Q: BOUTIQUE, HERITAGE, ECOFRIENDLY—can a property really be all this at once?
A: In fact, they must be one. A few years ago, there was a session at ITB, Berlin titled “Luxury & Environmental Sustainability: Friends or Foes?” On the panel was a Greek, an Italian, an American and an Indian, which was me. The thinking is that if the customer is paying for it, is he not entitled? But the truth is: luxury and sustainability are not at odds. Ultimate luxury will come when the interests of the consumer are subjugated to the interests of the planet and the community. Otherwise it is not sustainable. Conventional wisdom would have it that the three requirements of a hotel are location, location and location or, in other words, a room with a view. Now a new logic is emerging: how does a room look from the view? If it’s ugly towers, they make the place unattractive. So, a hotel cannot exist in isolation.
Q: FROM A CASINO FOCUS to an earth focus must be an interesting journey. What set you on this path and what keeps you going?
This story is from the Special Issue 2016 edition of Outlook Traveller.
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This story is from the Special Issue 2016 edition of Outlook Traveller.
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