It’s time for hotels to build ‘places’ rather than ‘spaces’

Andi Davids at Bulletproof argues that hotels are often considered "non-places", spaces of transience and impermanence where people remain anonymous and interactions are mostly transactional, which does not inspire brand recognition, affinity, and loyalty. They suggest that the hospitality industry has a unique opportunity to rearticulate their market relevance by offering more meaningful travel experiences in more memorable places, in order to...

Andi Davids

Ever heard of a ‘non-place’? If not, it’s time to take note. Because the hotel industry is filled with them. And they might just be the reason hotels aren’t filled with more people.

First coined in the mid-90s by French anthropologist Marc Augé, a ‘non-place’ is a space of transience and impermanence, where humans remain largely anonymous, and interactions are mostly transactional.

Read the full article on hotelyearbook.com

The Hotel Yearbook 2023 - Annual Edition

As we have embarked on 2023, it is evident that the hotel industry has made a robust recovery from the

pandemic.

Occupancy and pricing have returned to their pre-pandemic levels. However, the future of our

industry is contingent

on how nimble the hospitality sector can be in adapting to ongoing innovation, changing market

conditions, evolving

consumer preferences, new staffing challenges, and sustainability realities. These uncertainties are

the new normal

in an unpredictable world.

Andi Davids is Global Strategic Business Director at Bulletproof, an independent brand creative agency with studios in London, New York, Singapore, Amsterdam, Sydney and Shanghai. Andi loves to unpack the way that people form meaning in their lives, elevating brands beyond recognisable identities to dynamic reflections of human experience.

Bulletproof is a brand creative agency with studios in London, New York, Singapore, Amsterdam, Sydney and Shanghai. Proudly independent, we exist to vanquish mediocrity and build the most successful brands of the future. Working in partnership with clients of all sizes, from Mondelez International, The HEINEKEN Company and Diageo, to Soapsmith, White Claw, Booking.