2019 FORECAST
Mark Eacott & Alexandra Beggs, Hirsch Bedner Associates
In 2019… The hospitality industry will … move into Wellness – and we don’t mean spas. Also known as ‘transformative travel’, we’re seeing a shift in travel as personal development, where guests book a trip to explore not only a new city, but also themselves, and we’ll see this across all ages from babyboomers to Gen Y. Having worked on a special project with a luxury airline this year, we know that ‘flying fit’ is on the cards for airlines as they seek to integrate wellness through F+B, experiences and technology to reduce jet-lag and promote overall wellbeing, both in the air and on the ground. Lastly, whilst fitness brands have already begun collaborating with hotel operators (think Equinox x Ritz-Carlton, Arlo x Dogpound Gym), we’re excited to see the first Equinox hotel at Hudson Yard, NYC, again another shake-up of seeing hotel brands align with people’s lifestyles rather than the other way around.
“Also known as ‘transformative travel’, we’re seeing a shift in
The most significant hospitality design trend will be… pared back luxury. Smart simplicity and the use of honest materials and nature to cultivate and complement the experience of wellness.
travel as personal development, where guests book a trip to explore not only a new city, but
The trend we’ll likely bid farewell to is… Farewell to fanciful and over-used words to describe hotel brands – without details on what it actually does or offers differently to others already in the market.
also themselves, and we’ll see this across all ages from babyboomers to Gen Y”
Some culprits … “Authenticity” – surely the trick now is how do you be authentic – about being authentic? “Experiential” – we know the hospitality industry has shifted from a service industry to an experience industry, but what’s beyond the guest experience? The biggest challenge will be… helping brands stay fresh and focused. When we work with brands it’s not about doing things better than a competitor; it’s about doing something different. We’re looking forward to helping brands stay fresh, focused, energised and inspired. We’re most looking forward to… We recently created a few new hybrid brands that migrate lifestyle sectors and blur boundaries. Launching in 2019, we’re definitely looking forward to seeing those come to life. www.hba.com
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