Markus Schreyer of Design Hotels talks trends in the Americas

As the final judging for AHEAD Americas takes place at Ace Hotel New York during NYC x Design, panel member Markus Schreyer shares his thoughts on current hospitality trends across the region.

On spirituality and the slow movement:
Today's travellers take great design and amenities as a given, they are searching instead for originality and meaning, for experiences that broaden their horizons and open their minds. Therefore, the most exciting hotel projects today are not merely offering accommodation; they are becoming community hubs, delivering cultural, spiritual, and intellectual programming to meet the needs of the future traveller. People are turning away from speed and mass production towards slowness, experience and connection. We are seeing a tremendous change already in the way we live, work and communicate and hoteliers have to respond to these changes in order to stay on the forefront.