As low cost services spread across the world, so too does the appeal of the opposite: high-cost, high touch exclusivity and personal pampering. To use the travel analogy once again, for some people low cost fares leave extra cash to splash out on expensive hotels. But as more travellers get used to luxury, the more of it they want, which leaves people with something of a dilemma: How to set themselves apart from everyone else when almost everyone else seems to have exactly the same idea?  The thirst for luxury travel and other premium services is also creating what I’d call a convergence of expectations. What I mean by this is that people are getting used to being treated well and expect it all the time — no matter what they’re paying. For example, travelers to developing countries are beginning to expect first world conditions — even in the middle of nowhere — and seem to be incapable of suffering any form of temporary hardship. On a more mundane level convergence of expectations means that customers flying business or visiting a Lexus showroom expect exactly the same speed of service and quality of coffee that they get in a top restaurant or hotel. After all, if Starbuck’s can keep me happy for $3.95 by giving me a decent cup of coffee in a china mug why can’t everyone else?