Xhulio Bishtaja

INSIDE THE LONDONER

Michael Cheung, General Manager at The Londoner, discusses the hotel's distinctive 'vertical city' concept, the evolving expectations of luxury travellers and the importance of empowering people to deliver genuinely personal experiences.

The Londoner has established a distinctive identity in the heart of the West End. What sets the hotel apart?

The Londoner offers an intimate, boutique-style experience at a scale most boutique hotels can't match. Our location in Leicester Square places us at the cultural and entertainment heart of London, yet guests enter a sanctuary that feels exclusive and connected to the city.

Our design, art collection, restaurants and bars, The Retreat and social spaces create a true "vertical city" experience. Guests can enjoy everything from dining and entertainment to wellness without leaving the building. But what really differentiates us is our people. Luxury today is less about grandeur and more about meaningful, personalised experiences. Our colleagues are empowered to understand each guest and create moments that feel authentic rather than scripted.

We also encourage our teams to act as ambassadors for London, from recommending hidden gems to tailoring experiences around a guest's interests. The Londoner is not simply a hotel in London; it is a gateway to experiencing the city at its best.

With so many restaurants, bars, entertainment spaces and facilities under one roof, how do you maintain consistency?

It requires tremendous collaboration across every department. While each venue has its own identity and guest profile, they are connected by a shared commitment to exceptional service, attention to detail and a humble approach to hospitality.

Training is fundamental. We invest heavily in training, communication and leadership development so every colleague understands both their departmental standards and the wider vision of the hotel.

We also listen closely to guests and employees. Maintaining quality in a complex environment isn't about rigid processes alone; it's about creating a culture where everyone takes ownership of the guest experience.

What are today's guests looking for, and how has your approach evolved?

Today's luxury traveller is seeking personalisation, authenticity, wellbeing and flexibility. They want memorable experiences, but they also want them to feel natural and effortless.

We've responded with a more intuitive style of service. Rather than simply meeting requests, we aim to anticipate needs and tailor experiences, whether through The Retreat, our cultural partnerships, our restaurants and bars or a seamless business stay.

Technology supports this, but never replaces human interaction. Guests appreciate convenience, but they still remember the warmth of a welcome, recognition from a colleague or a thoughtful gesture. Most importantly, they remember how they felt when they left.

What have you learned about leadership from running such a complex property?

The biggest challenge is balancing operational complexity with consistency. Guests experience The Londoner as one connected journey, so every touchpoint needs to work in harmony.

Leadership has reinforced the importance of visibility, communication and trust. No leader can manage a property of this scale alone. Success comes from building strong teams, empowering colleagues and creating an environment where people feel supported and accountable.

I've also learned that employee and guest experience are inseparable. When colleagues feel respected, heard and recognised, they deliver better service. Seeing team members develop their careers and take on greater responsibility is one of our proudest achievements.

What opportunities do you see for The Londoner over the next five years?

The opportunity is to build on our first five years while continuing to innovate. We see potential to further personalise the guest experience, strengthen our position as a lifestyle and entertainment destination, and deepen our connection with international visitors and the local London community.

What excites me most is our people. Buildings and facilities are important, but it is the talent, passion and creativity of our colleagues that will define our next chapter.

The next five years aren't simply about growth; they're about creating experiences guests remember and careers employees are proud to build. That combination, which echoes the qualities recognised in the latest cohort of excellence in hotel leadership, will ensure The Londoner continues to thrive.

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by Xhulio Bishtaja

FIVE NEW APPROACHES

Wellness is no longer confined to the spa. As travellers increasingly look to hotels to support how they feel, sleep, move and switch off, operators are rethinking wellness programming as a wider part of the guest experience. From highly personalised itineraries to experiences designed around connection and recovery, here are five approaches gaining momentum.

1. Make sleep a stay in itself

Sleep is becoming one of the most compelling wellness propositions for hotels, with programming designed to help guests rest rather than simply offering a comfortable bed. Sleep-focused stays can include pre-bed treatments, guided meditation, breathwork, sleep-enhancing menus, pillow menus and technology-free wind-down rituals.

The opportunity extends beyond the bedroom, too. Hotels can consider how lighting, temperature, sound, evening F&B and even the timing of activities contribute to better rest. By treating sleep as a complete guest journey, rather than a room feature, hotels can create a distinctive wellness proposition that requires relatively little physical infrastructure.

2. Take wellness outdoors

Wellness programming is increasingly stepping outside the spa and gym, with hotels making greater use of gardens, grounds and surrounding landscapes. Outdoor yoga, guided walks, cold-water experiences, forest bathing, running clubs and nature-based mindfulness sessions can all provide guests with a different route into wellbeing.

For hotels, this approach also offers an opportunity to turn their location into an asset. A countryside property can build programming around hiking and nature, while an urban hotel might offer sunrise runs, park workouts or walking tours. The key is to make the destination part of the wellness experience.

3. Personalise the programme, not just the treatment

The next stage of hotel wellness is moving away from one-size-fits-all programming towards experiences shaped around individual needs and intentions. Rather than simply asking whether a guest wants a massage, hotels can build a broader picture of what they want from their stay – whether that is better sleep, stress reduction, fitness, recovery or simply time to switch off.

This can translate into tailored schedules combining treatments, movement, nutrition and relaxation. Technology and guest data can support this personalisation, but the human element remains crucial. A thoughtful conversation with a therapist, concierge or wellness professional can be just as valuable as a digital questionnaire.

4. Programme for recovery, not just relaxation

Wellness is increasingly about helping guests feel physically and mentally restored. This is creating opportunities for hotels to develop recovery-led programming incorporating everything from mobility and stretching to cold and heat therapies, breathwork, meditation and post-exercise treatments.

The trend is particularly relevant to active travellers, but recovery can be positioned much more broadly. Guests arriving after a long journey, demanding work schedule or busy sightseeing itinerary may value experiences designed to reset the body and mind. Recovery therefore becomes a practical part of the stay, rather than an indulgence reserved for spa days.

5. Make wellness social

Wellness has traditionally been associated with quiet, solitary experiences, but hotels are beginning to recognise the value of connection. Group wellness experiences can bring guests together through communal yoga, running clubs, sound baths, workshops, wellness talks and healthy cooking sessions.

This approach reflects a broader understanding of wellbeing: feeling connected can be just as important as relaxation or physical health. For hotels, social wellness also creates opportunities to build community, encourage longer engagement with the property and give guests experiences they are more likely to remember.

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by Xhulio Bishtaja

MAKING THE MOST OF HOME

The staycation is evolving, with consumers seeking shorter, more frequent and experience-led breaks across the UK. Simon Numphud, Managing Director, AA Media, reveals what this shift means for hotels and how properties can turn their location into a compelling part of the guest experience.

The AA Media's latest consumer research suggests that UK leisure travel is holding up strongly, with more people choosing shorter, more frequent breaks closer to home. What does this tell us about the current mindset of the UK traveller, and what are the biggest opportunities this creates for hotels?

I don't think people are travelling less, they're travelling differently. What really stands out to me is the move towards shorter, more frequent breaks, with people making more of their leisure time throughout the year.

We're fortunate in the UK to have such a huge variety of destinations on our doorstep, and I think consumers are increasingly recognising that. More than a third of Britons are planning more UK leisure trips this year, and 43% are choosing UK destinations over overseas holidays, which is a pretty compelling signal.

For hotels, that means there's a real chance to be part of that choice, not just by offering a room, but by giving people a reason to choose the destination and making the stay feel worthwhile.

Value for money remains a major consideration for travellers, but the research also suggests people are prepared to spend more on memorable experiences. How can hotels strike the right balance between demonstrating value and giving guests a reason to spend more?

For me, value has never simply meant being the cheapest option. It's about whether a guest comes away feeling their stay was genuinely worth what they paid.

That might be a great breakfast, a warm welcome, a room that feels really cared for, or those little touches that make you think, 'That was really good.' Those are the things people remember.

That's particularly important now, because guests are thinking more carefully about where they spend their money. If a hotel delivers an experience that feels worth it, people are much more likely to come back and to recommend it to others.

And I think that links closely to the shift we're seeing towards experience-led hospitality. Guests increasingly want more than simply a great place to stay, they want something that feels distinctive, personal and connected to the destination.

That's where independent hotels have a particular opportunity. Local character, personality and authenticity are incredibly difficult to replicate, and I think they can be a real point of difference.

Hotels are responding by investing in everything from food and drink to wellness and more unique guest experiences. Of course, these can create additional revenue, but more importantly, they reflect what guests are looking for: memorable experiences that give them a reason to come back.

Almost half of those surveyed for the UK Leisure Travel 2026 Survey say they want to explore more of the UK. As The AA look at promoting discovery in the UK, how can hotels better leverage their location and the experiences on their doorstep to turn a stay into a wider destination experience?

I've always thought the best hotels do more than provide somewhere to sleep. They give you a real sense of the place you're visiting. That might be recommending a great local pub, pointing a guest towards a good walk or somewhere they wouldn't necessarily find themselves, or working with local businesses to create something a little more memorable.

For me, that local knowledge is a real competitive advantage. A hotel can be the starting point for discovering a destination, rather than just a base for the night.

With coastal, countryside and regional destinations proving particularly attractive, do you think the staycation opportunity is evolving beyond the traditional idea of a 'UK holiday'? And what should hotels be doing to capture demand for these shorter breaks?

What stands out to me is that we've moved beyond the traditional idea of the staycation. For many people, this is no longer a fallback option, it's a conscious choice to explore more of Britain.

And what's particularly encouraging is the breadth of that opportunity. It isn't just the obvious coastal destinations; there's growing interest in places across the North of England, Scotland and regional areas that perhaps haven't always had the same profile.

That plays to the strengths of the UK. There is an enormous variety of experiences here, and I think the hotels that really understand what makes their particular location special will be the ones that stand out.

Trust and quality remain important when consumers choose where to stay, with official ratings and reviews playing a significant role. In an increasingly crowded hotel market, how important is independent recognition in helping properties stand out and give consumers confidence?

Trust is absolutely fundamental when someone is deciding where to stay. A guest is making a decision based largely on what they believe the experience is going to be like, so reassurance matters.

The fact that 92% of people surveyed considered official ratings, user reviews or both before booking tells you just how important that reassurance has become.

For me, recognition only really matters if it reflects the quality of the operation behind it. When it does, it gives consumers confidence and gives good hotels a way to stand out in an increasingly crowded market.

Looking more broadly at the hotel landscape, what do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing UK hotels over the next 12–18 months – and where do you see the businesses that will perform best differentiating themselves?

I think the next 12 to 18 months will be about getting the fundamentals right while being open to change.

People will continue to be one of the biggest challenges for the sector. Attracting and retaining great people, building a strong culture and continuing to deliver excellent service while costs are under pressure will be critical. For me, investing in people isn't optional, it's central to great hospitality.

At the same time, I'm genuinely excited by what technology and AI can do. I don't see technology replacing hospitality; I see it helping teams spend more time doing the things that guests actually value.

Ultimately, I think the businesses that will perform best are those that stay true to what makes them good at hospitality, while still being willing to evolve.

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by Xhulio Bishtaja

INDEPENDENT HOTEL SHOW 2026

The Independent Hotel Show, in partnership with James Hallam Insurance Brokers, returns to Olympia on 5-6 October, bringing together the people, ideas and suppliers influencing the future of the UK’s luxury, boutique and independent hotel sector.

This year’s theme, ‘Shaping Tomorrow’, will explore how independent hotels can respond to technological change, evolving guest expectations and new commercial pressures while protecting the individuality, creativity and human connection that distinguish the sector. The theme will run throughout the show’s seminar programme, design features and wider visitor experience.

Across two days, hotel owners, general managers, designers and senior decision-makers will be able to discover new products and services, hear from leading operators and industry experts, and connect with peers facing many of the same opportunities and challenges.

Practical insight for independent hoteliers

Content will take place across three stages: the Hotel Business Stage, in partnership with eviivo and designed by Merav Bustan Design; the Innovation Stage, in partnership with Agilysys and designed by Obradov Studio; and the Social Business Space, in partnership with Zennio and designed by Design Command.

The programme will begin on the Hotel Business Stage with Davin Reid-Montanaro of Agility Research presenting ‘Booking later, spending bigger: Inside the luxury traveller’. Drawing on research among UK luxury consumers, the session will examine why some affluent travellers are booking later while remaining prepared to spend more, how their priorities are changing and what those shifts mean for independent hotels.

Reid-Montanaro says independent properties are particularly well placed to respond:

What excites me most is the opportunity to use better data and technology not to replace the human element, but to strengthen it: helping hoteliers understand their guests more deeply, anticipate changing expectations and create experiences that feel unique and not standardised.

Commercial performance will be another major focus. ‘What’s the secret ingredient to profitable F&B?’ will examine how hotels can build stronger food and beverage businesses at a time of continued pressure on staffing and margins.

Simon Elliott, Founder and Director of Profit Hound, argues that the answer lies in

great people delivering amazing hospitality, relentless focus on improvement and innovation, regimented processes and data to tie it all together

The session will encourage operators to reconsider their products, processes and working practices to create firmer commercial foundations.

Other Hotel Business Stage discussions will explore the factors driving UK and European hotel performance, how hotels can turn guest arrivals into additional revenue, the business case for connected hotels and whether the industry is prepared for the introduction of tourist taxes.

The programme will also look beyond immediate operational pressures to consider the long-term ambitions of independent business owners. In the Power Hour ‘What’s it all for? Turning your hotel into your future’, Financial Planner Rachel Toseland will discuss how owners can make their business support the lifestyle they want, including planning for changing family commitments and retirement.

As business owners, we spend so much time buried in our business, it can feel impossible to zoom out and get that clear view of where we’re heading. Attendees will leave with clear, simple steps to start planning their financial future in a way that doesn’t feel daunting or overwhelming.

she says.

From AI hype to practical action

Artificial intelligence will be examined from several perspectives, reflecting its growing influence on hotel discovery, bookings, operations and workforce skills.

On the Innovation Stage, ‘The next visitor to your site might not be a human’ will consider how AI assistants and agents are beginning to research destinations, compare properties and interpret hotel websites on behalf of travellers.

Alessandra Leoni, Head of Hospitality at Focus on Hospitality, says the question for hoteliers is no longer simply how they should use AI, but how it will alter the way guests discover and choose their properties.

We’ll explore what that means for independent hotels, from websites and booking journeys to data, integrations, content and the underlying technology infrastructure. Most importantly, we’ll look at what hoteliers should be thinking about now so they can take advantage of this shift rather than simply react to it later.

she explains.

Judi Blakeburn, Advisor to Watergate Bay Hotel, says tests involving AI agents and real hotel websites have already revealed practical barriers, including cookie banners, pop-ups and overly complicated journeys. These are often the same obstacles that frustrate human visitors.

A lot of being agent-ready turns out to be housekeeping we should be doing anyway. The part I’m most interested in is the gap between being found by an agent and being bookable by one.

she says.

The second day will open on the Hotel Business Stage with ‘Bots and beds: How far should hospitality automate?’. Moderated by Alex Burgess of eviivo, the session will move beyond predictions to examine where automation is already saving or generating money, where implementations have failed to deliver and how operators can identify tasks that no longer need to be completed manually.

Just because you can automate something, does it mean you should? We’ll be discussing how to strike the right balance between the human touch and automated efficiency.

Burgess asks.

‘The new skills stack for the future of hospitality’, moderated by Wouter Geerts of Abode Worldwide, will consider what AI literacy means for hotel employees, how jobs may change and what effective AI leadership looks like.

Designing hotels with lasting value

Design remains central to the Independent Hotel Show, both in its content programme and the spaces created throughout Olympia London.

Sessions will explore hotels that move beyond traditional boundaries, the role of sound, scent and other senses in shaping a stay, accessible design and the growing connection between interiors and physical or emotional wellbeing. ‘Designed to feel good: Putting wellbeing at the heart of hotels’ will examine how thoughtful environments can support both guests and hotel teams.

‘From refurbishment to return: Designing for long-term value’ will bring together different perspectives on investment, asking how owners, operators, designers and marketers can create projects that deliver value well beyond their launch.

Lesley Annison, Development Project Manager at RBH Hospitality, will draw on projects including the refurbishment and repositioning of The Met Hotel Leeds. The renovation took inspiration from the building’s industrial and Victorian heritage while transforming it into a contemporary lifestyle destination.

What excites us most about the future of independent hotels is the opportunity to develop spaces that differ from branded properties. The hotel now has its own personality, which tells the story of the property but also has everything that we need to continually evolve to meet the needs of tomorrow’s traveller.

she says.

Elsewhere at the show, TUNTU will design the Members Suite, providing an inviting environment for independent hoteliers to meet, work and continue conversations away from the exhibition floor.

Marketing, people and responsible business

Independent hotels possess stories and personalities that larger, standardised brands can struggle to replicate, but translating those strengths into bookings is not always straightforward.

In ‘From double taps to dream stays: How boutique hotels can win on social media’, Alison Battisby, Founder of Avocado Social, will explore how hotels can connect engagement to revenue. The session will look at short-form video, storytelling and user-generated content, with an emphasis on showing what a stay feels like rather than simply what a room looks like.

Independent and boutique hotels don’t need big-chain budgets to compete. Personality and storytelling are things smaller properties naturally have over larger groups.

Battisby says.

People and workplace culture will receive equal attention. The Social Business Space will host sessions including ‘The equipped manager: Building confidence around mental health’, presented by Hospitality Action, and ‘The happy team advantage: Empowering managers, empowering teams’.

Sustainability will be approached as an operational priority rather than a standalone initiative. Josh Chadwick, General Manager of The Tawny, will join ‘Making sustainability second nature’ to discuss the importance of staff training and giving teams the tools and confidence to make more responsible decisions in their everyday roles.

Sustainability needs to become part of everyday hotel operations, rather than something that sits separately from the business. Independent hotels can test new ideas, respond quickly and innovate without some of the layers and constraints that can come with larger corporate structures.

he says.

Products and partners for every part of your hotel

Across the exhibition floor, visitors will be able to meet suppliers covering the complete hotel experience, from interiors, furniture, beds, linen and lighting to technology, guest amenities, food and drink, staffing and professional services.

Design-led exhibitors include Coach House, Cotswold Company, Greenhome Furnishing, Kate Cledwyn Designs, Lumenform, Spark & Bell Lighting, Stoneglow Candles, Tringhams Luxury Lampshades and Wayfair Professional. Hotel bedroom and bathroom suppliers will include Harrison Spinks Beds, Sealy, BC Softwear, Christy, Richard Haworth, Mint Linen, The Fine Cotton Company, ADA Cosmetics and Groupe GM.

Technology and operational solutions will be represented by businesses including Agilysys, Access Hospitality, eviivo, Mews, Maestro PMS, SiteMinder, For-Sight CRM, Duve, HiJiffy, hotelkit, RoomPriceGenie, Workforce.com and Zennio.

Elsewhere, exhibitors including CRU Kafe, Shibui Tea, Bottleproof Cocktails, NIO Cocktails, Hawkridge Distillers and House of Sarunds will showcase products for hotel food and beverage operations.

The show has also partnered with charities Hospitality Action and Furnishing Futures for 2026. The Independent Hotel Show team will be raising money by taking part in ‘Walk it your Way’ during the event for Hospitality Action, while Furnishing Futures will be designing a bespoke bedroom for the show, with items for sale to raise money for the charity.

Celebrating independent excellence

The winners of the Independent Hotel Show Awards 2026, in partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, will be revealed from on 5 October.

For the first time, Independent Hotel of the Year has been divided into Over 50 Rooms and Under 50 Rooms categories, reflecting the breadth of the market and allowing properties to be recognised alongside hotels of a similar scale.

Another Place, The Lake; Horwood House; The Grand, York; The Newman; and The Tempus are shortlisted in the Over 50 Rooms category. Calcot & Spa; Cromlix; Foxhill Manor; The Cavendish at Baslow; and The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa will compete for the Under 50 Rooms award.

The Hotel Rising Star finalists are Isaac Arikawe of Grantley Hall, Nicole Johnson and Sandia Scott of The Newman, and Sophie Morgan of Morgans Hotel.

Hotel Design of the Year will recognise projects at Calcot Manor & Spa, Cromlix, Miiro Templeton Garden Hotel, Penmaenuchaf and The Old Bell Hotel.

The Independent Hotel Show takes place on 5-6 October 2026 at Olympia London. Registration is free for members of the hotel and hospitality industry at independenthotelshow.co.uk.

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by Xhulio Bishtaja

ALWAYS IN SEASON

With seasonal peaks becoming harder to rely on, hotels are rethinking how they generate demand throughout the year. Industry experts share their strategies for creating compelling reasons to book, visit and return during every season.

For hotels, the challenge of filling rooms has never simply been about attracting guests; it is about giving them a reason to visit at the right time. While peak periods will always play an important role in driving occupancy and revenue, the quieter months present an equally significant opportunity for hotels willing to think beyond traditional seasonal demand.

As guest expectations evolve and competition for attention intensifies, successful hotel marketing is increasingly about creating relevance rather than waiting for demand to arrive. A winter escape, a spring wellness break, a summer experience or an autumn culinary offering can each provide a compelling reason to book, helping hotels build a stronger proposition across the entire year.

At Beaverbrook, Rebecca Inchley, Marketing Manager, explained,

We see seasonality as an opportunity to tell a different story about the hotel, rather than simply a challenge to overcome. The starting point is understanding what is inherently special about a particular time of year and then building experiences, content and communications around that.

For Beaverbrook, the quieter months can actually be some of the most compelling times to visit. Autumn might be about the changing landscape, fireside moments and a sense of retreat; winter can be positioned around food, culture, wellbeing and time together; while spring and early summer naturally lend themselves to the gardens, countryside and the opportunity to experience a very different side of the English countryside.

Rebecca explained that the key is to give guests a positive reason to come now, rather than communicating that it is a quieter period.

We focus on creating a sense of discovery – something happening at Beaverbrook that feels particularly relevant to that moment in the year.

For Beaverbrook Town House in Chelsea, the approach is slightly different. There, the seasonal proposition is much more connected to London itself – what is happening culturally, gastronomically and creatively in the city – so the hotel becomes part of a seasonal London experience rather than simply a place to stay.

When it comes to the importance of creating experiences that are genuinely rooted in the season, rather than simply using seasonal messaging to promote an existing hotel offering, the team at Beaverbrook feel it is “absolutely fundamental”. Rebecca notes that guests are increasingly sophisticated and can tell the difference between something that has been genuinely created for a season and an existing offering that has simply been given a seasonal name.

Rebecca believes that the strongest seasonal campaigns start with the experience itself.

The marketing then becomes much more powerful because there is something authentic to talk about, photograph, share and create anticipation around,

she added.

A great example at Beaverbrook is its Balloons in Bloom outdoor dining campaign. The experience invites guests to dine in the Surrey Hills beneath beautiful, floral-inspired balloons, designed to melt into the surrounding landscape. It is a celebration of the beauty of the Great British summer, brought to life through an immersive setting, while guests enjoy its exquisite Japanese menu.

What makes it particularly effective is that the season isn't simply part of the messaging – it is fundamental to the experience itself. The landscape, the floral design, the outdoor setting and the menu all come together to create something that feels unique to summer at Beaverbrook. It also demonstrates the value of creating experiences that are inherently visual and shareable. Balloons in Bloom gives us beautiful content, a strong PR story and social media opportunities, but most importantly, it gives guests a memorable experience they cannot replicate in quite the same way elsewhere. For us, that is the distinction: the season should influence what the guest actually experiences, not just what the campaign looks like,

finished Rebecca.

At Hyatt Hotels in the UK, the team takes an always-on approach to marketing, ensuring it is continuously reaching its target audiences throughout the year. London benefits from strong year-round demand, so Rosie Bagley, Director of Marketing Communications, Hyatt UK, said,

Our focus is on adapting our messaging to different markets, seasons and guest needs, while making sure our hotels remain visible and front of mind.

The Hyatt UK team creates an annual calendar highlighting key dates, celebrations and major city events, such as Wimbledon and the Chelsea Flower Show.

This helps us identify where demand may come from at different times of the year and ensure our messaging is relevant,

said Rosie. For example, February is an important travel month for the Chinese market, so the team focuses on showcasing London and the Hyatt hotels to this audience within the right booking window.

We asked Rosie, beyond simply discounting rooms, what kinds of experiences, packages or partnerships hotels can develop to give guests a compelling reason to visit during quieter periods. She sees that the opportunities are endless, but rather than relying solely on room discounts, her team focuses on maximising value through brand-aligned partnerships and unique, property-led experiences.

For example, at our luxury property Great Scotland Yard Hotel, this could include a themed afternoon tea inspired by the hotel’s history, storytelling-led tours, river cruises, spa experiences or partnerships with local attractions. These experiences give guests an additional reason to visit during quieter periods, while also showcasing the personality of the hotel and the destination. We do not simply sell beds; we sell experiences. The aim is to take a 360-degree approach and ensure every part of the stay feels thoughtful, distinctive and memorable.

Rosie said.

Similarly, Jenny Caldecourt, Group Head of Marketing at Exclusive Collection, said,

At Pennyhill Park, it's incredibly important that each season has its own distinct personality. Guests are increasingly looking for experiences that reflect the time of year, so rather than offering the same stay year-round, we tailor our experiences to mark the seasons as they unfold.

The hotel’s food and beverage offering is a great example of this. Dining in Latymer provides a special gastronomic experience at any time of year, homing in on outstanding ingredients such as local game and Orkney scallops, which are sustainably hand-dived for when weather conditions allow.

Jenny explained that one of the biggest lessons she’s learned is that guests' priorities change with the seasons, and the weather often plays a significant role in shaping what they're looking for from a break.

People increasingly want a stay that feels truly seasonal and that draws on local heritage, artisans and makers, so our packages and experiences are designed to lean into that.

Similarly to Hyatt UK, the Exclusive Collection team also keeps an eye on what's happening in the local area and how that influences travel decisions.

Events such as Royal Ascot present a fantastic opportunity to create memorable experiences beyond simply offering accommodation,

said Jenny.

Whether that's dressing the hotel to reflect the occasion, creating themed food and beverage experiences or adding entertainment, we're focused on helping guests immerse themselves in the wider event.

When it comes to how to approach marketing to different audiences throughout the year, while ensuring the messaging feels relevant rather than simply relying on discounts or price-led promotions, Jenny revealed,

Everything we do is guided by our core promise: Indulge in the best, feel at your best, realise your potential. While the emphasis and reason to visit may shift depending on who we're speaking to and when, that brand message remains consistent throughout the year.

The Exclusive Collection hotels appeal to a broad range of audiences, from leisure guests and spa visitors to corporate clients, wedding couples and local diners. Jenny revealed that the challenge is ensuring they are sharing the right message, with the right audience, at the right time, while staying true to their overarching brand positioning.

Importantly, Jenny and her team never view their audiences in isolation. A spa day guest may also be a corporate decision-maker responsible for booking events, or someone planning a special celebration. Likewise, a leisure guest could become a wedding client in the future.

Being part of Exclusive Collection allows us to connect guests with a wider range of experiences across our collection, helping them discover new reasons to travel, celebrate and reconnect throughout the year. That's why we focus on communicating the full breadth of the Pennyhill Park experience rather than placing people into single categories. We create relevance through seasonal experiences and tapping into the emotional reasons for travel, rather than solely discounting.

Guests are increasingly looking for something memorable and meaningful, so the Exclusive Collection marketing focuses on showcasing seasonal moments, exceptional dining and wellness experiences that connect with their needs. This very much aligns with the brand’s promise to guests, which draws down into every hotel in the collection – ‘Eat well, sleep well, do you well. Take a breath from the everyday in beautiful surroundings.’

By highlighting value through experience rather than price, we're able to maintain the premium positioning of the brand while ensuring our messaging remains engaging and relevant. As a result, we have seen growth in shoulder-season visits, supporting more evenly distributed demand throughout the year,

Jenny added.

For hotels looking to build a 365-day marketing strategy and turn quieter periods into opportunities to create demand and generate revenue, Jenny’s advice is to embrace agility and understand the different demand drivers within your business, whilst staying true to your brand promise. No hotel can rely on a single market segment throughout the year, so it's important to identify the levers available to you and know when to activate them.

Jenny said,

It's also important not to see quieter periods as a problem, but as an opportunity.

Guests are often looking for different experiences at different times of year, so the key is to build compelling reasons to visit that go beyond simply lowering rates.

By creating experiences that embrace the season, responding to trends and local events, and understanding what motivates your guests at different moments throughout the year, you can generate demand in a way that supports both revenue and long-term brand value.

Clockwork Marketing has spent over 30 years helping hotels understand what drives bookings. Drawing on the experience of the brand’s marketing, search, content and account management teams, one thing remains clear: creating year-round demand is rarely about simply lowering the price.

Mark Durber, SEO & Business Marketing Manager at Clockwork Marketing, explained that creating year-round demand is “rarely about simply lowering the price”. When hotels encounter quieter periods, the natural response can be to introduce another offer or discount, but price alone rarely gives somebody a compelling reason to travel.

Good marketing starts by understanding what is driving demand at different times of the year and finding ways to make the hotel relevant to those motivations,

said Mark.

Hotels already have one of their most valuable marketing resources at their fingertips in the form of guest data. Mark recognises that when this is used thoughtfully, it can help them understand who their guests are, what interests them and when they might be ready to return.

Rather than sending everyone the same January offer, hotels can use that insight to speak to previous spa guests about a wellness escape, diners about a seasonal food event or couples about a quiet midweek break,

he added.

Knowing your audiences is central to creating demand throughout the year. It is tempting to focus on reaching as many people as possible, but relevance will almost always beat volume. Mark explained that the most effective marketing is about understanding what a particular guest is interested in and presenting them with a reason to stay that feels genuinely relevant to them.

Seasonal marketing starts with something genuine – something that gives guests a reason to travel rather than simply another reason to book a room.

That could be a food weekend with a local producer, a wellness event, walking routes from the hotel door or a partnership with a nearby attraction. The important thing is to market the experience, not simply the availability,

added Mark.

As the way guests research trips evolves, Mark believes that hotels need to make their reasons to stay much easier to discover. Travellers are increasingly asking Google and AI platforms detailed questions about where to enjoy a peaceful winter break, where to stay for great walking or which hotels are close to a particular experience.

Useful, well-structured content that explains what a hotel offers, where it is and what guests can genuinely experience gives both travellers and search platforms a much stronger reason to choose it,

he finished.

Ultimately, creating demand 365 days a year is about shifting the focus from filling rooms to giving guests a compelling reason to visit. Whether through seasonal experiences, local partnerships, targeted marketing or a deeper understanding of guest motivations, the hotels leading the way are finding ways to make every period feel distinctive. By embracing quieter months as opportunities rather than challenges, hotels can build more meaningful guest relationships, strengthen their brand and create a more consistent flow of demand throughout the year.

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by Xhulio Bishtaja

PEOPLE FIRST

Hospitality has long called its people its greatest asset, but does the industry truly value them that way? We spoke to LQA’s Director of Training, Diego Renda who argues that operators must rethink how they invest in, train and develop their teams – not simply as a competitive advantage, but as an opportunity to build stronger, more resilient businesses.

Hospitality often says, "People are our greatest asset". Do you think the industry really treats them that way and why?

Not consistently, no. And I don’t think it is because anyone means it dishonestly. People are the actual product in a hotel, and service matters at least as much as the building. I would argue more, in an age where everything looks the same.

The reason we don’t act on it is simpler and less sinister than hypocrisy. We cannot put a number on it. Hospitality is run largely by finance: owners, asset managers, investment committees. That is not a criticism, it is how the industry is structured. But finance decides on what appreciates visibly. A renovation appreciates, and so does a new spa, and both can be photographed and put in a report. Investment in people does not show up that way. There is no line on a balance sheet that says our team got better this year. So, the building wins the argument every time, because it is the only one that can prove itself in the language the room is speaking.

Meanwhile the cost of the alternative is enormous and almost entirely invisible. Hospitality has the highest turnover of any sector in the UK, losing around half its workforce a year against a national average closer to a third, and more than a third of the people in this industry have been in their role for less than twelve months. Every departure carries a real cost in recruitment, in training, in lost productivity, and a further cost in service while someone new learns the property. None of it ever appears as a single figure, because it sits scattered across a dozen budget headings where it looks like nothing.

Has there been a shift in how hospitality professionals are treated due to the rise in technology?

Yes, but only halfway, and the half we have not done is the more interesting one. Technology has taken some genuinely menial work away, and that is real progress. It has also created a new kind of work that nobody planned for. A receptionist now moves between half a dozen systems in a single shift, most of which do not speak to each other, and becomes the connective tissue between them: entering the same information twice, reconciling two versions of the same booking, working around a configuration nobody has revisited since it was installed. We took some manual work away, handed back a different kind, and called it modernisation.

The clearest opportunity right now is correspondence. Concierge and guest relations teams are handling volumes of email that would have been unimaginable ten years ago, and a large share of it is repetitive: confirming a transfer, answering the same question about breakfast times, chasing a restaurant that has not replied. AI handles that well already. It is a tool, and it matters for what it frees people to do rather than for what it replaces.

Most of the rest is a configuration problem. Hotels already own systems holding everything worth knowing about a returning guest, and almost none of it reaches the person standing in front of them, either because the integration was never finished or because nobody was trained to use it properly. That is not a question for some future technology. It is this year’s budget and somebody’s decision. Resolving it hands a team hours back every day, and those hours go straight into the only part of the job no machine can do, which is noticing what a particular guest needs and adjusting to it. Used well, technology does not shrink the human role in hospitality. It restores it.

Why is it so important for hospitality businesses to invest in their people now?

Because the market is saturated. Products of every shape and size, at every price point, in every city. Demand is strong at the moment, so the pressure is not visible, but demand is not permanent. There will be a stabilisation and there will be a downturn, and when it comes there will be too many hotels and too much choice for all of them to survive on product alone. At that point the question stops being what did you build and becomes why would anyone come back. The only durable answer is the people.

That is arriving at exactly the moment the industry says it cannot find anyone. We describe the talent shortage as though it were weather. It is not. Fewer young people want to build a career here, and the reasons are not mysterious: the pay, the hours, the assumption that missing Christmas every year is the natural price of admission. Previous generations accepted that as inevitable. This one does not, and I don’t think they are wrong to refuse it.

So, the answer to the shortage and the answer to saturation turn out to be the same answer. Attract the right people rather than the available ones. Deliver on what was promised at the interview. Train them properly and give them the tools to succeed rather than the tools to cope. Do that and the industry ends up with a workforce skilled where it actually matters, which is the only version of this business that thrives rather than endures.

What do people miss when they see people as a cost instead of an investment?

They miss that cost and investment are not just accounting terms. They are two different instincts, and each one shapes everything downstream. Treated as a cost, the instinct is always to reduce: fewer hours, fewer people, less training. Treated as an investment, the instinct becomes to build. Real training rather than a script. The autonomy to use judgement instead of following procedure. Recognition for the ones who do it well, publicly, rather than in a performance review nobody reads.

They also miss that this is not a spending question but a sequencing one. Judgement and recognition come first, and consistency, loyalty and performance follow from them. Bought directly, through more oversight and tighter control, consistency arrives as compliance instead, and guests can always tell the difference between compliance and the real thing.

How does investing in people help hospitality businesses perform better?

Nobody chooses a hotel for the chandelier in the lobby. If the building were the point we would sell tickets and call it a museum. A hotel is a living thing, and what makes it live is the people inside it, guests and staff alike. The person who brings breakfast can put a guest completely at ease or quietly ruin their morning, and no amount of design spend changes which one happens.

Said out loud, the current arrangement is quite strange. We sell life changing experiences at a very high price point and then ask overworked and undertrained people to deliver them. Marketing writes the promise. Delivery sits with someone on their fourth consecutive shift who was given a two hour induction. That distance between the promise and the delivery is where guests actually form their opinion of a brand, and it is almost never where the money goes.

Closing it pays. Guests who feel well looked after spend more while they are there and they come back. In a market where the products have converged, that is the only differentiator left that cannot be copied.

The hiring tells a different story though. Brands spend enormously on positioning, on saying who they are, and then recruit almost entirely on experience: years in the role, previous employer, technical competence. Whether someone is the kind of person a guest wants in front of them barely enters the conversation.

That is why at LQA we have been trying to shift how the industry thinks about training. Not as a cost to tick off or a compliance exercise before an audit, but as the way a service culture actually gets built, one person at a time.

If you could change one thing about how hospitality values its people, what would it be?

The relationship between a hotel and the people who work in it. I would make it a real one. Good managers know who is exceptional at what, but it is rare to see that understanding shape where someone goes next. Hospitality has an advantage almost no other industry can match: the range of roles is extraordinary, and there is a place here for almost every skill set and temperament. Someone can build a serious career on talent alone, which is rarer than we admit.

We are not nearly good enough at connecting those things. Progression still tends to follow vacancies and tenure rather than attitude and aptitude. Instead, we should understand what someone is genuinely good at, what motivates them and what drains them, then build their career around that rather than around a gap on the org chart.

That is a large part of what we are building towards at LQA with myLQA: putting quality in the hands of the people who actually create it.

What do you think the most successful hoteliers will do differently over the next few years?

They will redesign roles rather than trim them. The question stops being how to do more with less and becomes what people should actually be doing. That is a more demanding question, and it produces a better job at the end of it, which is what makes someone stay.

They will also close the distance between what the brand promises and what the operation delivers. Most brands articulate who they are beautifully. Far fewer have built the training and the operational infrastructure to make it true at the front desk at 11pm on a hard day. That distance is where trust is won or lost, and it is increasingly the work I find myself doing with hotels and brands directly: not assessing whether they meet a standard, but helping them operationalise the promise itself.

None of this waits on new technology or a change in the market. It is available now, to anyone prepared to do it, which is the most optimistic thing I can say about this industry and also the most demanding.

How is LQA valuing hospitality professionals?

By working at the level of the person rather than the position. What we have built, we have built for the people in this industry rather than for the properties they work in.

That runs from our Star Employees recognition, which names individuals rather than hotels, through to building an Academy in Lisbon. How we train matters as much as the fact that we train. We teach the why, not the what. Anyone can hand over a standard and ask for it to be followed, which produces compliance, and guests can always feel the difference between compliance and care. Someone who understands why something matters can handle the situation nobody wrote a standard for, and those are most of the situations that count.

Live Coaching exists for that gap. What someone is taught in induction, if they get one, and what the job asks of them in their first month on the floor are two very different things, and most programmes never meet people at the second. Ours goes to them, in the work, while it is happening, delivered by people who have run those departments themselves. Everyone doing this work at LQA came up through hospitality operations, which is less a credential than the point itself: this industry produces expertise serious enough to build a company on.

This year we launched the Sirius Awards, the first recognition of its kind to celebrate individual hospitality professionals rather than hotels or brands. That distinction matters more than it sounds. The industry has no shortage of awards for properties, and every one of them is collected by someone who did not make the bed, carry the tray, or notice that a guest was having a hard week. Sirius exists to say it was this person, in this moment.

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by Xhulio Bishtaja

TREAT WELLNESS LIKE ROOMS

Wellness has become core hotel inventory. So why are we still selling it like an add-on? By Simon Bullingham, CEO of Journey.

Wellness has moved a long way from the days when a spa was simply another hotel amenity. For many luxury properties, it now shapes the proposition and increasingly influences the booking decision itself, as industry research shows that the experiences available at a hotel are becoming part of what drives guests to choose the property in the first place.

Hotels have invested in better facilities, wider treatment menus and more ambitious wellness programmes, but the way they think about selling and managing those experiences hasn’t always caught up.

Rooms are treated as inventory, while wellness is still too often treated as a service. Accommodation is priced, distributed and measured with precision, yet spa treatments, classes and other wellness experiences can still be buried in menus, leaving guests to call, make separate bookings or navigate a fragmented journey that sits apart from the rest of their stay.

The opportunity sits within a much bigger shift in travel. McKinsey and Skift estimate that travellers spend $1.1–$1.3 trillion on experiences each year, with almost half of experience bookings still made offline. For hotels, this highlights the opportunity to make experiences easier to discover and book digitally – bringing wellness and other services into the same seamless journey as the room itself.

And if wellness is increasingly influencing where guests choose to stay, it needs to be managed with the same commercial and operational discipline hotels already apply to their rooms.

Hotels need to think more like retailers

Retailers understand that if you want people to buy something, it needs to be easy to find, understand and purchase. Hotels already do this well with rooms, giving guests clear choices, live availability and a straightforward booking journey.

But that same approach doesn’t always extend to wellness. A treatment might be listed without showing when it’s available, a spa day might still require a phone call, or a package might sit in a completely separate booking journey, even though the guest sees it as part of the same stay.

Thinking more like an ecommerce business changes that. It means looking at how wellness inventory is presented, how experiences are packaged and promoted, how easy they are to book, and how different parts of the stay can be brought together in one seamless journey.

But putting wellness online is only part of the answer. The operation behind it needs to be able to deliver what the guest has bought, too.

Why wellness is still sold like an add-on

Part of the challenge is structural. Hotels have traditionally built their commercial and operational systems around the room, with the PMS acting as the backbone for managing accommodation. But as the role of experiences grows, wellness and other ancillary services need to be managed with the same level of structure and visibility. An Experience Management System (EMS) provides that operational backbone for experiences, enabling hotels to manage, market and sell wellness as part of the guest journey from the outset, rather than introducing it only after the room has been booked.

That model reflects a time when spa and wellness played a smaller role in the hotel proposition. Guest behaviour is changing, though. Journey’s own data shows that guests are willing to spend on wellness when it is easy to find and book, with spa treatments and facility passes among the most popular extras added to room bookings.

Even the language hotels use can reinforce the idea that wellness comes second. Treatments, classes and spa access are often described as “extras” or “add-ons”, despite being a key part of the reason some guests choose to stay. For someone booking a wellness break, the treatment programme can be just as important as the bedroom – while a hotel’s wellness offering can also be the factor that sets it apart when a guest is choosing between properties.

Retailers would rarely leave a product that helped draw a customer to the store until the final stages of checkout. Hotels should consider wellness in the same way, thinking carefully about where it appears in the discovery and booking journey and whether guests can secure the experiences that helped persuade them to choose the property.

This also calls for a broader view of performance. Measuring wellness solely as ancillary revenue after the room has been sold can understate its wider commercial contribution. Skift research in 2026 suggests travellers are increasingly researching experiences first, then choosing a destination, flights and finally accommodation. With 43% saying experiences are the most important part of a trip, hotels need to understand how wellness can influence demand, support the booking decision and drive greater value across the guest relationship.

Wellness deserves its own commercial lens

Hotels have become sophisticated at measuring room performance, and wellness should be viewed with the same commercial focus.

Metrics such as utilisation, conversion, attach rate and total guest spend can help hotels understand the role wellness plays in the wider performance of the property. Looking at which experiences are bought together, when demand is strongest and where capacity is going unused can also reveal opportunities to improve performance.

That creates a much more useful picture than simply asking whether the spa is busy. A full treatment diary doesn’t necessarily mean pricing or the mix of treatments is right, while quieter periods could present opportunities to package, promote or sell experiences differently.

It also means bringing more teams into the conversation. Spa teams may be responsible for delivering the experience, but revenue, ecommerce and marketing all have a role to play in how wellness is positioned, priced and sold.

The technology needs to catch up with the experience

As wellness takes on a greater commercial role, the technology supporting it needs to give teams a clearer view of the people, spaces and resources behind every booking. In many hotels, that information still sits across separate systems, with spa diaries, guest data and payments managed in different places.

A more connected approach gives operators a clearer, real-time view of staff, treatment rooms, facilities and other resources, while linking into the systems already used across the property. This makes the day-to-day running of wellness simpler and gives teams a better picture of how it is performing commercially.

It also helps bridge the gap between what the guest is promised and what the hotel can actually deliver. If wellness is being actively sold as part of the stay, the booking journey needs to reflect what the property can genuinely offer.

Hotels have invested heavily in making wellness a reason to choose their property, but the systems and structures supporting it have often remained room-focused. One of Journey’s partners, Gisborough Hall, is taking a different approach, appointing an ex-Revenue Director as Spa Director to bring greater commercial focus to the operation. As wellness plays a bigger role in both the booking decision and the value of the stay, hotels need the infrastructure to match - with technology taking on much of the operational heavy lifting and giving teams the tools to manage wellness with the same commercial focus and discipline as rooms.

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by Xhulio Bishtaja

IN THE HOT SEAT: TAMARA LOHAN

Tamara Lohan is the former co-founder of boutique brand Mr & Mrs Smith and Global Brand Leader for Luxury at the Hyatt Hotels and is featuring in Hotel Magazine’s In the Hot Seat this October.

You’ve built your career around luxury hospitality. What first drew you to the industry, and what have been the defining moments in your own journey that have shaped the way you think about luxury today?

I’ve always been obsessed with hotels. Long before I worked in the industry, I was the guest poring over where to stay, looking for those places that somehow got everything right. And James and I kissed a lot of frogs. We had plenty of disastrous weekends away in hotels that looked wonderful in the photographs but simply didn’t deliver when you got there.

That frustration was part of what led us to create Mr & Mrs Smith. We wanted to find the hotels we genuinely wanted to stay in and be very honest about what made them special. Sometimes it was extraordinary design or a brilliant restaurant. Quite often it was something much harder to photograph: the atmosphere, the way you were looked after, how the lighting made you feel, the sense that somebody had thought about the experience from the guest’s point of view.

I think that’s where my understanding of luxury really began. I’ve always been fascinated by design, architecture, food, travel and culture, and hotels are this wonderful meeting point for all of them. But a hotel has to work. You sleep in it, eat in it, shower in it, ask people for things, get lost in it. You experience every decision somebody has made.

Building Smith gave me the privilege of experiencing thousands of hotels through that lens. Joining Hyatt has given me another perspective: what it takes to create and protect that level of experience across a global luxury brand.

And after all these years, I’m probably even more obsessive about the details. The best luxury feels deeply considered, but never overworked. You sense the care without seeing the machinery behind it.

The definition of luxury has changed dramatically in recent years. How would you define contemporary luxury today, and what do you think the most sophisticated luxury traveller is looking for that they weren’t looking for 10 or 15 years ago?

Luxury has become much more emotional. The most sophisticated travellers have access to beautiful things already. They know good design, they eat incredibly well, they’ve stayed in extraordinary hotels. The more sophisticated the traveller, the harder they are to impress with expense alone.

Increasingly, I think luxury is about the things money alone can’t guarantee. Time. Privacy. A sense of discovery. Genuine expertise. Someone remembering something you mentioned almost in passing and quietly making it happen. Or being given access to a person or place that opens up a destination in a completely different way.

Ultimately, luxury is about how a hotel makes you feel.

That sounds deceptively simple, because creating that feeling takes an extraordinary amount of work. The architecture matters. The materials matter. The food, the lighting, the scent, the bed, the way someone greets you when you arrive. But the guest shouldn’t be mentally ticking those things off. They should simply feel that they’re somewhere very special and can relax into it.

I think that’s one of the biggest changes from 10 or 15 years ago. There was a period when luxury could be communicated quite visibly through abundance and recognisable symbols of status. Today’s most discerning travellers tend to have a much quieter confidence. They’re curious. They want beauty and exceptional quality, but they also want soul, meaning and a connection to where they are.

And they can spot something manufactured a mile away. The most sophisticated travellers have a finely tuned sense of what feels genuine, and that’s become a very important part of luxury.

Park Hyatt has traditionally been associated with a very particular idea of understated, highly personalised luxury. How do you see the brand evolving while protecting the qualities that have made it distinctive, particularly as you oversee its next phase of growth?

There’s a confidence to Park Hyatt that I really love, and I want us to build on it. At its best, there’s an extraordinary sense of calm, beautiful architecture, wonderful food and wine and a very human style of service.

I’d like us to share more of what we know. Park Hyatt has incredible connoisseurship within its hotels, and luxury becomes much more interesting when you give guests access to that knowledge. It might be an artist whose studio is usually closed, a remarkable bottle from a tiny producer, a private collection, or simply knowing the person in the city who is brilliant at what they do.

That’s the role I’d love Park Hyatt to play. A cultured insider who can open doors to the rare, the fascinating and occasionally the inaccessible, without making a great performance of it.

We’re thinking deeply about how Park Hyatt expresses that in its next chapter. Even the word “Park” is interesting to me. A great park gives you beauty, space and a sense of escape, but it also changes depending on where you are in the world. There’s something quite rich in that idea for a global brand.

And I want Park Hyatt to have confidence in its own taste. Luxury can become terribly well behaved. The hotels I remember have a point of view. There might be a brilliant piece of art, an unexpected book beside the bed, a restaurant you'd cross the city to eat in, or a member of the team who sends you somewhere you’d never have found yourself.

Park Hyatt should feel cultured, warm and deeply comfortable, with curiosity and pleasure running through it. And occasionally, I’d like it to make you smile.

Park Hyatt has a significant pipeline ahead, from Riviera Maya, the brand’s first all-inclusive, to Phu Quoc, Mexico City and Vancouver. How do you approach scaling a luxury brand across very different markets without allowing the experience to become formulaic?

For me, consistency in luxury is about the quality of the experience, rather than making every hotel look or feel the same.

There are things a Park Hyatt guest should be able to trust completely wherever they are in the world: the quality of the room, the bed, the food and wine, the materials, and above all the service. Those things have to be exceptional. Then you give each hotel the freedom to belong completely to its place.

That’s what makes this next group of openings so exciting. Park Hyatt Mexico City should feel like Mexico City. Park Hyatt Phu Quoc should give you an experience you could only have in Vietnam. We want great architects, designers, chefs and our own colleagues to bring a destination to life rather than sand away everything interesting about it in pursuit of consistency.

Park Hyatt Riviera Maya is particularly fascinating because it gives us the chance to think about all-inclusive through a luxury lens. At its best, all-inclusive can create an incredible sense of freedom. The transactions disappear. You’re not signing a bill every time you order a drink or wondering what is and isn’t included. You can relax into the experience.

But that freedom depends on generosity. The food and wine have to be brilliant. The experiences have to feel considered. There needs to be choice, spontaneity and a sense that we’re giving the guest our best, rather than managing what they consume.

AI is rapidly changing the way hotels understand, anticipate and interact with guests. Where do you see genuine opportunities for AI within luxury hospitality, and equally, where should the industry be careful not to automate the human touches that make great hotels special?

I’m genuinely excited about what AI can do in luxury hospitality, particularly behind the scenes.

Great luxury service has always depended on observation and memory. Someone notices how you like your coffee, that you asked for a firmer pillow, or that you’re travelling with your daughter this time rather than for work. AI can help us make much better use of those little signals, and potentially carry that understanding with a guest from one stay to the next.

I’m equally interested in what it can take away from our colleagues. Hotels generate an extraordinary amount of admin and repetitive work. If AI can give a brilliant concierge, housekeeper or front-office colleague more time to look up, notice what’s happening around them and actually talk to guests, that’s a very good use of technology.

Because the magic still happens between people. Anticipatory service is incredibly nuanced. Sometimes a guest wants conversation and recommendations; sometimes they’ve had a 12-hour flight and want the key to their room in about 30 seconds. A great hotel colleague can read that.

So I’d like the intelligence to become more sophisticated while the experience becomes more human. Ideally, the guest simply senses that we know them a little better and that things happen beautifully around them. They shouldn’t have to think very much about the technology making some of that possible.

Looking ahead, what do you most want Park Hyatt to be known for under your direction, and what would success look like for you personally as you lead the brand through this next chapter?

I’d love people to fall in love with Park Hyatt.

Love means you remember how a place made you feel. You have a favourite Park Hyatt, a member of the team you still remember, a restaurant you want to go back to, perhaps even a particular room you always ask for. And when we open somewhere new, you’re curious to see what Park Hyatt has created there.

I saw the power of that kind of emotional connection at Smith. People would plan trips around hotels they’d fallen for, and I’ve never lost my fascination with what makes a hotel inspire that level of affection.

For Park Hyatt, I want to build on the extraordinary foundations already there and bring more warmth, pleasure, cultural curiosity and personality into the experience. I want each hotel to feel very much of its place, while having the confidence and human touch that tells you you’re at a Park Hyatt.

Personally, success would be seeing that affection grow. In 5 years’ time, I want Park Hyatt to be a brand people actively seek out, wherever they’re travelling, because they trust our taste, they love how our hotels make them feel and they’re excited to discover what we’ll do next.

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by Xhulio Bishtaja

A NEW STANDARD

Housed in a striking Brutalist landmark, The Standard, London has transformed a former civic building into a vibrant destination where design, dining, culture and entertainment come together. This October, we take a closer look at the venue as our Hotel of the Month.

Occupying the former Camden Town Hall Annex in King’s Cross, The Standard, London is a hotel that has made a virtue of its setting, combining a distinctly 1970s Brutalist structure with the playful, design-led identity for which The Standard brand is known. Meticulously restored, the building became the brand’s first hotel outside the United States, bringing a new energy to a neighbourhood already established as one of London’s most dynamic destinations.

The 266-room property spans everything from Standard King Interior Rooms through to expansive terraced suites, with the latter offering one of the hotel’s most memorable features: outdoor bathtubs with views towards the imposing façade of St Pancras Station. The approach to accommodation is deliberately eclectic, balancing the character of the original building with The Standard’s irreverent, contemporary aesthetic.

Public spaces are central to the hotel’s proposition. On the ground floor, Double Standard operates as both a street-facing bar and restaurant, blending American diner classics with British pub favourites. It provides a deliberately informal entry point to the property, while next door The Library Lounge offers a quieter environment, with its collection of books paying homage to the building’s former civic use.

Music and culture are similarly embedded into the operation. Sounds Studio, located alongside The Library Lounge, provides a dedicated home for live radio shows and podcasts, extending the hotel’s role beyond accommodation and into London’s wider creative scene. It is an approach that reflects The Standard’s longstanding ambition to operate as a social and cultural hub rather than simply a place for guests to stay.

Food and beverage is particularly prominent across the property. Isla offers a seasonal menu designed to be approachable and contemporary, supported by a refreshed wine and cocktail list. At the other end of the scale, Decimo occupies the hotel’s 10th floor, where Chef Paola Arenas’ live-fire cooking takes centre stage. The restaurant is reached via The Standard’s distinctive exterior red pill lift and, once upstairs, diners are rewarded with 360-degree views across London.

The rooftop provides another layer to the hotel’s F&B and leisure offer, operating as a seasonal destination for drinks, food and music. During the summer months, it becomes a natural extension of the hotel’s social spaces, reinforcing the property’s ability to attract both residents and the local community.

For hoteliers, The Standard, London offers a useful example of how a hotel can create a compelling proposition by treating the building, its neighbourhood and its public spaces as integral parts of the guest experience. Rather than separating accommodation, food and beverage, culture and entertainment into distinct offers, the property brings them together under one recognisable identity. The brand has also continued to strengthen its leadership, recently appointing Murray Scott as General Manager.

The result is a hotel that feels rooted in its location while remaining unmistakably The Standard. From a Brutalist civic building given a new lease of life to a rooftop designed around the rhythms of summer, its success lies in creating multiple reasons to visit – whether staying overnight, meeting for a drink, listening to a broadcast, dining around a fire or simply taking in the London skyline.

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by Xhulio Bishtaja