All three properties position themselves in the luxury space and all of them were priced above US$500 per night. I asked the group to open the three hotel websites and analyse the content and storytelling.

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All had a brand video on their website. When we compared the messages, imagery and even social media, we found they told the exact same story. All promised their guests a paradise-like experience, all showed images of the location, hotel facade, check-in area, guestrooms, restaurant and bar area. We joked that they could have saved the money and simply asked one provider to do the websites for all of them to save money.

Don’t get me wrong. A beautiful location and great interiors – paradise, as many hotels call it – are critical preconditions for a hotel stay to be perceived as a luxury experience. But they are not enough. In luxury, great real estate is simply expected and “priced in”. A true luxury experience needs to go much further.

In a recent conversation with an expert who manages experiences for ultra-wealthy and celebrity clients, I asked him when his clients feel true luxury. His answer? “When they feel taken care of, treated as humans, not as celebrities.” The ability to make someone feel valued, taken seriously and offered experiences that feel extremely personal is what makes people feel special.

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To make a stay extraordinary, a hotel needs to understand what makes them special, beyond great architecture and design. It must develop a strategy to differentiate itself from others through how they make people feel, and to create internal systems and training that ensures that the feeling they provide is not just sporadic but systemic. Every interaction counts.

Ideally, from the perspective of the guest, the stay should feel curated without ever giving the feeling of being forced or strained. And of course, there is a difference between a one-night or two-week stay, a visit for business or pleasure, and whether the guest is a regular or visiting for the first time. Very few hotels differentiate their approach to cater to different situations.

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In the end the only thing that counts is whether the hotel created a lasting memory for the guest? Moments worth experiencing, treasuring and sharing. If there is no memory, then no value was created. In luxury hospitality, neglecting this will prevent brands from building up brand equity and successfully attracting loyal guests willing to pay significant premiums for the experiences they receive.

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