On Experience

Competition is heating up for supersonic travel and Aerion has established an interesting team to speed up high-end business travel. If it works, the glamour of high-speed crossings will finally return, and the world will open up a bit more.

For being one of the most important business, political, and tourism stories, a lot of Africa coverage tends to only hit a few notes. Here are some ideas on how travel reporting can evolve, and incorporate more voices and add deeper perspectives.

If you're reading the papers, Zimbabwe's economy looks like a disaster from the outside. But it offers one of the most interesting tourism experiences in Africa at the moment, and intrepid travelers have taken note.

The personal touch never loses its appeal. Hector Ruiz, a 27-year veteran of The Carlyle, shares lessons learned from a career at the hotel and how sometimes, analog approaches yield the best results.

A new direct flight from JFK to Nairobi will open up East Africa to business and tourism in positive ways. Travelers no longer need to waste time connecting in London or the Middle East, and both Kenya and surrounding countries will benefit from increased activity.

As labor markets tighten and competition increases, the hospitality industry must both embrace and make it easier for mid-career professionals to pivot their careers into a new world. The backgrounds, skill sets, and fresh thinking will add much-needed depth to the industry.

Empathy. When was the last time you heard a hotel executive talk about that? General manager Hervé Mazella shares his views on service, what makes the Park Hyatt Tokyo unique, and what he has learned from the Japanese approach to hospitality.

As Soho House considers plans to go public, there's a lot of competition on the horizon at every turn. This, plus the inevitable struggle to balance aggressive growth versus exclusivity, and a less-than-stellar customer experience, presents some problems on the horizon.

While once seen as just cold weather destinations, certain mountain towns in the Alps, the United States, and beyond are evolving their cultures and economies into year-round destinations with no compromise on things to do. Can they handle the crowds?

It is time to reclaim the word tourist, and recalibrate it to mean something good. Tourists can see the world with fresh eyes, unencumbered with the daily accumulations of local life. A new hotel in North Adams, Massachusetts, seeks to do just that.