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One of the most impactful immersive experiences has been creating opportunities for guests to move beyond being observers and become active participants in the destination. Rather than simply providing a service, we focus on creating meaningful moments that engage the senses, tell a story, and encourage genuine interaction.A particularly memorable example is our locally inspired culinary experiences, where guests can discover regional ingredients, learn about cultural traditions, interact with our culinary team, and participate in elements of the preparation and tasting.

When I became General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel New York, I wanted our arrival experience to reflect the soul of the property and the people who power it. With more than 35 years across five hotel brands, I’ve learned that the most memorable moments in hospitality come from teams who believe in a shared purpose.

Upon joining my latest property, I wanted to make the destination part of the guest experience rather than simply something guests could see from the hotel.I identified a number of exceptional local organic producers within 45 minutes of the property and developed direct partnerships with them, working closely with our Chef to integrate their products into our menus and create dishes that could only truly belong to this destination.We worked with a local goat cheese producer, a grower cultivating more than 120 varieties of citrus, an olive oil producer whose oil reaches 584 mg/kg of polyphenols, and Morocco’s only truffle producer.The objective was not simply to source better ingredients, but to give our guests a story behind what they were eating: where it came from, who produced it, and why it was unique to the region.The experience became a way of discovering the destination through taste, conversations and local craftsmanship.

It was about time! The EU’s tighter rules on environmental claims give hospitality a reason to examine what sits behind the word “green”.For me, the real test is whether a hotel makes life better for the people and place around it.

With EmpCo but without Green Claims Directive our industry finds itself in an uncomfortable position: the obligation is here, the instruction manual is not. For most hotels, the data behind disclosures would not yet survive serious scrutiny — not because of bad intent, but because we built sustainability reporting as a communications exercise before we built it as a data exercise.

Credible sustainability reporting starts with integrity: clear definitions, traceable sources and transparent methods. AI can help organise and analyse information, but measured data, estimates and projections must remain clearly distinguished.