Further

Design Hotels has spent more than 30 years reimagining how people stay, gather, and connect. For our annual Further report, we track cultural shifts and anticipate their impact on the future of travel.  

  

The Passion Principle: A Framework for Post-Experiential Hospitality, со-created with acclaimed architecture and design practice Universal Design Studio, charts the shift from experiential hospitality, centered on what the guest experiences in the moment, to post-experiential hospitality, focused on what the guest and host make possible together.

 

Al is emerging as a great enabler of this shift—not as a replacement but as a creative partner—helping hotels cultivate passion and creativity while refocusing hospitality on co-authorship and meaningful human connection. To this aim, the data highlights an unrealized opportunity to leave room for the unexpected: Design Hotels’ 2025 Community Survey revealed that 94% believe unexpected moments make a place more memorable, yet only 52% left their planned itineraries open to spontaneity and surprise.

  

Spanning more than 60 pages of analysis, case studies, and insights from the areas of philosophy, design, and anthropology, Further—The Passion Principle features contributions from renowned global experts, including restaurateur and author Will Guidara, technologist and futurist Crystal Washington, and Yuta Oka, hotelier and co-founder of Naru Developments. It also highlights how the seeds of post-experiential travel are being sewn by forward-thinking brands and Design Hotels' members across the globe. The result is a practical blueprint for hotels to cultivate passion, spontaneity, and authentic connection.