The pandemic has had a huge impact on our everyday lives but it has impacted the travel and hospitality industry more than most, but is it all bad? Or has the pandemic given the industry time to catch up with the changes that were necessary for a tenable tourism future that delivers against the shifting value expectation of future travellers?
The pandemic has allowed us time to reflect on why we travel, and re-appreciate travel in new ways, to savour the moments of being in places beyond our four walls that stimulate all of our senses.
We are now all rather familiar with the reality of the acceleration of trends during this time such as work from anywhere and wellness of people and planet, and as a result of this, our behaviour has changed in radical ways and we are doing things we would not have imagined previously, and as such we, and the industry, are at a turning point where we have an opportunity to do things differently.
As Professor Ian Goldin recently told the audience at Pandox’s Hotel Market Day, “we are more empowered in new ways, and we now understand more” and as such the industry is poised to come together to deliver quality moments, in quality environments where people will want to experience places and people in ways that reflect their values that have been reshuffled during the pandemic.
In addition to the pandemic shake-up of our values, the industry also has a new audience to cater to. Coming of age during the pandemic, the oldest cohort of Gen Z are now spending and entering the workforce with a different mindset and view of the world. They are environmentally and socially minded, wellbeing focused, unapologetically expressive and the first truly digital native consumer who have no memory of living life without the internet or smart phones, and according to Sparks & Honey Gen Z report 2025, The Final Generation – this generation “promises to learn from the past to create a world unlike anything we’ve ever seen”.
Understanding this new audience’s values and behaviours and incorporating them into new services and experiences is one of the biggest challenges facing the hospitality industry as we move forward. The brands that win will be those who can create a sweet spot to bring people together in quality environments, to experience every element of their ever-evolving selves delivering against their desire and expectation for experiences that leave no impact and that exist in both our IRL and URL lives.
According to research by IGH travel resorts, regardless of generation, Gen Z (69%) and Gen X and Boomers (48%) feel strongly about responsible travel with 82% overall saying that they will choose a brand that shares their values and operates responsibly. People will increasingly question how, if they need to travel, they can leave no impact. As such travel choices are now framed through the lens of responsible travel and should be adopted by the industry as a standard, not a trend.
Leading the charge with this new value expectation are ‘Regenerative Travel’ a global collection of more than 40 resorts across 24 countries that have all been accredited to a new regenerative system. In order to be part of the collection, the resorts must demonstrate that they are making progress towards creating both ‘social and environmental positive impact’ and report on 29 key metrics. What’s key about this is that it’s a continual journey and not accreditation that once you have reached you are ‘in the club’, instead, it’s about continually progressing towards a truly regenerative solution. They have also published a white paper including a glossary of terms to help the industry define a regenerative lexicon to become industry standards. Coining phrases like ‘essence stakeholders’ and ‘history of place’ they are demonstrating the more holistic nature of regeneration vs some of the previously tokenistic tropes of sustainability that the industry was adopting.
According to the World Economic Forum, “a nature positive economy could unlock $10.1tn in business value annually by 2030” and as such we will increasingly see rewilding projects in both urban and rural hospitality destinations. This is beyond a green wall or perfectly manicured lawns but rather about understanding the balance of nature and biodiversity and the role nature has to play in not only sequestering carbon, but also delivering on the value expectation of being connected to nature.
In the same way that values around betterment for people and the planet have been put front and centre, so too has our relationship with technology. Having been on the fringes, the Metaverse is now the playground of the luxury and retail industries, a space that hospitality seems to be slow to join and one that needs to seamlessly blend IRL and URL drawing on the same pillars of experience and the human touch that the industry delivers through bricks and mortar today.
It is predicted that by 2060 virtual experiences will be able to engage all of our senses and we will feel as if we are actually in the physical space, but whilst we are not there yet, digital advancements over the last 18 months have fast-forwarded our value expectations about what we can expect from our real and digital worlds.
Responding to this is Frama L’Auberge, the world’s first virtual hotel. Describing itself as “a hotel that instils a calming, daydreaming, and reflective state of mind seeking out the anomalous and unexpected,” it could easily sit amongst many other beautifully designed IRL luxury wellness destinations. However, it only exists in the virtual world. Surrounded by (virtual) miles of sand dunes the hotel is fitted out with bespoke furniture, restful bedrooms and alfresco dining spaces synonymous with any 5* luxury resort, yet those visiting L’Auberge can take comfort in the fact that they have not had to offset their carbon air mileage to visit it!
Taking a slightly different approach is luxury travel company Brown & Hudson who have recently launched their virtual travel offer that sits alongside their bespoke real destination travel concierge proposition. Focusing on the benefits of ‘micro-dosing travel’ and its benefit to our emotional wellbeing as well as its ‘light’ footprint, they are equipping their clients with a TESLASUIT, HaptXglove and a FeelReal scent mask so that people can ‘travel’ and experience the joys of Hanoi for lunch whilst still being back at their desk by two!
The third key pillar that will continue to drive the hospitality sector is our awareness of our personal health and wellbeing and this is leading us to ‘potential travel’ – hospitality that delivers on the desire to live stronger and longer. SIRO, a sports and fitness hotel due to open in 2023 in Montenegro, epitomises this trend. Curated around the pillars of Strength, Inclusive, Reflection and Original, its future guests are invited to ‘live at their fullest potential’ through a blend of hospitality, fitness, cultural experiences and wellness. Or the likes of Tri Vanada wellness resort. Due to open in 2022 and housed in a wetland nature reserve it is a medical centre resort that is focused on functional medicine and cognitive wellbeing. With 70 villas nestled amongst the wildlife, each is designed to maximise the guests’ wellness and recuperation needs blending high tech and biophilia. Each villa is fitted with circadian lighting and aromatherapy to enhance the guest’s mental and physical wellbeing as well as having Wi-Fi blockers and electromagnetic shielding to help guests to truly disconnect.
As such we will see the winners of the industry authentically owning a pillar of hospitality, be it offering potential travel and longevity tourism or virtual trips delivering microdosing travel, and always underpinned by the industry standard that must be regenerative at the core.
By Philippa Wagner, Creative Strategist – PW/c
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