What The World’s Best Hoteliers Have Taught Me About Luxury
After more than two decades reviewing luxury hotels and interviewing some of the hospitality industry’s most respected leaders, I’ve realised something surprising. The people running the world’s best hotels rarely talk about luxury in the way most high end travellers imagine.
They don’t spend much time discussing marble bathrooms, thread counts, private jets or even Michelin stars. Instead, they talk about people and about moments they have witnessed or been a part of.
Through my podcast, Where2FromHere, I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with some of hospitality’s most influential names. From respected hoteliers Guy Heywood, who was overseeing global operations for Raffles and Orient Express at the time, to Maud Bailly, CEO at Sofitel, Francois Delahaye Chief Operating Officer at The Dorchester Collection, Christian Westbeld Managing Director at Raffles Uday Rao from Four Seasons, John Blanco at Capella, Hotel designer Bill Bensley, Giordano Faggioli from AYANA Bali, Lisa Pile from Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Ruby Garcia from COMO Metropolitan Singapore, a common thread runs through every conversation.
The world’s best luxury hotels aren’t built on luxury at all. They’re built on human connection, even when it comes to design. That’s particularly interesting because luxury travel right now in 2026 is changing faster than at any point I can remember. High end travellers are spending more than ever, yet what they value has shifted dramatically. Twenty years ago, luxury often meant bigger, better and more exclusive. Today, the most successful hotels understand that luxury is becoming more personal, and in many cases now, it is actually about being smaller but more considered.
During my conversation with Guy Heywood, we discussed how luxury is increasingly about creating meaningful experiences rather than simply delivering beautiful products. That trend is evident across the industry. Whether it’s a stay at Raffles, Aman, Capella or Four Seasons, guests want to feel something. They want stories they can tell. They want moments that stay with them long after they’ve unpacked their suitcase.
It’s one of the reasons properties such as COMO Shambhala, Six Senses and Aman continue to resonate so strongly with affluent travellers. They understand that true luxury is emotional. Another theme that consistently emerges during my interviews is the importance of culture.
When I ask hotel leaders about their biggest challenges, very few mention occupancy or competition. Almost all talk about people, and its an ongoing challenge, from finding them, to keeping them and developing and growing them within the hotel and the organisation.
The hospitality industry has always been a people business, but the past few years have highlighted just how critical great teams are. Whether speaking to a general manager in Tokyo, Bali, Croatia, Singapore or London, the conversation almost always returns to staff retention, training and leadership.
As someone who also works with hotels through Luxury Hotel Consulting, I see this firsthand. Guests can immediately tell the difference between service that has been trained and service that has been inspired.
The finest hotels in the world understand that exceptional guest experiences begin behind the scenes. When staff feel valued, supported and empowered, guests notice. The opposite is also true. One of the biggest shifts I’ve observed over the past decade within the industry is the rise of wellness as a core pillar of luxury travel – but also as a pillar of Human Resources behind the scenes within luxury hotel organisations.
Not long ago, wellness was often confined to a spa menu tucked away in the back of a hotel brochure. Today, it’s driving entire travel decisions. Hotels are investing heavily in sleep programmes, longevity clinics, nutrition, recovery therapies and personalised wellness journeys for their guests. During my stay at Ananda in the Himalayas, it became clear that many luxury travellers are no longer travelling simply to escape. They’re travelling to improve their lives. I met guests there who visit 3 times a year from all over the world as a re-set and check in with themselves.
The same philosophy is now evident at brands including renowned wellness brands COMO and Six Senses and many of the world’s leading wellness retreats. In many ways, wellness has become the new status symbol.
The ability to sleep well, switch off, reduce stress, stay fit and invest in long-term health has become more desirable than the traditional markers of luxury that once dominated the industry.
Technology is another topic that comes up regularly during my podcast interviews. Artificial intelligence is now reshaping almost every industry, including hospitality. Yet what fascinates me is that the most respected hotel leaders are remarkably consistent in their views.
Technology is important, but it is human connection that is essential. No app can replace genuine warmth, and no algorithm can replicate intuition and kindness. No chatbot can create the feeling that somebody genuinely cares.
The best hotels are using technology to remove friction, not humanity, it is a distinction that will become increasingly important as the industry evolves. Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned from interviewing hotel leaders around the world is that curiosity remains one of the most valuable leadership traits.
The best hoteliers are endlessly curious, they travel, they have regular zooms with their colleagues globally and they listen. They ask questions of their guests, their staff and of the media. They challenge assumptions.
Whether speaking with a hotel owner or CEO overseeing multiple brands or a general manager running a single property, the leaders who continue to grow are the ones who never stop learning. It’s one of the reasons I continue to enjoy recording Where2FromHere. Every conversation offers a new perspective, a fresh idea or an unexpected insight into an industry that never stands still.
After hundreds of hotel stays and conversations across Asia, Europe, Australia and beyond, I’ve come to one simple conclusion. Luxury hospitality has never really been about hotels. It’s about people, and it is about people caring for people.
The hotels that understand that truth — whether they are Four Seasons, Raffles, COMO, Aman, Park Hyatt, AYANA or an independent boutique property — will continue to thrive.Because while design trends, technology and guest expectations will continue to evolve, one thing remains constant. People remember how you made them feel.
