On Experience

Crisis showed once again how it can breed creativity and excellence. Here are the people, the properties, and the trends that have stood out as bright beacons in a very bad year.

The pandemic has changed owner-investor behavior. It has also changed what customers want out of luxury hospitality. What are the new models that are well-positioned for growth as the sector rebuilds? Here's a look at some potentials.

Singapore has long been known for operational excellence and top-down management style culture. But the green shoots of creativity are emerging, and with the right cultural and social factors, it can grow into a sizable export for the city state.

As the cushy expat gigs wind down in the world, what is needed from a policy standpoint to attract the new generation of talented, remote workers who can go wherever they please? And what does it all mean for travel's ecosystem?

Dubai is offering a master class on safety, operational protocols, and reopening to the world. Other countries, including the U.S., need to take note. 

If your consumer-facing experience is cutting edge Mac, but your back end is a dusty PC, you have a problem. Now more than ever as workers return to the job, hospitality brands need to ensure that the experiences, both physical and digital, that employees have are as strong as the consumer experience.

Great hoteliers are a different breed with skill sets that are hard to find in other industries. While hospitality has cut talent to the bone, other growing industries can benefit from a very unique suite of people skills, operational acumen, and soft diplomacy. They are worth consideration.

For Africa to realize a lot of its economic potential, especially within hospitality, elevating women to positions of leadership will help power and accelerate growth. Asilia's Dunia Camp in Tanzania, run by General Manager Angel Vendeline Namshali and her team of all women, is an example of this positive change.

Aman launches a new sister brand. The opportunity? To give creative class travelers more connected and social experiences while in the familiar aesthetic considerations (and a lower price point) of the elder sister brand Aman. Right now it's all theoretical, but the rationale is rock solid.

Music is getting better at hotels. What was once piped through in muted tones has now moved front and center. The strongest hospitality companies are investing in experiences in an effort to map from the soul of a brand and capture its signature sound. And, as Sister City has shown with its Björk collaboration, hotel music can become high-concept performance.