LUCA FRANCO ’ S LUXURY FRONTIERS IS PERFECTLY POSITIONED FOR THIS MOMENT IN TRAVEL . JUST DON ’ T CALL IT GLAMPING .
THE PEOPLE ISSUE
ON THE
As the hospitality industry was climbing out of the Great Recession a decade ago , Luca Franco noted a small shift in guest behavior ; they were looking for meaningful experiences when traveling .
At the time , Franco was the owner of a Chicago , Illinois-based advisory company that delivered holistic solutions to luxury hotel and resort developers and investors .
“ People were looking to collect memories ,” he remembers . “ And I felt like I wanted to capitalize on the trend .”
Inspired by Africa ’ s safari camps , Franco established Luxury Frontiers in 2011 , a design and development firm focused on creating high-end , sustainable and low-impact hospitality structures , such as tented camps or treetop suites .
These experiential accommodations could be built on a hotel or resort ’ s existing land , thus keeping overhead costs low while charging a premium for immersive experiences such as sleeping under the stars deep within a nature reserve . Franco envisioned Luxury Frontiers as a plug-and-play solution for hotel owners and developers to elevate their accommodations without too much infrastructure investment .
Little did he know that in 10 years , a pandemic would force the travel and hospitality industries into another deep crisis , one that would also
FRONTIER ’ S EDGE
LUCA FRANCO ’ S LUXURY FRONTIERS IS PERFECTLY POSITIONED FOR THIS MOMENT IN TRAVEL . JUST DON ’ T CALL IT GLAMPING .
Contributed by JULIANA SHALLCROSS
Luca Franco is the founder of Luxury Frontiers drastically change what guests look for in travel . This time , guests weren ’ t just seeking new experiences , but wide-open spaces ; the more removed and socially distant , the better .
“ In 2011 , experiential travel was just a trend ,” notes Franco . “ Now it ’ s a strong market that ’ s here to stay and grow .” While sustainable travel has been growing steadily in recent years , the pandemic has made it even more desirable . All of this has made what Luxury Frontiers does — immersive , thoughtful and luxurious experiences — a very “ of the moment ” service for resorts .