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Modern Elder Academy , Baja California , Mexico
Long-time hotelier and disruptor ( and Airbnb adviser ) Chip Conley has a new idea : the Modern Elder Academy , which combines wellness with programming to help mid-lifers reinvent themselves and reap the benefits of their life experiences . The goal is to create a “ wisdom community ”; programs are offered at a campus in Baja California , Mexico , and he is working with a developer to transform a boutique hotel with available surrounding land somewhere in California . “ I think transformational travel is going to be a long-term trend and a new form of hospitality real estate ,” Conley told HOTELS ’ Editor in Chief Jeff Weinstein .
What ’ s the take-away for hotel developers ? “ How does the hospitality industry create a product that actually addresses the mid-life transition ?” Conley counters . “ The number one thing I ' ve learned from this is that while the education piece is paramount , the thing that they really appreciate the most is the sense of social connection . It ' s almost like going to summer camp , and guests have a level of connection that they create due to the vulnerability that the program fosters and gives people a renewed sense of purpose .”
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Muriel Muirden , EVP and managing director of strategy at hospitality design consultancy , WATG , on the misconceptions and opportunities of “ new luxury ”:
The biggest misconception : “ People too often assume that the new luxury traveler is the millennial , and we ' ve been bored to death with this over-analysis of the millennial , whereas to me , the new luxury traveler goes from a 25-year-old to the baby boomers … The new luxury traveler is very much going to be the boomer . This is someone who has a lot of stuff , so it ' s not about stuff anymore . It ' s about immersive experiences . That doesn ' t necessarily mean that they want to explore some obscure corner of Antarctica or Patagonia . It could be a secondary city in Spain that has an amazing food festival .”
How it differs around the world : “ There ' s a need for a very strong definition between the developed geographic markets , like North America and Europe , where they want the road less traveled , which may be close to home , and developing markets like China and India , where they want to tick the boxes at the iconic destinations ( with ) a far more personalized and localized experience . They want to go to Paris , but they want a truly immersive Parisian experience rather than staying at maybe a tried and tested , bland brand .”
The role of experience : “ There ' s a lot of innovation at all ends of the spectrum : the fact that people will choose more streamlined lodging but will pay for experiences within that vacation or within that hotel that are pretty premium-priced is why we call it new luxury … They may stay in an eco shack , but they ' re paying through the nose to do some remote excursions .
The pace of change : “ Developing markets are evolving far more quickly than developing markets were 10 or 20 years ago , particularly the Russian , Indian and Chinese market . Eco integrity , community engagement , localization , all these things will move at a rapid pace , and what we call this new luxury , which is streamlining services but focusing on the amenities and services that people want , we ' ll see far more innovation at all levels .”
12 hotelsmag . com November 2018