Chances are, if you run into a sports celebrity like Venus Williams staying at a holiday resort, it'll likely be poolside or even dockside. But don't count on finding her courtside. Williams like her R&R downtime involving zero tennis whatsoever, so that she's refreshed when she hits the circuit that's earned her seven Grand Slam titles.

3 Marketing Campaign

Baseline

In a recent interview with People, Williams claimed not to have brought along her racquets to the TriBeCa Penthouse at the Greenwich Hotel in New York. That's where American Express announced its 2020 Trending Destinations, a marketing campaign for the financial service to expand further use of its legendary travel card.

Williams has long been a partner with American Express ever since she was 15, when she was a newbie on the global tennis circuit. At 39, the athlete declared her stay in New York wasn't a vacation, but did take a moment to describe her idea of getting away from it all.

American Express

“I’d wake up late, breakfast in bed, fall back to sleep, wake up and watch a movie, get up and maybe have a massage,” said Williams. “Also on this day, I get to eat junk food and not gain weight. So you know, I had champagne at breakfast! Another mimosa when I woke up. I woke up to a foot massage… This is a dream, right? But I think that with the proper planning, this all could happen.”

Evidently, Williams in her latest tandem with AmEx is adding more marketing clout to this year's Trending Destination options, such as Buenos Aires, Grand Cayman, Shanghai, Cairo and the French Riviera. Most of them suit the tastes of Williams, a self proclaimed warm-weather person, beach lover and a passionate fan of unspoiled surroundings.

1 Family Getaway

W Magazine

But then, her downtime only takes place when she's not in game mode. Considering she prepped for and played at least 15 tournaments in 2019, relaxation dates are a luxury to her. And while she specify an all-time favorite vacation destination, she did reveal she had a great time during a recent family getaway to Kauai in Hawaii and another downtime stay in the Australian Outback.