The new map of hospitality in Asia

[SINGAPORE] Grand chandeliered lobbies, plush beds and staff in suits were once indicators of how luxurious a hotel stay in Asia would be. 

Today, less is more. Industry leaders say that guests are looking for storytelling, heritage and hyper-personalisation, where warmth is conveyed in a sense of place and tailored experiences.

Chan Soo Khian, principal architect at SCDA Architects, demonstrates this in his Soori hotels, most particularly the Soori Penang, which opened this year as a 15-suite property etched out of shophouses.

“We could have done 45 rooms, but I did 15 because I was trying to recollect the memory of the space where I lived,” he said. The common spaces play on light and shadow while every room has a reflective pool – all referencing his sensory memories as a child running around the place.

He was part of a panel session discussing the new map of travel and hospitality in Asia at The BTLuxe Edit – Future:Legacy symposium on Oct 28 at the Shangri-La Singapore.

A collaboration between The Business Times and Schroders Wealth Management, the half-day event gathered key business leaders and creative founders to discuss the Asian luxury landscape and its future.

THE BUSINESS TIMES INSIGHTS

Powering Asean's Future 2026

Find out how enterprises are navigating power constraints and sustainability targets

ACCESS THE INSIGHTS

For fellow panellist Loh Lik Peng, founder of Unlisted Collection – which operates boutique hotels and restaurants in Singapore, Ireland and the United Kingdom –  thinking out of the box has been the norm, from restoring town halls to breweries and warehouses.

He said: “We’ve worked with hotels where every room is different or there are no right angles. We’ve put a swimming pool with a glass bottom into an old air well. They are difficult, but they are fun.”

This creativity is what guests are looking for, added Sashi Rajan, executive vice-president of advisory and asset management in the Hotels & Hospitality Group (Asia-Pacific) at JLL.

SEE ALSO

Luxury has moved East, and Gen Alpha is on the horizon: BTLuxe Edit

Transforming heritage buildings into vibrant communities

He said: “Traditional hotels seem safer, but moving forward, it is not what consumers are looking for. Everyone wants to hear the story of the person who’s bringing a project to life. Even as a consultant, we’re not just looking at the shell – the design and experience within matters.”

Making business sense

However, both Loh and Rajan stress that creativity aside, commercial viability is still crucial.

Loh said: “You do have to think of adventurous things, but you also need a little bit of common sense. We can dream but if you build a project that is not commercially viable, you’ll go bankrupt eventually.”

Still, there’s no denying that Asia is the region to watch, for its abundance of talent and ambition.

Noting that Asian brands have been making an impact in the hospitality world and dominating award lists, he said: “The convention of luxury, the experience of luxury, whether it’s the software, design or management, the East is now, in many ways, far ahead of the Western model.”

A similar refrain is echoing in the design world. Chan of SCDA Architects said: “European and American hotels, and especially European hospitality, have the weight of their traditions and concepts.

“In Asia, we don’t have that. And if you look at the assimilation of cultural values and the spatial paradigm of Asian architecture, we are definitely leading the charge in terms of the creation of new brands and design.”

Personalisation is key

Looking ahead, the Asian luxury traveller will be drawn by the concepts of beauty, mobility and hyper-personalisation. 

Loh said: “If you look at the newest cruise ships and trains coming onto the market now, that’s really where luxury is going. The whole idea of travel, the romance of it, was kind of lost for a little bit.

“Now it’s not so much the most luxurious room or the biggest swimming pool. People want the experience, and if you can combine a very luxurious experience with the travel, that’s really where the market is going.”

As artificial intelligence speeds up the efficiency of work, Loh sees the likelihood of a three or even two-day work week, which would give people more time to travel.

The concept of luxury hotels will shift to reflect travellers’ demand for luxury experiences such as safaris, hiking and taking helicopters between places.

He said: “That really is the pinnacle of luxury. If we can make it all more sustainable in the next few years, it will be very promising.”

Chan believes that the greatest opportunities lie in hyper-personalisation, and hotels that train and empower their staff to make on-the-ground decisions – even as thoughtful as buying childhood candy for a guest that has not visited in a while – are at an advantage. 

Never mind boutique hotels, even bigger hotels with hundreds of rooms can, and should, deliver a personalised experience, added Rajan. “It comes down not only to the brand, but to the people who own the hotel and create its culture. Find the right leadership to run the property and you can bring it to life.”