The Founder’s Essay Series by azulomo

The Future of Hospitality Is Becoming More Personal

By Elke Bretz, Founder of azulomo and Creator of Slow Living Hospitality™

What changing traveller expectations reveal about the future of independent hospitality, and why understanding guests more deeply matters.

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Something interesting is happening in travel and hospitality. It is not simply about where people want to go or which destinations are becoming fashionable, but what they increasingly expect travel to do for them.

For some, that means recovering from everyday life or reconnecting with someone. For others, it is about exploring a personal interest, feeling immersed in a place or enjoying a few days without obligations. These motivations are not new, but recent industry research is giving greater attention to the personal reasons behind travel and how they influence the experiences people choose.

Travellers are also becoming more considered about spending, increasingly influenced by trust and reviews, and discovering accommodation in new and unexpected ways. Together, these shifts invite us to rethink how hospitality understands its guests, designs experiences and communicates value.

For independent hosts and smaller hospitality businesses, I believe the opportunity is not necessarily to offer more or follow every trend, but to understand what makes a particular stay relevant, desirable and worth choosing.

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The changing reasons behind travel

Hilton's 2026 Trends Report, drawing on more than 14,000 travellers across 14 countries, highlights personal motivations including rest, reconnection, comfort and meaningful experiences. Hilton calls this Whycation, reflecting the importance of why someone travels, rather than simply where.

Accommodation has traditionally been marketed through location, amenities and guest demographics. These remain important, but they rarely explain the whole decision.

Two couples might search for a weekend in the same region, with similar budgets and requirements. One couple wants privacy and uninterrupted time together; the other wants restaurants, discoveries and a full itinerary. On paper, they appear almost identical, yet they are seeking very different experiences.

At azulomo, this is where we begin with Guest Fit. Rather than relying exclusively on demographics, we explore the motivations and expectations influencing a booking decision. That understanding can inform everything from positioning and photography to the atmosphere, communication and practical details of a stay.

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When experience matters as much as amenities

Hilton's research also introduces Hushpitality, reflecting an interest in privacy and opportunities to disconnect. Among respondents, 48% reported making space for solo time around family holidays, while 27% of business travellers actively sought time alone during work trips.

The Global Wellness Institute reports that wellness tourism represented 17.6% of global tourism spending in 2024, up from 14.2% in 2019, highlighting the growing importance of wellbeing-related travel.

The interesting question is how such motivations translate into the reality of a stay. A beautifully styled bedroom may suggest tranquillity, but it will not necessarily feel restful if the curtains allow too much light, the arrival is complicated or guests are repeatedly interrupted.

Calm also means different things to different people. For one guest, it is solitude; for another, everything working effortlessly.

This is where experience design matters. Light, sound, privacy, spatial flow and the small transitions throughout a stay influence how a place feels. At azulomo, we explore these relationships in the The Slow Living Hosting Masterclass™ through Calm by Design™, Designing Silence™ and Invisible Hospitality™, recognising that thoughtful details often make the greatest difference to guests.

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Becoming more relevant, rather than more generic

Booking.com's 2026 Travel Predictions, based on 29,733 travellers across 33 countries and territories, explores increasingly individualised travel preferences. Expedia Group's Unpack '26 similarly highlights the influence of personal interests on travel choices.

For independent hospitality, this raises an important question about the ambition to appeal to absolutely everyone. A property does not necessarily become more desirable by accommodating every possible preference. In fact, broader positioning can make its distinctive qualities harder to communicate.

A rural cottage might suit someone seeking uninterrupted time in nature, while a restored townhouse may appeal to travellers interested in food, architecture and culture. The opportunity is to recognise what a property can genuinely offer and who is most likely to value that experience.

This is where Guest Fit and Stay Identity connect within the azulomo approach. One helps us understand the guest's motivations; the other defines the character and distinctive experience of the stay. Together, they provide a clearer foundation for how a property is designed, positioned and presented.

In July 2026, Airbnb reported that UK guest bookings for farm stays increased by 14% year-on-year for summer 2026, rising 41% among Gen Z travellers. These figures are specific to Airbnb's UK market, but indicate interest in rural and nature-connected experiences among particular travellers.

For independent properties, a stay does not begin and end at the front door. Its character can be shaped by the surrounding landscape, architecture, food and traditions. Sometimes it is the morning light across a terrace, bread from a nearby bakery or a conversation with a local producer that stays with someone long after their holiday.

Through Rooted in Place™ and the Living Provenance Framework™, we explore how the character of a destination can meaningfully influence the experience, rather than simply becoming a decorative theme. A genuine connection to place is difficult to replicate, particularly when it feels natural rather than manufactured.

Why perceived value matters more than ever

Expedia Group's 2025 Traveller Value Index, based on more than 11,000 consumers across 11 markets, found that 58% expected to become more price-conscious. Yet 75% said they would pay more for a holiday rental with better reviews, rising to 76% for hotels.

This distinction matters. Greater price sensitivity does not necessarily mean travellers will always choose the cheapest option. People may spend more carefully while remaining willing to pay for experiences they trust and believe offer greater value.

Beautiful interiors and generous amenities mean little if guests cannot see what makes a property distinctive or right for them.

For independent hospitality businesses, guest understanding, experience design and commercial performance are closely connected. Positioning shapes expectations, the experience determines whether those expectations are fulfilled, and perceived value can influence reviews, recommendations and future bookings.

These relationships do not guarantee stronger conversion or higher rates, but they offer opportunities to investigate and improve performance.

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Discovery is changing, but relevance remains fundamental

Booking.com's 2025 Global AI Sentiment Report found that 89% of surveyed consumers wanted to use AI in future travel planning, yet only 6% fully trusted it. Meanwhile, Expedia's Traveller Value Index reported that 61% used social media for travel inspiration, compared with 35% in its earlier research.

AI is becoming an increasingly important consideration in how travellers discover, compare and evaluate accommodation, even as adoption and trust continue to evolve.

For independent hosts, clear positioning and digital visibility matter more than ever. A property needs to be discoverable, understandable and relevant, with compelling photography, meaningful descriptions, consistent information and credible reviews that help travellers and AI-powered tools recognise what makes it distinctive.

As technology reshapes how accommodation is discovered, understanding why someone would choose your stay, and communicating that clearly, becomes a competitive advantage.

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Bringing people, place, experience and business together

Across these developments, I see a common thread. Travellers have different motivations, while trust, perceived value and personal relevance shape their choices. Location, amenities and price still matter, but tell only part of the story.

A guest's motivation influences the accommodation they ultimately consider. The identity of a property shapes their expectations, while the experience determines whether those expectations are genuinely fulfilled. Together, these factors can influence whether someone books, recommends or returns.

My background in experience design and optimisation taught me to understand how people behave, what influences decisions and where experiences create friction. Alongside that, my interest in interiors, place and the sensory qualities of an environment has always drawn me towards the creative and emotional side of experience.

Hospitality brings these perspectives together. It is both a human experience and a business, and the decisions that influence one inevitably affect the other.

This relationship sits at the heart of Slow Living Hospitality™. Not a particular pace or aesthetic, but a more considered approach to hospitality, where understanding what guests truly value shapes the identity of a stay, the experience it delivers and the business behind it.

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From industry insight to better hospitality decisions

As traveller expectations evolve, independent hospitality has an opportunity to rethink not just what it offers, but why guests choose it, how they experience it and what makes them return. This is why we created The Slow Living Hosting Masterclass™.

Bringing together guest behaviour, experience design and commercial thinking, it helps hosts understand who their stay is truly for, define what makes it distinctive and turn that understanding into more meaningful guest experiences.

From Guest Fit and Stay Identity to visibility, perceived value and booking conversion, the Masterclass connects the decisions that shape both the guest experience and business performance. The ambition is not simply to become a better host, but to build a more distinctive, desirable and resilient hospitality business.

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A more considered future for independent hospitality

The research does not prove that any particular hospitality approach will automatically deliver higher occupancy or revenue. It does, however, reinforce why guest motivations, experience quality, trust and perceived value deserve to be considered together.

Smaller hospitality businesses may not have the scale of major operators, but they often have the freedom to create experiences with greater individuality, character and a closer connection to their guests and surroundings.

I believe the opportunity is to use that freedom thoughtfully, rather than simply adding more amenities, following the latest aesthetic or trying to appeal to everyone.

That is the thinking behind azulomo, and where I believe some of the most interesting conversations about independent hospitality should begin…

Elke Bretz
Founder of azulomo
Creator of Slow Living Hospitality™

Research & Sources

Hilton (2026). 2026 Trends Report. Traveller motivations, Whycation, and Hushpitality.

Global Wellness Institute (2025). Global Wellness Economy Monitor. Wellness tourism.

Booking.com (2026). Travel Predictions 2026. Individualised travel preferences.

Expedia Group (2026). Unpack '26. Emerging travel patterns.

Airbnb (2026). Farmcations. UK rural travel trends.

Expedia Group (2025). Traveller Value Index. Price sensitivity, reviews and social discovery.

Booking.com (2025). Global AI Sentiment Report. AI and travel planning.

Research reflects the populations and markets studied. The interpretation of these findings for independent hospitality and the azulomo methodology is my own.

/ FROM THE FOUNDER

Where the thinking unfolds.