As lifestyle hospitality expands beyond gateway cities, today’s more experienced and design-savvy travellers are demanding authenticity in secondary and tertiary markets too. Hotel investors are rethinking what quality looks like on tighter budgets, and the answer lies in intentional, well-considered design over imitation.

Joris Angevaare sums it up well – “Previous design iterations would try to emulate grand hotels from top-tier locations on much lower budgets, usually resulting in spaces that felt inauthentic or cheap,” he says. “Today’s traveler is more knowledgeable, more discerning and with far more travel experience.”