Business & Strategy
The year ahead for travel and hospitality will be defined by a community-centric approach. Transformational travel is set to be the new industry buzzword, while Millennials are driving a motel revival
The Drifter Hotel
Global Travel Trends 2018
Analysis – Co mmun i t y an d so ci al val ues l ead : this focus p oint is sp a r ked b y the emer g ence of the fir st cr ow d fund ed hotels a nd the la unch of a new b r a nd tha t p uts p eop le a nd a ctiv ism fir st – Th e exp eri en ce eco n o my b eco mes t h e en ri ch men t eco n o my: tr a v eller s w ill seek out mor e p er sona lly fulfilling exp er iences tha t enr ich them intellectua lly, emotiona lly a nd sp ir itua lly – Mi l l en n i al s mo ve o ut o f f o cus: tr a v el a nd hosp ita lity b r a nd s w ill r esp ond to the sp end ing p ow er a nd tr a v el p r ior ities of B a b y B oomer s, multi-g en tr a v eller s a nd Gen X fa milies – Luxury g o es sl o w: slow er , q uieter a nd long er holid a ys w ill mov e into the sp otlig ht, p a r ticula r ly w ith tr a in cr uises – Desi g n d i rect i o n s: ther e w ill b e a fur ther p ush to elev a te socia l sp a ces a nd b uild hotel exp er iences a r ound d istinctiv e nig htlife offer ing s. Nosta lg ia for cla ssic motels of the 19 4 0s a nd 19 50s, a nd the g r ea t Amer ica n r oa d tr ip , ma ke up the key d esig n r efer ence Katamama
The People's Hotel Hotels a r e b uild ing str a teg y a r ound a tr a nsp a r ent, socia lly conscious focus tha t keep s community a nd eng a g ement a t the cor e of the exp er ience.
Gachot Studios
Ea ton, a new hotel b r a nd fr om the Hong K ong -b a sed L a ng ha m Gr oup , is ta r g eted a t g lob a l citizens a nd a ctiv ists. The fir st hotel in the p or tfolio w ill op en in Wa shing ton DC in sp r ing 2 018 a nd is ma d e w ith p oliticised a nd p r og r essiv e Millennia ls in mind . Ea ton’s p r esid ent K a ther ine L o is ca p ita lising on the g r ow ing p a ssion for socia l cha ng e b y d eliv er ing a n exp er ience tha t p r omotes conv er sa tion, coop er a tion a nd community. The hotel w ill host lectur es cov er ing top ics such a s clima te cha ng e a nd eq ua lity, a nd w ill house a n ind ep end ent cinema show ing films w ith a socia l focus a s w ell a s hosting r eg ula r a ctiv ists-in-r esid ence. Also filter ing into this tr end is Amb er la ir , a cr ow d fund ed b outiq ue hotel tha t' s p itching its b r a nd a s a ' hotel for the p eop le' . Anyone w ho inv ests in the hotel g a ins a d ir ect sa y in how the hotel w ill b e b uilt, d esig ned a nd op er a ted .
Amberlair
Transformational Travel Tr a nsfor ma tiv e is the new b uzzw or d in the tr a v el ind ustr y, a s consumer s look b eyond the ‘ma ss’ exp er ience to seek out tr a v el tha t is mor e p er sona lly fulfilling a nd enr iching . Online hub Tr a v el Und er the R a d a r hosts insp ir a tiona l stor ies, tr a v el g uid es, loca l insig hts a nd Q&As tha t a r e d esig ned to p r ov id e a mor e fulfilling a p p r oa ch to tr a v el a nd life.
The Transformational Travel Council
The Tr a nsfor ma tiona l Tr a v el Council (TTC) w a s b or n out of this id ea tha t tr a v el ca n a nd should b e emp ow er ing a nd ev en lifecha ng ing . The TTC coor d ina tes exp er iences for sma ll g r oup s or ind iv id ua ls, d esig ned on the cor e p r incip le of cr ea ting p er sp ectiv ea lter ing exp er iences. Thr ea d Ca r a v a n cur a tes a r tisa na l exp er iences a r ound the g lob e, intr od ucing tr a v eller s to ind ig enous a r ts a nd cr a fts a nd the p eop le w ho p r od uce them. The a im is to b etter infor m p eop le on the mecha nisms of fa ir tr a d e a nd to insp ir e a mor e conscious a p p r oa ch to consump tion.
Thread Caravan
Thread Caravan
Hotels Switch Focus Cr oss-g ener a tiona l tr a v eller s w ill b ecome a key focus for the hosp ita lity ind ustr y a s they w a ke up to the need s of B oomer s – a ca sh a nd time-r ich d emog r a p hic w ho a r e fr eq uent tr a v eller s – a s w ell a s multi-g en a nd ' skip -g en' tr a v eller s – B oomer g r a nd p a r ents w ho a r e ta king their Gen Z a nd Alp ha g r a nd child r en on v a ca tion. In 2 018, exp ect to see mor e tr a v el a nd hosp ita lity initia tiv es tha t enha nce a nd ea se the tr a v el exp er ience for B oomer s a nd senior s. The F r eeb ir d Club , w hich la unched in 2 015, op er a tes a home-sha r ing ser v ice simila r to tha t of Air b nb , b ut w ith listing s, exp er iences a nd ser v ices p itched a t tr a v eller s a g ed 50-p lus. The or g a nisa tion is cur r ently cr ow d fund ing to g r ow the b usiness g lob a lly in or d er to “ena b le p ositiv e ' connected a g eing ’ thr oug h socia l tr a v el a nd homesta ys”. Aw a r d -w inning tr a v el ser v ice Cla ir e & Geor g e fur ther r ecog nises the sp ecific need s of the old er tr a v eller cla ss b y p r ov id ing sup p or t for those w ith sp ecia l a ccess r eq uir ements. Claire & George
Social Stays S ocia l a nd communa l sp a ces a r e ta king on g r ea ter imp or ta nce – a nd sq ua r e-foota g e – for hotels a s they r ed efine one of their uniq ue selling p oints in the w a ke of incr ea sed comp etition fr om Air b nb . A new g ener a tion of hotels a r e p utting socia lising fir st a nd sleep fir mly second . The Distiller y in L ond on houses tw o b a r s, a p r iv a te d ining r oom a nd thr ee g uest r ooms und er one r oof. The new Henr ietta Hotel, fr om the tea m b ehind the Exp er imenta l Cockta il Club , p uts food a nd d r ink a t the cor e of the hotel’s id entity: a n 80-sea t r esta ur a nt b y Ollie Da b b ous is comp lemented b y tw o cockta il b a r s. The r ep uta tion of The Ned , one of L ond on' s hottest ha ng outs, likew ise hing es on its multip le socia l sp a ces a nd cool b a r scene.
The Ned
In the US , hostelr y g oes ha nd -in-ha nd w ith cr a ft b eer : ind ie d istiller y B r ew Dog ha s step p ed up its cr ow d fund ing ca mp a ig n for its fir st b eer hotel a t a new cr a ft b r ew er y in Columb us, Ohio. Emb ed d ing b ev er a g e exp er iences a nd stor ytelling thr oug h loca l cr a ft b r ew s a nd a r tisa n d istilla tions offer s a fr esh g uest exp er ience. The Distillery Brewdog
On the Road 2 018 w ill see the r etur n of the r oa d sid e motel, comp lete w ith nosta lg ic d esig n tha t ev okes the tr a v elling -soul sp ir it of the B ea t Gener a tion. The Dr ifter Hotel op ened in New Or lea ns in la te 2 017 in a low -r ise for mer motel b uild ing d a ting fr om 19 56 . Pa le g r eens a nd p inks, colour ful Oa xa ca tiles, ter r a zzo sur fa ces, concr ete w a lls a nd a n a b und a nce of tr op ica l fa una r ejuv ena te the tr ied -a nd tested mid -centur y for mula . The Drifter Hotel
The Drifter Hotel
In Ma lib u, The Na tiv e is a r ejuv ena ted 19 50s motel – once a fa v our ed ha unt of Ja mes Dea n a nd Ma r ilyn Monr oe – w hich ha s b een g iv en a fr esh, contemp or a r y up d a te b y the d esig n tea m b ehind The L ine hotel in L A. The Ca listog a Motor L od g e & S p a in Na p a Va lley mer g es contemp or a r y b outiq ue hotel ser v ices w ith p a r ed -b a ck r etr o inter ior s. Desig n insp ir a tion w a s ta ken fr om the g r ea t Amer ica n r oa d tr ip of the 19 50s, 19 6 0s a nd 19 70s, r efer encing the g r a p hic iconog r a p hy of v inta g e r oa d sig ns, g a s sta tions a nd tr uck stop s.
The Native Hotel
The Native Hotel
Deeper Storytelling S tor ytelling is key to the contemp or a r y hosp ita lity exp er ience, a nd ev en thoug h much of the ind ustr y is onb oa r d , tod a y’s tr a v el consumer s a r e a cutely a ttuned to sp otting ina uthenticity a nd insincer ity. In the futur e, hotels w ill ha v e to w or k tha t much ha r d er to p r ov e their integ r ity w hen it comes to community connectiv ity.
Katamama
Katamama
Play Design Hotel
Ta iw a n' s Pla y Desig n Hotel lea d s the w a y, p r ov id ing a show ca se for loca l emer g ing a r tists, d esig ner s a nd cr a ftsp eop le. All items a r e loca lly sour ced a nd shop p a b le, b ut g uests a r e a lso encour a g ed to v isit the a r tists a nd d esig ner s a nd ta ke tour s of loca l stor es a nd exhib itions. The K a ta ma ma in B a li is a nother lea d ing exa mp le, w ith loca l a r tisa nship liter a lly in its found a tions: the r esor t is constr ucted fr om 1. 8m ha nd p r essed b r icks, usua lly r eser v ed to b uild Hind u temp les. Hotelier s R ona ld Akili a nd And r a Ma tin r esur r ected the b r ick tr a d e of a n entir e v illa g e w ith their commission to b uild K a ta ma ma , a nd a lso g a v e their custom to multip le loca l ind ustr ies such a s textile w ea v ing a nd w ood ca r v ing .
The Price of Silence Alig ned w ith tr a nsfor ma tiona l tr a v el a nd the r ise of w ellness tour ism, incr ea sing imp or ta nce is b eing p la ced on silence a nd tr a nq uillity.
Visit Finland
In 2 017, Visit F inla nd p itched a w hole ca mp a ig n a r ound the ‘silence’ to b e enjoyed in its d estina tions. A g r ow ing numb er of a ir p or ts (includ ing L ond on City, B r istol a nd B a r celona ) a r e op er a ting a silence p olicy, w her eb y a nnouncements a r e only ma d e a t b oa r d ing g a tes a nd in the ca se of emer g encies. F r a nkfur t Air p or t r ecently op ened a ‘q uiet r oom’ to offer tr a v eller s a d ed ica ted sp a ce for ca lm a nd contemp la tion. Villa S tep ha nie in B a d en-B a d en w a s a p ioneer of this tr end , offer ing g uests a ' kill sw itch' in hotel r ooms tha t a ctiv a tes cop p er p la tes emb ed d ed in w a lls to d isconnect the r oom fr om w i-fi, mob ile r ecep tion a nd ev en electr icity. Noise r ed uction, sleep enha ncement, holistic r ela xa tion a nd mind ful hosp ita lity w ill continue to r ise up the list of p r ior ities for g uests a nd hotels in the yea r a hea d .
Play Design Hotel
Longer, Slower Luxury L ong er a nd slow er tr a v el exp er iences a r e b eing intr od uced b y hig h-end b r a nd s, p utting mor e d ista nce b etw een tr ue luxur y consumer s a nd the ma sstig e tr a v el ma r ket. In Ja p a n, tw o fiv e-sta r tr a in cr uises w er e la unched in 2 017; the S hiki-shima a nd the Tw ilig ht Exp r ess Mizuka ze. These b outiq ue tr a ins offer Michelin-sta r r ed food , hig h-end d esig n a nd exclusiv ity (the S hiki-shima tr a nsp or ts just 34 p eop le). The B elmond And ea n Exp lor er , w hich tr a v els S outh Amer ica , is the r eg ion’s fir st luxur y sleep er tr a in, hosting 2 4 r ooms in 16 ca r r ia g es. The Belmond Andean Explorer
The R itz-Ca r lton w ill join the slow tr a v el mov ement in 2 019 , w ith the la unch of its fir st b outiq ue cr uise ship exp er ience. The R itz-Ca r lton ya cht w ill a ccommod a te 300 p a sseng er s a cr oss 14 9 suites, w ith a n emp ha sis on cr ea ting ta ilor -ma d e exp er iences for g uests b y w or king w ith loca l a r tists, chefs a nd cr ea tiv es. B eyond the fiv e-sta r a menities, the tr ue v a lue of these luxur y jour neys come fr om the a ccess tha t they g r a nt to time – the ultima te luxur y.
Train Suite Shiki-shima
Ritz-Carlton
Action Points – P ro mo t e yo ur p assi o n : use ev ents, w or kshop s, lectur es a nd film scr eening s to show ca se the issues your b r a nd is connected to a nd ca r es a b out – Tap i n t o Mi l l en n i al n o st al g i a: to feed into the emer g ing nosta lg ia for 19 50s r oa d -tr ip p ing , up d a te inter ior s w ith ta ctile ma ter ia ls, eclectic styling a nd ha nd p icked cur iosities tha t ma ke ea ch inter ior d istinct – Desi g n f o r cro ss- g en erat i o n al ap p eal : this should n' t mea n d iluting your b r a nd , b ut r a ther ma king the ov er a ll g uest exp er ience mor e inclusiv e a nd inv iting to a numb er of cohor ts – En ri ch t h e exp eri en ce: w ha t ser v ices a nd offer ing s ca n you p r ov id e to g uests tha t w ill lea v e them feeling mor e enlig htened , stimula ted a nd enr iched ? – Th i n k b eyo n d so ci al med i a kud o s: ma ss a nd sha r ed exp er iences w ill b eg in to lose ma r ket sha r e, a s g uests look for tr ue ind iv id ua lity a nd p otentia lly life-cha ng ing tr a v el exp er iences Frankfurt Airport
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