Beyond chandeliers: How luxury in hospitality is being rewritten

The Oxford dictionary defines luxury as a state of great comfort or elegance especially when involving great expense. Another definition says that luxury embodies superior craftsmanship, exclusivity, innovation, sophisticated design, and an elevated aesthetic that brings cheer to a person. When we look at luxury we instinctively think of famous brands or hotels that are typically out of our reach. However, on closer analysis, luxury is far more nuanced then just inaccessibility. In ancient times, luxury was reserved for the Pharaohs, emperors and kings. Luxury involved exotic spices from remote regions, silks from the orient and ornate goods that symbolised wealth and power to the populace at large. With the dawn of the Renaissance emerged the development of bespoke products both in fashion and jewellery for royalty and the growing landed gentry that set the standard for quality and exclusivity. In the hospitality domain, while hotels as we know them, were still unknown luxury residences in the form of traditional castles providing accommodation for the wealthy when they travelled. Dining became more and more opulent with the classical French seventeen-course menu curated by Auguste Escoffier in the late 19th early 20th century. This was a systemisation of the lavish whole day meals enjoyed by Louis IVX and his contemporaries. This eventually evolved into the fourteen course menu that even today forms the backbone of all menu design, though the most lavish contemporary menu would probably be seven courses. As we come to the mid 20th century, the period after the Second World War, luxury began to reach a wider audience visible through fashion brands like Dior and Chanel. At the same time, easier travel occasioned by expanding rail lines and steamships, drove the emergence of luxury hotels with the likes of the Savoy in London, Peninsular in Hong Kong, Waldorf Astoria in New York and in India with Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai and then the Oberoi Intercontinental in Delhi. This made luxury, both globally and in India, far more accessible by a wider audience. Steamships gave way to intercontinental air travel. No longer was luxury the exclusive domain of the few by virtue of the price differential. Hence maintaining the exclusivity meant now being instead unique and personal, something intangible; experiences that are almost impossible to replicate, experiential rather than about ownership. Nathan Andrews, Business Head, Hospitality, DS Group who has spent years watching the evolution of hospitality while being part of it, shares his insights about how this industry changed over the years.I recall many years ago the first Indian luxury conference organized by Condé Nast in Mumbai. Which was groundbreaking, because after years of socialist austerity, our historically ambivalent relationship with luxury was gradually giving way to a more overt love-affair. India has always been a land of luxury, unfortunately coupled with extreme poverty. The erstwhile princes of yore had their palaces and Rolls Royce, while the vast majority could only gape in awe. The growth of an emerging middle class has changed the dynamic and played an incalculable role in making luxury accessible to a much wider audience. In the hospitality industry this is very evident from the change in guest ratios. I recall in the early 1980’s, barely 10% of guests at the five-star hotels were domestic travelers, and these too were industrialists or corporate honchos. Today the proportion is reversed, and the demographic has also changed dramatically. This then has also meant that luxury itself has had to change. While our parents were in awe of the marble palaces of the princely states, replicated in the new hotels being built in the late 20th century, Gen X gravitated to heritage brands and discreet luxury. However, for the millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha, sociologists identify their wants as experiences, authenticity and sustainability. Seamless and advanced technology yet very discreet. Peer endorsement is key, giving rise to the social phenomenon of social influencers. The ground is undoubtedly shifting, though not all hotel owners and operators get it. I remember Mr. Biki Oberoi reminding us as Management Trainees, that while we saw the then Oberoi Intercontinental as luxurious our guests perceived it as equivalent to their homes; they merely wanted to be equally comfortable when they travelled as they were at home. This truth is still true today. The same once luxury elements that were typical of grand hotels are now pretty much a part of the typical guests’ homes. Marble and chandeliers are passé. The guest wants an experience that is not replicable domestically. What is next? If luxury hotels are to resonate with the millennials and the following generations, the paradigm must change. Luxury I believe will be 24-hour breakfast, having what you want, when you want it, bespoke meal experiences, intentional farm to table experiences, thereby reducing the carbon footprint and greater sustainability even during construction, less marble shipped from half away around the world and more esoteric local stone.