Conspicuous consumption and lavish luxury hotels are no longer in vogue with travellers, a leading hotel executive said.

Marriott International President Arne Sorenson said top hotels with $1 000-a-night (about R7 000) room rates and extravagant Caribbean resorts may face a tougher recovery than the rest of the travel industry.

"The most over-the-top excesses will probably be a long time - if ever - coming back," he told a travel summit.

He drew a distinction between these hotels and the typical Ritz-Carlton luxury hotels the company operates. Marriott's other brands include its namesake properties and Courtyards.

Sorenson added that some projects in the Caribbean, which tend to be smaller and partly rely on residences, "may never come back" because they rely on the kind of lavish conspicuous consumption that is no longer popular with travellers. - Reuters