her world: “the new, high-tech luxury hotels of the future”

Forget switched-off holidays, travellers now want to be hyper-connected, and these new hotel openings are helping them do so through buzzy co-working spaces, social lobbies, and tech-empowered concierges.

These days, life is all about catching up on all that we have missed during the past two years of the pandemic, especially when it comes to exploring and connecting. Getting to know new people and places, and bonding with loved ones over “bleisure travel” – business trips mixed with a leisure component – are definitely trending, chaotic airports and lost luggage notwithstanding.

According to Booking.com’s Travel Predictions 2022 report, 60 per cent of travellers are looking forward to meeting new people while on vacation. Hilton’s The 2022 Traveler: Emerging Trends and the Redefined Traveler study also notes that travellers are increasingly going on “workcations”. Seamless work and play, maximising connections, quick contactless functions – travellers want it fast, efficient and fun, more than ever before.

A slew of new openings are ensuring that we can do all that. On a recent stay at the newly opened Wink Hotel Saigon Centre, located 25 minutes from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, help was always just a few clicks away at any time of the day.

….

The rise of “high touch” accommodations

…. Bali’s Potato Head Suites and Tribe Phnom Penh Post Office Square are designed for vacationers who want thoughtful connection. The comfort of each room is bolstered by inspiring coworking spaces with plug and- play features, as well as social lobbies that are buzzing with events that attract locals as much as international travellers and digital nomads.

Guests at Potato Head Suites, which is part of the Desa Potato Head creative village, can get work done at Studio Eksotika – which carries a library of creative literature on topics such as architecture, cuisine and design. One can also explore the neighbourhood and exchange ideas with other people through a plethora of activities, from daily runs and regenerative farming projects to creating functional objects from waste, such as candles from used cooking oil.

Potato Head’s chief experience officer Simon Pestridge notes a shift towards more meaningful and purposeful travel. “People come with the intention of engaging with the local community, and truly immersing themselves in the culture. Travellers still want to take a break and regenerate, but wish to do so outside of the ways that their home countries are able to offer, especially given the past couple of years.”

….

—