Skift Trend Report: Reimagining Hospitality for Today’s Creative Class

Skift Trend Report: Reimagining Hospitality for Today’s Creative Class

In this report:

• Demographics and market sizing of the creative class
  
• Insights on hospitality trends and changing consumer behavior
  
• Details about the “hybrid residential” model pioneered by K11 ARTUS
  
• Excerpts from Skift’s latest Experiential Traveler Survey
  
• An interview with architect André Fu, on the future of hotel design
  
• A close look at the numerous upstart hospitality firms that are challenging established brands

Today an emerging type of guest is attracting the attention of the hospitality industry: the accomplished creative class. Not limited by any single age group or profession, their travel and hospitality habits are instead best explained by shared mindsets and tastes. In fact, as they travel the globe for work and leisure, they’re seeking out a very specific set of accommodation criteria, including locales that offer cutting-edge architecture and interior design, intuitive hospitality delivered by a well-trained staff, a suitably creative environment, and a communal feel that adds a sense of belonging to their adopted neighborhood and spurs authentic interactions with locals. In so doing, they’re redefining the idea of what a luxury hotel can and indeed should be — and the economic and cultural influence of this group is reshaping everything from city planning to how hospitality brands try to cater to travelers.

Thus far, no existing hospitality brand has been able to bring all these experiences together in a way that completely meets the needs of this group. Many of the “sharing economy” experiences gaining favor with many of today’s travelers lack the high-end service touch this group has come to expect, while traditional luxury accommodations can often leave them feeling isolated from a destination as well as from their fellow guests and locals.

What do the attitudes, habits, and motivations of this emerging category of traveler tell us about the future of hospitality? What amenities and services will tomorrow’s cutting-edge hospitality brands need to offer to win the affinity of this influential group? What new models of hospitality will best suit the travel styles and tastes of these discerning traveler? We’ll explore these questions and much more in this report.