Hotel Luxury Trends Bring Local Scents, Diamond Facials

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It's January; it's dark early, and it's ice cold in most of the U.S.

You know what that means, right? A trip to warmer climes, and maybe to a luxury resort.

If you're urban and hip, you may already be aware that styles are changing in the high-end resort world. But if you're not -- or if you're just not sure -- Hawkins International Public Relations, a New York promotional agency, has some "ins" and "outs" for high-end hotel travelers in 2013.

Let's start at the top -- with cocktails, of course:

Out: Drinks before dinner
In: Drinks in your dinner

Hawkins says that the trend for '13 is for hotel and resort bars to merge food and alcohol and create some "tasty" beverages. At the Fusion Bar & Restaurant at the Gallery Hotel Art in Florence, chefs are serving up a Miso Bull cocktail that features Stolischnaya Vodka and schochu stirred with miso soup and seasoned with Bloody Mary dressing. Or how about a Caligula-like Bloody Mary garnished with a pair of cheeseburger sliders? That's on the menu at Smak Bar at Hotel Madeline Telluride.

Out: Grass-fed beef and local poultry
In: Local wild game dishes

Texas cattle barons won't like it, but U.S. resort kitchens are leaving the barbecue behind and focusing on wild game from local areas to pop on their guest's tabletops. At the Arizona-based Enchantment Resort, chefs are serving up plates of elk loin, veal cheeks and buffalo tenderloin from nearby wildlife areas. Meanwhile, at Florida's Sawgrass Marriott, the kitchen staff are offering up alligator tail culled from the Everglades.

Out: Nondescript flower aromas
In: Signature local aromas

It's all about "scent memory" in hotel lobbies, Hawkins notes, and the emphasis now is on local aromas over scents airlifted in from foreign lands. The brand new Marti Istanbul Hotel is offering guests an olfactory experience blended with white tea and other calming fragrances. At the Caribbean-based Rosewood Spa, a local apothecary has created a blend of fresh lemongrass, allspice, bay pimento and a hint of rosewood called Jumby Bay that wafts over the entire resort. At the Hotel Vermont in Burlington, local Vermont honey, beeswax and organic wildflowers are mixed at a local apothecary and sent back to the hotel for the guest's enjoyment.

Out: Seaweed facials
In: Facials featuring gold, diamonds and other precious metals

Pricey commodities such as gold and diamonds in your facial? That's the deal at the Sasanqua Spa on Kiawah Island. It's a process called diamond-dermabrasion, which helps repair sun-damaged skin and the onslaught of old age.

Other new "ins" include stand-up Pilates on paddleboards and in-room personal training sessions.