India, Feb. 18 -- Somewhere along the way, luxury travel stopped being about infinity pools and towering breakfast spreads. It stopped trying to impress everyone in the room. Instead, it began asking a different question: who is actually in the room?

Today, luxury is less about excess and more about access. Not just where you stay, but whether you are allowed to stay there at all.

Algorithm-friendly travel is everywhere. The same photogenic villas. The same sunset decks. The same viral tablescapes. But true exclusivity has quietly moved offline. The real flex now is not visibility. It is restriction.

The most coveted stays are the ones that are hardest to book. Some ask you to apply. Some require a referral. Some share their address on...