altitude Rocky Mountain basins, combining rigorous physical conditioning, advanced clinical diagnostic testing, and door-to-door private aviation.
Golden Door | San Marcos, California
For more than six decades, Golden Door has offered an intensely personalized approach to wellness at its 600-acre Southern California retreat. Its all-inclusive programs combine individual fitness, mindfulness, spa treatments, hiking, and organic nutrition for just 40 guests at a time. The Golden Flight program in partnership with private jet operator Latitude 33 Aviation, includes private air travel in a customized cabin with Golden Door’s signature elixirs, organic broth, and guided virtual meditations. Talk about a transformation before you’ve even hit land.
The Ranch Hudson Valley | Sloatsburg, New York
Just an hour from New York City, The Ranch Hudson Valley offers a highly structured retreat on a private lakefront estate. Programs run three, four, or seven nights and combine hiking, strength training, restorative yoga, daily massage, and plant-forward cuisine across just 26 private guest rooms. The point is immersion rather than indulgence, which means that days are structured, you always keep moving, and you’ll leave measurably improved.
Canyon Ranch’s Longevity8 | Texas Hill Country and Tucson, Arizona
Opening October 15, 2026, Canyon Ranch Austin brings the wellness brand to more than 600 acres of Texas Hill Country overlooking Lake Travis. The property combines whole-person health, dedicated women’s wellness, and advanced clinical programming. The new retreat builds on the foundation established at Canyon Ranch’s Tucson flagship. There, the Longevity8 program offers an intensive, multi-day retreat built around eight core health pillars, featuring 18 one-on-one specialist consultations and diagnostics tracking more than 200 biomarkers.
From private railcars and after-hours museum access to chef’s tables and national parks explored with a ranger to yourself, the USA is proving that its rarest luxuries were never just about where you sleep. Learn more and plan your trip today at VisitTheUSA.com/luxury.
