On Experience

Colin Nagy, a marketing strategist, writes this opinion column for Skift on hospitality and business travel. On Experience dissects customer-centric experiences and innovation across the luxury sector, hotels, aviation, and beyond. He also covers the convergence of conservation and hospitality.

Luxury

Royal Mansour’s Mission: Delivering Ultra-Luxury, Access to the ‘Soul of Morocco’

As Royal Mansour grows from an iconic property into a brand, it is charting a course of precision, diplomacy, and deep cultural grounding under the watchful eye of Jean-Claude Messant.

Colin Nagy | 1 year ago

Luxury

Capella’s Break-Out Year: Four Openings, Two Brands, Cracking Luxury’s Toughest Challenge

The Singapore-based hotel group expands its portfolio while expanding a second brand, demonstrating that growth and craft excellence aren't mutually exclusive.

Colin Nagy | 1 year ago

Airlines

Emirates Just Made First Class More Exclusive – It’s a Smart Brand Strategy

Bloggers may be up in arms, but Emirates understands that scarcity creates desire and exclusivity protects brand equity.

Colin Nagy | 1 year ago

Luxury

Fashion’s New Obsession: Partnerships With Hospitality Brands

Glossy magazines and digital marketing can’t always deliver the connections that luxury brands want to foster with their top customers. Physical hospitality experiences are where we’re seeing the most creativity.

Colin Nagy | 1 year ago

Luxury

Aero’s Luxury Bet: Is Premium Service the Right Play for Semi-Private Aviation?

Aero sees a business opportunity in the space between first class and entry level private aviation. They are leaning into high touch hospitality to court their market segment but it comes at a cost to the operating model.

Colin Nagy | 1 year ago

Luxury

Skiing Is Obscenely Expensive. The Resort That Makes a $329 Lift Ticket Feel Worth It

Deer Valley is offering a masterclass on how to justify a premium price point, and making sure that expansion narratives map to emotional needs and guest benefits. It is a great example of luxury brand strategy, executed well.

Colin Nagy | 1 year ago

View of green forests and a sea from a hotel patio

Tourism

The White Lotus Effect Could Be a Disaster for Thailand’s Koh Samui – And Travel Media Is Making it Worse

It is disheartening to see the same publications that have previously reported on the perils of overtourism now behaving like golden retrievers chasing a tennis ball, sprinting after the hype with little critical reflection.

Colin Nagy | 1 year ago

The Delta One lounge at New York JFK Airport.

Airlines

Delta Is Winning the U.S. Premium Traveler, But Needs to Up Its Game on the Global Stage

Delta is now the best in America. But to realize its ambitions, it needs to start benchmarking itself against the actual world’s best. That is much harder.

Colin Nagy | 1 year ago

Hotels

The Biggest Innovators in Travel and Hospitality: Winter 2025

The market is forcing a margin call on post-Covid excess, conspicuous consumption, and there is traveler backlash to excessive rates. This pushback has created space for new thinking.

Colin Nagy | 1 year ago

Luxury

The Long Game: Why Family-Owned Hotels Are Redefining Luxury

To find the most pure version of hospitality, travelers are increasingly looking to family-owned properties. Owners take a longer view of stewardship and care more about craft and making the right decisions, and not just the most expedient, profit-friendly ones.

Colin Nagy | 2 years ago