Ah, summer! What a wonderful time of year. The sun is warm, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and people are getting away to spend time with family and friends. There always seems to be a lot of activity and energy surrounding summer, no matter what is said about the “lazy days of summer.”
In 2005, as part of the founding team of citizenM, I watched the concept of social lobbies come alive. Communal spaces where people felt connected, serviced, and productive. It was the first time I saw hospitality’s transformative power to embed itself into the fabric of the local neighbourhood.
According to Holistique Training’s Evolution of Hospitality Industry Trends, the hospitality industry is undergoing a profound transformation driven by shifting consumer expectations, technological advancements, and a growing focus on sustainability and well-being. In response, hotels worldwide are investing in renovations to meet the demands of the modern traveler.
As we see time again, the story of a hotel is the story of the people working at the hotel. This is especially true for the luxury hospitality segment where service excellence, exclusive amenities and personalization are hallmarks of an experience worthy of the term ‘luxury’. With so much buzz around personalization these days, what is often missed is the precision of service delivery necessary to execute this attention to detail at scale, for which there’s no truer form of expressing this precision than through customization of the guest journey in a seamless blend of meticulously curated experiences.
Boutique hotels are known for pushing boundaries, setting trends, and creating memorable experiences that larger brands struggle to replicate. In 2025, this spirit of innovation is driving major shifts in guest experience, technology, and operations. BLLA’s (Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association) board members, some of the most respected voices in the industry, weigh in on what’s next.
The story of an urban hotel is the story of a city. The two move in stride, with the hospitality industry offering a home and a helpful hand to visitors while also providing dining and drinking hotspots that enable newcomers to evolve into lasting denizens of the locale. In this case study, EAST Miami (operated by Swire Hotels) that first opened in 2016 has grown to be the cultural steward for the booming neighborhood in Miami that is Brickell, presenting a picture of where hotel trends in luxury amenities, branding and customer mindsets are headed.
In the heart of Zululand, South Africa, lies Babanango Game Reserve, a once cattle-farmed landscape that now stands as a true testament to the power of environmental renewal. This reserve recently underwent one of South Africa’s most ambitious rewilding projects, reintroducing the Big 5 after nearly 150 years. The land, which is rich with history, culture, and natural beauty, has undergone an extraordinary transformation, and Luxury Frontiers had the honor of playing a key role in its incredible rebirth. Our design work at Madwaleni River Lodge, located within the reserve, embodies the essence of sustainability, cultural heritage, and community upliftment.
Known to many as the Eternal City, Rome has an uninterrupted history spanning two and a half thousand years. Apart from incredible historical sites, Rome has some of the world’s finest luxury hotels, often carved out of grand palazzos that once served members of the royal court of the Papal elite, and all of them adorned with opulent finishings and fine art.
The 21st century has already seen immense changes in how people travel and their demands for hotel services and amenities. In focus here is the growth, evolution and diversification of the luxury segment, wherein we recently sat down with the team behind the rebranding of EAST Hotels, a hotel brand that’s emblematic of this modern dynamic and the aspirational nature of travel for the 2020s and beyond. EAST Hotels has launched three hotels in Beijing, Hong Kong and Miami, with several more in the pipeline on multiple continents.
Since 1824, The Shelbourne has been a warm and inviting jewel of hospitality and the setting for some of the most dramatic cultural and political moments in Irish history. Beloved by guests and locals as “Ireland’s living room,” The Shelbourne has always reflected the spirit of the city around it, playing a significant role in the literary, social, political, culinary and artistic traditions of Irish society.
Venturing down to the Big Apple for the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference (IHIIC) is an enlightening must-see event, often a forerunner for many trends that will ripple through every property in every category. This year – the 46th annual held at the beginning of June – was no exception. But rather than give a play-by-play on what was said during each panel session, our rationale here is to highlight and expand upon one megatrend that every hotel executive and investor should grasp.
My husband, Jack, and I have been in the hospitality industry for many years, but the origins of this business date back to the 1980s, when we were asked to help revive the Miami Beach area, which was overwhelmed with crime. We opened Penrod’s Beach Club at One Ocean Drive in 1989 and it soon became very popular.In 1997 my husband’s daughter, Nicole, was killed in a car accident, at the age of 18. At that mo-ment, we decided that instead of mourning her death, we were going to celebrate her life. We took out the property’s pool and Jack planted trees to create a garden by the sea, filled with lights and candles.
For today's traveler, the possibilities are nearly endless. Someone vacationing in my homebase of Honolulu, for example, can stay anywhere from a limited-service hotel to a luxe oceanfront resort and spa to a secluded Airbnb.
The concept of a contemporary, boutique motel, either as a new build or retrofit, that commands sizably higher-than-market rates started to become a trend in the 2010s but has grown since the pandemic. Spurred on by a core psychographic of drive-to-vacation culture amongst Gen X and millennials, in the United States we are seeing multi-property brands like Bluebird and Urban Cowboy achieve success by opening exquisitely decorated lodges in sought-after rural areas near major cities. Then there are a host of independents gracing the covers of travel magazines such as The Vagabond Hotel in Miami, The Dive Motel in Nashville, Skyview Los Alamos in California and Thunderbird in Marfa, Texas.
As background for those not from Canada, Tremblant is a picture-perfect ski village under two hours northwest of Montreal in the Laurentian Mountains. With numerous small hotels, chalets, lodges and short-term rentals to choose from, Tremblant is perhaps the closest thing that North America has to a charming French of Swiss alpine town, wherein the 312-key Fairmont Tremblant has always stood at the luxury resort pillar of the destination since its opening in 1996.
“Art and culture are the lifeblood of a space - the connection to something larger that all humans intrinsically want to be part of. They work with architecture and design to accentuate the intended mood and vibe of a space.” This was one of several testimonials received from a study of hundreds of real estate professionals for the biannual State of the Art Report by NINE dot ARTS. What emerged from the study was a timely and powerful realization: that architecture, design, and art and culture are equally essential for achieving project success. And as the hospitality industry continues to bounce back from the pandemic while navigating economic challenges and changing traveler preferences, such realizations cannot be understated.
In recent years, several hospitality trends reflecting a blend of technological advancements, sustainability imperatives and a growing emphasis on bespoke experiences have emerged. From the innovative, versatile and flexible use of spaces to the integration of local culture and wellness amenities, such nuances continue to shape the way hotels are conceptualized, designed and experienced by guests worldwide.
Creative Supply founder Youri Sawerschel and Frame Magazine’s Tracey Ingram get together for the fourth in a series on space and branding, bringing together insights from Sawerschel’s realm of brand strategy and brand design, and Ingram’s role as editor at large for one of the world’s leading interior-design publications. Here they discuss the current trends and (communication) challenges of the real estate industry.
Summary: As the place where first impressions are codified by guests, the lobby experience must be strong. Thinking broader, a great lobby also contributes to a hotel’s overall reason to visit which in turn supports occupancies and higher nightly rates. Moreover, a vibrant lobby is a space where visitors will want to linger, resulting in greater food and beverage sales.
COVID 19's impact on the latest spa and wellness trends is undeniable.