With the start of 2017 , Sonia Tatar , CEO of Les Roches Global Hospitality Education , one of the world ’ s highest ranked hospitality schools and Radha Arora , the President of the Rosewood Hotels and Resorts and a Les Roches alum , have identified a new luxury traveler whom they call “ influential explorer ”.
Influential explorers are less concerned with opulence , pampering and traditional luxury than the generation of ten or twenty years ago . Instead , they are focused on finding value , authenticity and truly local experiences .
Here are Sonia ’ s and Radha ’ s five recommendations for the hospitality industry to best respond to the needs of the influential explorer :
• Incorporate the culture and heritage of a property ’ s destination into all facets of the properties , through art , architecture , design , dining , or service initiatives .
Example : Rosewood San Miguel de Allende in Mexico has created a unique welcome amenity called The Artist in You where guests are provided with a fully equipped easel and are invited to create an original piece of art to take home with them as a memento to remember their stay .
• Offer experiences and activities beyond the offerings of the hotel or resort .
Guests are interested in exploring the local area , going on excursions , and having unique experiences outside their room . These activities account for a high percentage of non-room spending and of overall revenue .
• Incorporate the latest technological advances only when they can make an experience even truer to a particular destination , while recognizing that there are some experiences that technology cannot replace .
From an education perspective , the addition of more and more technological features in hotels requires hospitality managers to be digitally literate and cyber security conscious . Les Roches has developed a challenge-based learning program that started in October 2016 . Students are confronted with real-life cyber security issues and challenged to solve them . This program is not about transforming students into technical experts writing lines of code , but will raise their awareness on how systems can be compromised and how to put in place the best programs , equipment and policies to prevent and respond to breaches . With human error accounting for 95 % of cyber security breaches , this program is a vital step .
• Foster close and long-term relationships with guests , communities and associates .
Example : at Las Ventanas al Paraiso , the director of romance works with guests both in advance of and during their stay to gain an understanding of a couple ’ s unique tastes in order to help plan anything from an intimate dinner to a marriage proposal .
• Focus on Wellness .
Health and Wellness Management is one of the fastest growing segments of the international hospitality industry , creating an increased demand for qualified and experienced managers . In 2014 , Les Roches developed a new Health and Wellness specialization to prepare students to enter an industry which is experiencing double-digit growth worldwide , while focusing on the business and operational aspects of spa and health management , aesthetics , spa medicine , treatments , hotel-spa services , and health care management . In 2016 , Jumby Bay unveiled a new yoga program , and new meditation programming were introduced at both Jumby Bay and Rosewood Little Dix Bay .
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