Travel destinations the world over are struggling with a new kind of traveler: A younger millennial or Gen-Z tourist, hungry for experiences rather than cookie-cutter hotels.
Today’s tourists are “looking for a point of view,” interior designer André Fu explained at the Fortune Brainstorm Design conference in Macau on Tuesday. In other words, they are looking for a specific atmosphere or design ethos in choosing where to stay or eat.
And, Fu explained, this even extends to the luxury hotel space. “Luxury is not about the fabrics. It’s not about the marble. It’s about feeling. It’s about connection. It’s about the emotion that you get when you’re in a space,” he said.
“When you have that feeling that this is a space that’s designed around you, rather than you being just a particle in that environment—that sense of resonance is so invaluable,” Fu said. “And I guess that level of connection…is what designers are thriving for these days.”
Swire Hotels deputy chairman Toby Smith agreed that travel patterns were changing. “We’re finding that people are extending their trip. They’ve got a business trip, and they might extend the trip by a day or so to really explore the city or the location they happen to be in,” he said. That opens up an opportunity for personalized service, such as hotel staff personally escorting someone staying at the Upper House Shanghai through the city’s historic French Concession district.
