Hello,
This is my first post on Wordcraft. I have been looking through this forum and I'm impressed with everyone's intelligence and creativity with words. I live in NYC and I am about to start a tour business. I am going to take tourists throughout NYC and photograph their experiences. I will present them with photos at the end of their stay. One of the ideas I have is to offer a tour package that is luxurious. The sky is the limit. Yet, I can not, for some reason, call this the "Luxury Tour". The word "luxury" is overused, connotes snobbishness and conspicuous consumption. It sounds cheesy and tacky. What I can not do is come up with an alternative word to luxury. All of the synonyms I've looked up do not fit the bill either. I am hoping that everyone here at Wordcraft could help me with a word that signifies luxury but is more discrete and sounds nice phonetically. The best I've come with is the "Lux Tour" or "X Tour". I really don't like these however. I don't like the words "platinum" or "diamond" either. If you can all help me, I would appreciate it. The word doesn't even have to make sense really. I like the ideas that 2 guys in the Bronx made ice cream and came up with the name "Haagen Dazs". It means nothing but it is now a ubiquitous word like Kleenex. I just can't figure out how to say "luxury" without sounding cheesy.

Welcome, Hal!

What about 'Cadillac Tour'? You might even be able to persuade a local dealership to provide cars in exchange for the naming.

Prestige Tours
Cachet Tours
Eminence Tours
Opulence Tours


Does the winner get a free tour in your new business?

Good luck with your venture.

Thanks guys for your input so far. You certainly have come up with better words than myself. Would you call people on this site, "wordsmiths"? To me, this seems like what you all are. So smart and creative. In regards to the tour names, I am afraid I could get sued by Cadillac if I used their name. Bob, your effort was noble, for sure, but none of them really stand out to me. Perhaps "Prestige" rolls off the tongue best but it is not quite there. Sounds a little too snooty like the word "luxury". There has got to be some other word. Do you all see the conundrum I'm in? I thought of the word "impact" also, but I am not convinced of this either. Sure, whoever comes up with a name will get a free photo tour if they make it to NYC. How's that? : ) In the meantime, I'm finding this task impossible.

By the way, here is a snippet about how the word "luxury" is overused. I totally agree-

By Robert Frank

A number of Web outfits have picked up on a fascinating speech given by New York-based luxury expert Andrew Sacks to the Leading Hotels of the World annual conference held in Monte Carlo. His talk was about about connecting with the wealthy, and the overuse of the term “luxury.” I’ve been harping on this myself: Is anyone else tired of seeing “luxury” slapped on everything from cellphones to toilet paper?

The trouble for high-end marketers is how to market luxury in an age when the term has become meaningless.

I called Mr. Sacks and got a copy of the full speech, which I knew would have some answers. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Beware of That Word: “There are some words that simply get worn out. Like anything else, there is a natural lifespan to language — the word ‘luxury’ is the grand offender of the last several years.” That word is now, he says, “a descriptor that is highly suspicious to the very people to whom it is designed to appeal — the affluent.”

So what to do?

2. Respect Your Customer: “They have earned their money, they are smart and they are demanding. But they are also regular people — usually. The wealthy got that way by being good stewards of a business and of a dollar. Respect their respect for money.”

In other words, if you price it high, deliver high value.

3. Use Their Personal Networks: Word of mouth is the real driver of sales among the rich, Mr. Sacks says. “The power of personal networks can be far more important than advertising,” he says, adding (and this is the most-important point of all) “give your customers a good experience with things they can talk about and they will.”

So in other words, if you want to sell to the rich, deliver true luxury. Just don’t use the word.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Hal,

Fine Line Tours
Smart Line Tours
Top Line Tours

Esprit Tours
Paragon Tours

Foreign words for luxury (from Google Translate)

luxe tours (dutch)
luksus tours (Danish)
luho tours (Filipino)
Moethus tours (Welsh)
Anasa Tours (Swahili)

for example

Kramer Tours

Maybe that one is copyrighted, though 8-)

It seems to me that luxury once meant the same as lechery. See here:http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=luxury Maybe not the image you seek, but then...

And welcome to Wordcraft!

Geoff

Kramer Tours? Well now, that is unusual. Why? At least it is thinking outside of the box. Please guys, I believe in your brilliance. Think of a word that signifies luxury without saying it and that sounds hip, cutting edge, and phonetically flows off the tongue like butter. Isn't there something. Hmm, I wonder what Cormac McCarthy would come up with.

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Given the aim of your enterprise, what about Photour? Or maybe Lenscape?
As for what Cormac McCarthy would call it, I'm afraid it would be something like Bloody Pavement[b or [b]The Crash]. Not the right image!

quote:

Originally posted by Geoff:
Given the aim of your enterprise, what about Photour? Or maybe Lenscape?
As for what Cormac McCarthy would call it, I'm afraid it would be something like Bloody Pavement or The Crash. Not the right image!

Touche! You are right about Cormac McCarthy. Language is his mind is just pure fire. I often think of writing but for me McCarthy is the gold standard. My understanding of the english language is plebeian compared to his. You are getting warmer in your ideas. How to connote luxury without actually saying it? This is impossible.

Welcome, Hal! It's always nice to see someone new here.

quote:

I am afraid I could get sued by Cadillac

In the U.S., absolutely! Remember, arnie, who came up with it, is from England. They aren't nearly as sue happy as we Americans are.

I actually like "luxury tour," and it would appeal to me. But it sounds like it's off the table.

"Kick-Ass Tour" just isn't sophisticated enough, is it?

I rather like the "Epicaricacy Tour" (taking pleasure in the fact that everyone else is so jealous that you are taking this amazing tour), but the problem would be that no one, except for Wordcrafters of course, would get the name.

There's always "Top of the Line," but how hackneyed. The same goes with the "Best of the Best."

I checked Google's translator, and one of the French translations for "luxury" was "de luxe," which isn't at all bad. However, I'd check that out with a French speaking person first.

That's all I've got.

I rather liked Bob's "Opulence Tours." That would attract me I (though, remember, I also like "Luxury Tours" so maybe you don't want my opinion!).

How about "The Cadillac of tours", then? See the Language Log article on this snowclone. Or, to update the snowclone a little perhaps, "The Lexus of Tours", as is suggested in the comments to the LL post.

Just don't go with alliteration or you might end up with "The Trabant of Tours".

Thanks Kalleh for the welcome. Yes, I really want your ideas. You are clearly thinking about this and I welcome the effort. I think though, that you see the bind that I am in. I'm really not that much of a word person myself, but so far, I'm holding my own in the discussion about "the perfect word". It is actually entertaining and educational. I almost feel like, by default, I'm going to have to call it the "luxury tour" or "lux tour". What do you guys think of the "X Tour"? Like Haagen Dazs, it doesn't mean anything per se, but it signifies something unique from a visual perspective. By the way, I have tried to pronounce "epicaricacy" several times now and have failed. : )

O.K. so what about-
X Tour?
Lotus Tour?
Paragon Tour? (thanks Bob)
Luxe Tour?
Yurlux Tour?

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You might run into the same problem with Lotus as with Cadillac.

You Go tours? Seriously, now, Versailles connotes opulence and luxury without being hackneyed, IMHO.

quote:

Kramer Tours? Well now, that is unusual. Why?

You're in New York and don't know Seinfeld?

Hey, you could post a poll...and we could vote on them.

I like Paragon, but I must confess that I don't like "X Tour."

Kalleh, yes, I would like to start a poll. The problem is that I don't like any of these words. How did Kleenex get to be the word for tissue? The word, "Kleenex" is just genius to me. There has got to be something the connotes luxury too. Something that will hit you over the head and be that aha moment. So far, my favorite, just by default, is "Luxe Tour". It is still too off-the-shelf but it looks vaguely interesting. If I could get just 5 really strong words then I would love to start a poll here. By the way, Proofreader, I got what you meant by Kramer, but Kramer signifies zanniness with a whiff of rascism to me. Not such a good idea for a luxury tour. You get the most points for creativity though. I laughed.

Oh, by the way, someone at work tonight suggested using a photography or camera term that signifies excellence or the best-of-the-best. I thought it was an interesting suggestion.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Hal,

Well, then. We'll have to come up with more words, won't we? Since none of these wonderful words works, we clearly need a better concept of what you want. I am thinking classy, elegant, ritzy, posh, swank, and luxurious. Is that right?

As an aside, Apple seems to be excellent at coming up with perfect words for their products. For example, with their new iPhone, they call their screen the "Retina display", and then they have this really cool picture of an eye.

OK, Lens Flair.

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
Well, then. We'll have to come up with more words, won't we? Since none of these wonderful words works, we clearly need a better concept of what you want. I am thinking classy, elegant, ritzy, posh, swank, and luxurious. Is that right?

As an aside, Apple seems to be excellent at coming up with perfect words for their products. For example, with their new iPhone, they call their screen the "Retina display", and then they have this really cool picture of an eye.

Yes that is right! But if gobbledeegoo sounds swank and luxurious to you, then that should be on the table for discussion. The most important thing is to signify luxury but to also be discrete about it. I don't want to luxury to be a red Ferrari screaming down the road but more like a 1957 Aston Martin, or a martini; shaken, not stirred.

That is too funny. Just last week I was talking to my colleagues about the brilliance of Apple advertising. I mentioned exactly what you said about their new "retina display" in the new iPhone 4G. It is actually an OLED (organic light emitting diode) display which is newish technology but several companies are using it now. As usual, the brilliance of Apple is how they take a not-so-sexy name and trademark it with a brilliant name of their own. Apple must have a whole team of people just sitting around thinking about words to use for their products.

How about a slightly punning variation

Lap of Luxury Tours

quote:

Lap of Luxury Tours

Perhaps the camera angle (pun intended) could be emphasised? Lens of Luxury Tours? Luxury Lens Tours?

I'm think I should at least give you an idea of what my homepage is going to look like. This may help spark some more creative ideas. If Apple can come up with all of their brilliant ideas, I know that Wordcraft can equal them. Thanks so far.

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Two more thoughts...

Luxapalooza!

or

Extravaganza!

"The bigger apple" tours

I'm wondering if we could work Johnny Appleseed in this some way, NY being the big apple and all.

O.K. There are going to be three tour options and I have the names for the first two. The first tour will be called the "Snapshot Tour". Many people just want snapshots taken of them during their tour. The second tour is going to be the "New Yorker Tour". This tour will involve taking more candid photos of people. They will blend into the scenes of New York and the photos will have a more artistic and natural looking bent. So you guys are on the mark as far as incorporating "New York" into the name. The thing is, is that is already a part of the tour package. The last tour, the "Luxe Tour" (need a new name) will be for those who want the best-of-the-best. Helicopter tours, boating on the Hudson, the sky is the limit.

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Now we're getting somewhere!
What about something like "Portfolio Tour" or "Image-Ination Tour".

Get the idea of quality photography into it.

Hal, are you stil around? What did you decide?