Well-heeled globetrotters who realise they can create hotels based on their own travel experiences are driving the growth of small, distinctive luxury properties worldwide, observed Mark Wong, senior vice-president, Asia Pacific, at Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH).
Speaking to TTG Asia at ILTM Asia Pacific 2025, taking place this week in Singapore, Wong said: “These owners are world travellers themselves, and have the money to build hotels offering the kind of hospitality and experiences that they have sought for themselves on their trips. They know what customers are looking for.
“And they are choosing to develop their own brand instead of going with a major brand, so as to retain a local touch and avoid having to follow somebody else’s rules.”
With such a mindset, these new-generation hotel owners are approaching SLH to be part of the independent hotel community.
“We are often their first point of contact, as they have stayed with SLH hotels before and are familiar with what we do. Now, they want to build a hotel that is in line with SLH criteria,” Wong said.
He added that many of these hotel owners are also choosing to promote their home town through their hotel – and this is happening often in emerging destinations across India and China.
“They are very involved in hiring and training locals to be part of the hotel operations, and they invest in efforts to revitalise their own hometown, such as beautifying the environment and rebuilding roads and the surroundings,” he said.
Citing an example, Wong said the owners of Amaya in Himachal Pradesh, India have hired and trained local villagers to be part of the staff, “giving the whole village a second life”, where people no longer have to leave the village to look for jobs in the big cities and local families can support themselves through tourism.
As these owners – often young, well-educated and worldly-wise – develop luxury hotels in lesser-known parts of the world, they are also creating more authentic experiences and encouraging travellers to venture deeper into the country.
“These owners provide an answer to overtourism concerns,” reflected Wong.
While affluent travellers are eager to explore lesser-known destinations and new-generation owners are helping to develop these alternatives, Wong said governments must also play their part.
“Luxury travellers won’t want to travel too long or go through too much trouble to get to a destination. So, infrastructure needs to step up. Roads and railways have to be built, and accessibility to second- and third-tier cities must exist. You cannot expect hotel owners to do all that because there are federal rules,” he stated.
SLH now has 620 hotels in 90 countries, and the numbers will continue to grow as “more and more smaller properties emerge”. Recent additions to the SLH portfolio in Asia-Pacific include the historic Hotel Chourakukan in Kyoto’s Higashiyama ward; the all-suite Takanawa Hanakohro ryokan in Tokyo; the Baale Resort Goa, set amid rice paddies and swaying palms in India; and The Townhouse in Islamabad, Pakistan.
