The Hipsterfication of American Travel

Some, like Fitzgerald, object to the “hipster” moniker. They associate it with those who are slaves to trends, and only adopt particular lifestyles because it’s, well, the hip thing to do. Scott Williams, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Commune Hotels & Resorts  -- parent company to quirky boutique hotel brand Joie de Vivre -- succinctly explains why few hipsters self-identify as such. 


“Hipsters used to be on the fringe; they’re now mainstream, so most people don’t like to be referred to as hipsters or [from] hipster neighborhoods,” he says.


Megan Conway, the Vice President of Communications for Travel Portland, has another definition. “We see hipsters as people who are thoughtful about every aspect of daily life, from clothing to food and music, politics, the environment, community, and more,” she says.


Though “hipster” is undeniably a loaded word, one thing is clear: It is spreading. I think Conway is right in that the term connotes not only a way of dressing, but a way of eating and drinking and living and voting – and, of course, traveling. And Williams is right in that it is going mainstream. The strong reactions the word incites relate to that inherent conflict: How can those who view themselves as on the fringe and trend-defying, also be part of a trend? But it is precisely this embrace of individuality that has become a cultural phenomenon.

Even though not everyone agrees on the definition of “hipster,” its various components seem to have become pervasive. The movement’s scruffy, retro aesthetic, ironic accessorizing, clever branding, and passionate embrace of craft beer, great coffee, and eco-friendliness have invaded dozens of neighborhoods.


Earlier this year, Gawker published the results of a poll that had asked readers to define the “Williamsburg” of their city, in reference to the uber-trendy and undeniably hipster-centric Brooklyn neighborhood. Everyone seemed to have an answer. The article listed the “Williamsburg” for nearly 100 cities, from Lowertown in St. Paul, Minnesota to Haymarket in Lincoln, Nebraska to Avondale in Birmingham, Alabama.


And just as my husband and I, devoted Brooklynites, fell in love with Deep Ellum, other travelers seem to be embracing these destinations. 


“We find that many visitors want to see the city like locals do – they want to get out into neighborhoods and they love it if they discover an area that is on the rise, but hasn't yet been fully developed,” Conway says.


These up-and-coming neighborhoods could be poised for the type of growth seen in Brooklyn and Portland. Fitzgerald – though he bristles at describing Deep Ellum as “hipster” -- recognizes the neighborhood's potential for expansion. “It’s a really hot time. In a year this neighborhood is going to be completely rocking. At that point I suspect we’ll have 20 or 30 more small businesses,” he says.


Identifying the commonalities between these various destinations could positively impact growth. Fitzgerald thinks like-minded communities might be able to band together.


“One of the things that we’ve talked about doing is finding eight or 10 neighborhoods across the world that have the same sort of feel [as Deep Ellum], that are more organic and genuine and facing gentrification,” he says. “It could be that we kind of cross-promote each other. Drive a stake in the ground that says we’re the kind of neighborhoods that need to survive.”

Brooklyn has experienced an influx of lodging options over the last few years, including the hip Wythe Hotel (opened in 2012), and McCarren Hotel & Pool (opened the year before). There were 22 new hotel projects planned for Brooklyn as of January 2014, according to Curbed.com, and Brooklyn launched its own tourism website – ExploreBK.com – earlier this year to help accommodate increasing tourism demand.


Things are looking similarly rosy in Portland, Oregon. Conway says the city saw a rise in hotel occupancy rates and average daily hotel rates from 2012 to 2013, as well as in domestic and international travel through Portland International Airport.


“All of these indicators clearly show an increase in trips to Portland,” she says.

It’s not just tourism boards that are recognizing the appeal of targeting hipsters. One might describe hipsters as individuals who consciously resist the mainstream and the generic, and hotels are increasingly following suit by creating more personalized stays. 


In particular, boutique hotels -- smaller properties that are known for their personalization -- are seeing a rise in popularity. Williams says that the boutique hotel segment is fast developing. “It’s a very large segment that wasn’t out there 15 years ago, or wasn’t legitimized yet. It’s obviously growing at an incredible pace world-wide.”


The Joie de Vivre brand is described on the Commune Hotels website as “quirky, one-of-a-kind hotels with personalities grounded in and reflecting the neighborhoods that surround them.” 


“What we’re noticing with that psychographic, the 'H word,' if you will – we call them creative spirits…They are totally engaged into the act of travel. There is an ironic sensibility to that class of traveler,” he says. “What could be looked at as a hotel that might not be a typical choice is now a preferred choice because of its individuality.”


He cites as an example the Phoenix Hotel, a former motel with a rock-and-roll history that has become a hip crash pad in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. “There’s a wonderful originality to the people who stay there,” he says.

When my husband and I landed in Dallas for a wedding, we didn’t really know what to expect. We assumed we’d be able to find good barbecue and a healthy dose of Republicans, but we never expected to find hipsters. 


And even though we felt right at home in Deep Ellum, it would be a mistake to only view it – and other hipster neighborhoods – through the lens of how they compare to their better-known counterparts.


“[Deep Ellum] doesn’t have that ‘hey let’s do what Portland’s doing’ impetus to it. It’s very much us,” Fitzgerald says. “We have such a long history with culture and art. [Our personality] comes from that and not from following national trends.”


Fitzgerald tells me about his favorite bar, which doesn’t have a sign – but he’s quick to note that “it’s not in the cheesy kind of Brooklyn hipster way where you have to go through a refrigerator or something like that.” My husband and I have a favorite bar in Williamsburg that also lacks a sign, and does not involve entering through a refrigerator, but I don’t mention it.


It’s true that Deep Ellum’s vibe is undeniably Texan. Being a hipster in Williamsburg is about as unexpected as breathing, but in Deep Ellum, there’s something more authentically countercultural about it. The residents of Deep Ellum feel the need to advertise their liberalism a little more, like club members sharing a secret handshake.


In the collectibles shop, my husband picks up a framed photo of the first President Bush and his wife. “That’s the one I didn’t hate as much,” the storeowner remarks casually. Near us, two girls are whispering about an upcoming gay rights meeting. A mile west in downtown, I had spotted a flyer proclaiming in all caps, “The sodomites are coming!” The cultural tensions here are more tangible than back home, to say the least.