Blazing a trail: Five movers and shakers rethinking the travel industry

The brand with bags of potential
An Chieh Chiang, CEO, Lojel

An Chieh Chiang has spent the past decade reviving Lojel, a suitcase business that his grandfather launched in 1989. The Taiwanese product-design graduate has squeezed a lot into that time. Lojel led the industry in 2017 with its first top-opening hard-shell suitcase. Two years later it became a standalone corporate entity, distinct from the family’s main luggage business. It is now headquartered in Hong Kong, where Chiang is based. The 41-year-old’s most consequential decision has been to start selling directly to consumers. monocle meets him at a shop opening in Bangkok to unpack his brand and the wider luggage industry.

How’s business?
When I took over Lojel in 2014, it was turning over $3.5m [€3.3m] in our three legacy markets: Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Next year, we’re targeting $40m [€38m], split evenly between distribution and direct sales.

Do you plan to stop working with distributors?
No. We’re a private, family-owned business so we don’t have the resources to enter every market through our own investment. The problem with the model is that distributors only put in 60 to 80 per cent effort – it’s not their brand and it’s contract-based.

You now make most of your products in Indonesia.
We got lucky. Our factory near Jakarta opened before the US-China trade war. The idea was to have two production bases; now 80 per cent of our products are made in Indonesia and 20 per cent in mainland China.

Why streamline your suitcase range from 12 collections to two?
The decision came from listening to our customers instead of just relying on what distributors told us. That led us to our design-for-repair initiative. Having fewer collections means we can standardise and re-engineer parts to increase repairability. Replacing a broken wheel is much simpler these days. We promote “Buy less, buy better”.

Do airports and airlines influence your products?
You have to balance weight, durability, functionality and style. When Lojel launched, there was no weight regulation from airlines so we were able to create a very robust shell. People are still coming back to us after 35 years to repair the wheels. That means the shell is perfectly fine.

Monocle has its own thoughts but what do you make of developments such as ride-on suitcases?
As manufacturers, we have seen so many brands launching new products without proper r&d. Putting power banks into suitcases was a classic example: our distributors asked for this but we questioned the value for customers.

… and equally questionable ‘driverless’ baggage?
It’s not a bad idea compared to the ride-on but there are so many issues to solve when it comes to automation. You would have to make compromises, especially if you’re talking about a lifetime of usage. Changing the entire business model could be interesting. Suitcases don’t get used 95 per cent of the time, so do we need to own one?

Is suitcase sharing a good thing?
We’re not worried about disrupting our business, as long as it makes sense to customers. We could set up a start-up to explore this, even if it’s not under the Lojel brand.

What does Lojel’s future growth look like?
We currently have 53 staff. We have just moved into our new headquarters in Hong Kong that can seat 100 people. So that’s an indication of my expectations.
lojel.com

The man re-examining short-term rentals
Marc Blazer, CEO, Boutique

In 2017, Marc Blazer co-founded Prior, a travel company that creates itineraries using insider knowledge. He is also the CEO of Boutique, a company elbowing into the short-stay rental market with homes and hideaways aimed at “creative minds”. He began his career in politics, serving as an aide to then-senator Jay Rockefeller, before moving into finance. In 2001, he was working for Cantor Fitzgerald in New York’s World Trade Center; when the towers fell, he happened to be on holiday in Thailand. “I was given a second bite of the apple,” he says. “It’s important to do things that give you joy.”

Where is the opportunity in hospitality right now?
Short-term rentals are a $300bn [€269bn] industry. We can all name our favourite luxury hotel brands but there’s no single, trusted brand for homes. Our first step is to become the Relais & Châteaux or the Design Hotels of homes.

How do you ensure that the homes that you list are characterful as your network grows?
The Rosewood Hotel Group has curatorial integrity and that starts with its properties, which always have a story to tell. Boutique’s hospitality experience is delivered entirely by our host. We have no brand standards or 300-point checklist. We want to create a system that ensures, for instance, that there are no other houses within a five-mile radius of a property and that the fridges are always stocked with local products when a guest arrives. It needs to be an expression of what’s real and true to a place.

You invested in Copenhagen’s Noma restaurant in 2013. Could you tell us about that?
At the time, it was just a 40-seat restaurant – a tiny business with a huge brand. René [Redzepi, chef and co-founder] was trying to build something permanent. We had tremendously talented people coming through the kitchen and spent years training them but they would go off and set up their own thing. So we said, “Why don’t we give them a hand and own a piece of the business?” We developed a group that now includes Sanchez and Hart Bageri, among others. It’s an enterprise with cash flow from multiple operations. At Noma, I learned that scarcity and quality are key ingredients for luxury brands.

Airbnb is being squeezed from multiple sides: cities are bringing in restrictions and the revenue in once-thriving markets is declining. Boutique is an evolution of this model. Are you concerned?
Airbnb has been incredibly successful but seems to have forgotten the consumer. It’s the Walmart of stays, whereas we’re the Colette. It’s an entirely different experience. When you have millions of listings and billions of stays, there’ll be bad experiences.

But Boutique has a lot of listings too. How do you maintain quality?
A pretty home isn’t enough: it’s about the homeowners. Many are self-made people and entrepreneurs from creative industries. Those are the ones we want to get to know. Our guests are very discerning and give us feedback. If there’s a shortcoming, we address it with the host. If it happens again, we archive the listing until it’s fixed.

Airbnb lets the market decide through the use of reviews but you don’t. Why?
Look at Tripadvisor: the best restaurant in Rome is apparently a burger joint. The crowd doesn’t know what “good” is. We’re seeing a backlash against aggregation. There’s an opportunity for well-travelled people with taste to offer advice to consumers seeking quality experiences. That’s what we’ve done with Prior [Blazer’s travel advisory firm], which has become authoritative.

What’s on the horizon for you?
Either Boutique becomes a multigenerational Mittelstand business – much like what you see in Germany or in Japan – or somebody comes along wanting to add it to their portfolio. I pursue things that give me joy, then figure out how to keep the lights on while doing it.
boutique-homes.com

The Texan queen of quirk
Liz Lambert, partner, MML Hospitality

When Liz Lambert shared a business plan to buy a seedy motel on Austin’s South Congress Avenue, a friend scribbled in the margins, “Yeah, right.” But Hotel San José has become a buzzing spot since reopening its doors in 2000. For Lambert, the scion of Texas cattle royalty, this was the start of a burgeoning hospitality portfolio spanning California, her home state and beyond. She named her company Bunkhouse after her family ranch’s guest quarters. Friction with investors Standard International and later Thailand’s Sansiri led to her departure in 2019 (Hyatt purchased the brand in August) but she knew how to land on her feet. She is now a partner at MML Hospitality, where she spearheaded the company’s first lodging property, Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans. Lambert also retains ownership of her treasured Marfa property, El Cosmico. Monocle speaks to the veteran hotelier from her Austin home about her next moves. 

How did you convince a global clientele that motels could be charming?
There’s a love for the myth of the American West and the motel is a part of that. But I didn’t set out to convince a global audience. No one was more surprised than I was when Hotel San José became so popular, landing above the fold in The New York Times travel section within a year. Road inns and travel lodges are being revitalised. They have more romance than new builds. What’s missing right now is a travel brand for them that’s thoughtful, well designed, simple and not expensive. If someone would let me take over the US chain Motel 6, I would love to do it.

What did hotels mean to you as you grew up?
My grandfather was a rancher and didn’t have an office so we would often go to the local hotel, where you could have your shoes shined and hold a business meeting. My mother loved hotels. In New York we would stay at the Waldorf, where we could sit in the lobby after shopping.

You once said that a good hotel changes a neighbourhood. Why is that?
At their best, they’re neighbourhood hubs. The area around Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans didn’t have one. Now it’s a gathering spot where you can have drinks with friends who live around the corner or pop into the shop for a gift. People in the neighbourhood can get a coffee there, and it’s a place where their friends can stay.

Any new lodging properties in the pipeline?
Two hotels. One is a renovation of the Mountain Chalet, an Aspen landmark. The other is Sixth & Blanco, Herzog & de Meuron’s first new build in Texas. The project occupies a city block and will include retail, restaurant and residential spaces with a hotel in the middle.

Are you focusing on new markets or concentrating on where you know?
We naturally go to places that we’re already interested in. My partners are into luxury and spend a lot of time in Aspen. With El Cosmico, I foresee going into other markets such as New Mexico, upstate New York, the Great Smoky Mountains or California. But it’s hard to find the right piece of land.

Tell us about the 3D-printed structures at El Cosmico.
Many new hotels are stick-frame buildings or poured concrete boxes because that’s how we know how to build – it’s easiest for us to build things at right angles. The rooms that we’re creating at the new El Cosmico are domes, silos and parabolas, curved spaces that hold you with roofs that arch towards the sky. They are infinitely more interesting to me than conventional construction.

Who would be your ideal first guests, alive or dead, when El Cosmico reopens in 2026?
Rainier Judd and Maiya Keck, who were the first people I bonded with in Marfa in the mid-1990s. Also, my brother Lyndon, who led me into the world of design but who I lost in 1999. And Le Corbusier – but only to make him jealous.
mmlhospitality.com; elcosmico.com

The firm rethinking the timeshare
Shinji Hamauzu, founder & CEO, Not a Hotel

Shinji Hamauzu’s Not a Hotel is a brand of premium holiday homes in Japan. His team deals with the business of paying utilities and local taxes, while a concierge service takes care of everything from transport and on-site storage to ideas for cultural excursions. With six properties and sales of almost €150m, the idea is clearly catching on. 

Not a Hotel offers something that lies between a hotel and a holiday home. Why is this concept right for Japan?
People typically stay at their holiday homes for 20 nights a year and often grow tired of going to the same place. Not a Hotel sells fractional ownership – 30 nights, 60 nights or more – for fully serviced holiday homes in Japan’s most scenic locations, designed by the world’s top creative talent. Once you become an owner, you can exchange your nights with stays at our other properties. On the nights that you don’t use, we operate the home like a hotel, reducing the owners’ management fees.

Will Not a Hotel be running day-to-day operations?
We have a dedicated operations team at every location. We also work on the latest software solutions. Our team made an app that lets owners book nights, unlock doors and control devices and lights.

How do you find the properties?
I started with a beachfront building in my hometown, Miyazaki. Once we were established, many estate agents and property holders across the country reached out to show off their sites. The Japanese countryside has so many different landscapes, from snowy mountains to sunny beaches. We want to give our owners access to all of that.

You’ve been teaming up with some big names in architecture and design. How did that come about?
We worked with Japanese architectural talent first: for example, Suppose Design, Yosuke Aizawa and Sou Fujimoto. Someone from the Bjarke Ingels Group contacted us one day; that started our collaboration on a three-villa site. Since then, we have announced a major project near Tokyo under fashion icon Nigo’s creative direction and a new Kita-Karuizawa property in the mountains with Wonderwall’s Masamichi Katayama. Plus, there’s a ski lodge in Hokkaido with Snøhetta. We try not to impose many limitations. They’ve enjoyed that freedom.

How are things going? And what’s next?
We have four sites operational: Aoshima, Kita-Karuizawa, Nasu and Fukuoka. We also have two Tokyo clubhouses for owners to reserve for dinners or business meetings. Toji in Minakami and Earth on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa will open in 2025. We have four more properties in the pipeline, not to mention many other projects that we’re working on but haven’t announced.

Who are your customers?
Eighty per cent are Japanese but we have made it much easier for those outside of the country to become owners now. Our owners are people who love exploring. We open properties thinking about where they want to travel next.

Can you see yourself expanding to overseas properties too?
Over the past few years, we have made Not a Hotel work well in Japan. To make this work overseas, we’ll have to understand the particular rules and challenges in each market. We’re now building partnerships in other countries to combine our know-how in order to make the most creative projects possible there as well.
notahotel.com

The veteran tourism talisman
Edmund Bartlett, minister for tourism, Jamaica

Edmund Bartlett, who first served as Jamaica’s tourism minister between 2007 and the end of 2011, returned to the post after the Jamaica Labour Party won the 2016 election. His current term has been defined by the pandemic, which caused visitor numbers to drop to nearly zero, depriving the country of one of its main sources of income. But there has since been a stunning rebound: 4.1 million people holidayed on the island last year, a 26 per cent increase on 2022. monocle sits down with Bartlett to hear his thoughts on Jamaican food and the two-way exchange that takes place when people visit. 

How important are travel trade fairs to you?
It’s necessary to gather and look at best practices, and develop relationships. It’s all about connectivity and bringing the global players in so they are buying and selling together. More importantly, there are always new thought-leadership activities. Every year fairs guide fresh ideas and enable innovation.

How important is the European market to Jamaica? 
It’s very important. It brings a particular demographic into our space that we need, enabling an extended period of vacation. We are close to the North American market, which has a two-to-three-day average stay. With Europeans, we’re talking about two to three weeks. So there’s enormous potential for greater penetration of tourism money into communities. Europe brings a wonderful opportunity for an exchange of ideas and best practices. But most of all, it’s wealth. That’s what tourism does: it is the fastest way to transfer wealth from one place to another. Sometimes, I say that it goes from the rich to the poor but it moves both ways. It’s all about wealth transmission. It has the fastest convertibility of all economic activities. The minute that a plane flies, dollars reach the ordinary man. It’s also the fastest means of recovery for an economy. Tourism is the only industry now that has fully recovered from the coronavirus pandemic and is growing. In the case of Jamaica, we fully recovered and hit 2019 numbers in 2023. Now we’re even ahead.

Jamaica is exposed to extreme weather. How has the country’s bounceback been after 2024’s hurricane season?
We’re resilient. We created a crisis-management centre at our university in 2018 and it helped us to recover quickly from the pandemic. But it has also given us the capacity to respond more effectively to hurricanes. We are vulnerable in the Caribbean and susceptible to other weather events. But we can say to tourists, “Feel free to come to Jamaica all year round. We are prepared and we are ready. We bounce back fast. You’ll be safe and secure. You will have a seamless vacation.

Why should Jamaica be on people’s list for 2025?
It has more attractions than all of the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean combined. We offer multiple experiences, not least the most exciting culinary scene in the region. This is thanks to a confluence of cultures and ethnicities. We know our spices and herbs – very important to our cuisine’s mix of elements, which excites the palate. This also makes visitors curious about our flora and fauna. And then the landscape reveals more about the people, who are Jamaica’s biggest attractions. We have a population of 2.9 million. That’s 2.9 million gems waiting for you.
mot.gov.jm

How Bodrum’s chic Macakizi Hotel became the epitome of Turkish cool

Macakizi is almost hidden by Golturkbuku bay’s olive groves, fuchsia-hued bougainvillea and pine trees. The restaurant, hotel and beach club is nestled in one of the most picturesque inlets on Turkey’s Bodrum peninsula. The venture’s owner, Sahir Erozan, believes that its charm lies in the surrounding nature, as well as in its family roots. In 1977 his glamorous and bohemian mother, Ayla Emiroglu, opened the original Macakizi hotel at another site in Bodrum. “Back then, you would see cows grazing on a stretch of land behind the hotel,” says Erozan, squinting in the bright, late-summer sunlight as it glints off the water. “It was a different time. Bodrum still had an untouched beauty.”

Macakizi relocated to Golturkbuku in 2000, having outgrown those humble beginnings. It originally offered just 16 guest rooms; now its team of about 350 staff oversees a 72-key hotel with four kitchens. The ambitious expansion didn’t stop there. In 2018 the brand added a 10-room private villa, located less than five minutes away by boat. In other words, a lot has changed. When Emiroglu ran things, almost 99 per cent of the business’s clients were Turkish. Now some 75 per cent of them are international visitors.

Erozan says that, despite all of this, the fundamentals of Macakizi’s approach to hospitality are exactly as they were in the beginning. Visit it today and there’s still a sense that it’s a refuge from all that surrounds it – an oasis of calm far removed from whatever might be happening in Turkey’s economy or politics (though many movers and shakers holiday here). “We’ve always tried to be natural, kind and aware,” he says. He credits his mother with instilling in him this philosophy, which has steered him as both the industry and the business have evolved over the decades. “I didn’t go in different directions,” he says of running the company. “I kept building.”

Macakizi has become a favourite retreat for notable guests, some of whom you’ll recognise. Regulars greet waiters with a kiss on both cheeks; the staff never hover awkwardly but are always on hand to help. Drinks are topped up before the sun melts the ice cubes – a service overseen by the hotel’s charismatic, Australian-born long-term manager, Andrew Jacobs.

“A lot of people don’t realise that there’s a hotel here,” says Erozan, sitting in the breakfast hall nestled in the heart of this green stretch of land overlooking the Aegean. Only about a third of the visitors are hotel guests; the rest come to enjoy the beach club, drink and dine. The property’s layout is designed to give patrons privacy. Labyrinthine pathways framed by Mediterranean shrubs link the white, two-storey villas, each of which has a private garden or a sea-facing balcony.

Erozan refers to the Mediterraneo Pavilion, where breakfast is served every morning and dinner is hosted on off-season nights, as “the winter garden”. It’s a striking, black-metal structure with expansive windows that make you feel as though you were sitting outside among nature. For the past three years, Macakizi has stayed open well beyond its usual summer season into winter. Built in 2019, the pavilion was designed by Ahmet Alatas; Istanbul-based firm Tabanlioglu oversaw the hotel’s reception area, built in 2000, as well as the recently opened Ayla restaurant.

“I don’t let any architect touch the interiors,” says Erozan with a smile, peering over his round, metal-framed sunglasses. “They make things look too pristine, too uninhabited. I like some chaos. I want this place to feel lived in.” Erozan has personally overseen every detail of the hotel’s interiors, from the carpets and the lighting to the artwork. He describes his aesthetic sensibilities as “eclectic, bohemian and modern”.

That eclecticism is perhaps most evident in the art. Antonio de Felipe’s pop art painting of Audrey Hepburn hangs in the entrance next to a work by Turkish contemporary artist Haluk Akakce that features the marque of the hotel: a queen of spades playing card. It breaks the otherwise uniform layout of the couches and tables. An almost human-sized metal mirror ball by Mihat Sen is one of three statues in the pool area, exemplifying Erozan’s sometimes hard-to-define style.

There’s no formal check-in counter or receptionist. Instead, there’s a laid-back lounge where you might find one of the hotel’s three dogs – Alexis, Vasilis and the newest addition, Lucy – running up to greet you or lazily curled up like a pretzel on the plush carpet. Inside the white-painted guest rooms, vintage photographs of social gatherings at Macakizi from Erozan’s mother’s time hang above the beds, which are adorned with colourful Rifat Ozbek-designed pillows.

While Emiroglu laid Macakizi’s foundations and cultivated a community around the brand, Erozan spent many years refining his craft abroad. Before fully committing to Bodrum and Macakizi, he spent some 26 years in Washington, starting from his university years. During that time, he worked in and owned several restaurants. That was how he first crossed paths with Istanbul-born chef Aret Sahakyan, who ran the kitchen at Erozan’s Georgetown restaurant Cities, which was open from 1987 to 2007.

Sahakyan, who trained in French and Italian culinary traditions, has been with Macakizi since Erozan moved back to Turkey. Over the years, he says, the country’s food culture and tastes have changed. “When I arrived, chefs weren’t viewed in the way that they are today. A chef was simply someone who cooked in the kitchen, not someone who crafted and designed dishes.” This summer the Michelin Guide made its debut in Bodrum and Macakizi earned its first star. “We have a concept,” says Sahakyan proudly. “We stay true to it.”

In the busiest season, the restaurant regularly welcomes more than 500 guests for Sunday lunch. Its menu features traditional manti – tender Turkish dumplings filled with ground lamb and topped with yoghurt – made using a recipe passed down from Emiroglu’s time. Sahakyan says that the magic of the manti lies in the yufka (thin flatbread) that accompanies it, carefully layered on a tray and baked until perfectly crisp. This lighter version of the classic dish has become a favourite among regulars.

Erozan inherited more from his mother than the community that she fostered around the hotel and its legacy. She also passed down some of her staff. Ayhan Hanagasi began working at Macakizi as a bus boy and has been with the hotel for 34 years. “Ayla Hanim had high standards and she could be tough but I grew both personally and professionally under her guidance,” says Hanagasi. “She was an endlessly generous teacher.” He was among the staff members invited to an exclusive 60th birthday celebration of a regular hotel guest held at Macakizi over the weekend on which Monocle visited.

Bodrum’s global rise in prominence as a luxury-travel destination has brought new challenges. Almost every corner of this breathtaking peninsula is being altered – its trees felled, its ancient heritage looted and the old ways abandoned. The most contentious development has been the Bulgari Resort Bodrum, which is being built in Cennet Koyu (Paradise Bay) on an area of archaeological importance and natural beauty with what its detractors suggest is scant regard for preservation.

So what does Macakizi think about the area’s new popularity – and does it feel a sense of responsibility for its role in Bodrum’s change? Sahakyan believes that it’s all about balance, gesturing to the breakfast bar. “Over there, you’ll find only the highest-quality selections, hand-picked by us and sourced from trusted partners who share our values,” says the chef. “I’m not offering 40 different types of cheese or 50 varieties of honey just to let them go to waste.”

Erozan, meanwhile, explains that the region’s recent success is part of a bigger picture. “First, there’s Turkey’s brand, then Bodrum’s, then that of Macakizi too,” he says. “All three things must evolve in tandem because you can’t thrive in isolation.”

Macakizi was the first beach club in Bodrum to introduce a happy hour but it chose to abandon the tradition this summer. “As a brand, we are always evolving and adapting,” says Erozan. “When we first introduced the happy-hour idea here, it was unique to the area. But now, with many others following suit, it no longer aligns with the direction we want to take.” The owner smiles as the pink-hued sun hovers low in the sky. “Today we’re a more mature brand.”
macakizi.com

Macakizi’s top table
In 2024 the hotel launched Ayla, a new 18-cover restaurant with just five tables, named after Erozan’s mother. “The experience unfolds in three acts, each offering four choices,” says Sahakyan. Over a two-and-a-half-hour sitting, diners are treated to dishes crafted from locally sourced ingredients, including olive oil from Memecik village, honey from Comlekci and blue crab from Datca. Among last summer’s signature dishes were courgette flowers stuffed with Turkish rice and a new take on Macakizi’s beloved manti dumplings filled with fermented salsify, accompanied by yoghurt, chicken broth and oil infused with roasted sumac.

Getting here:
Just a 50-minute drive from Milas-Bodrum Airport, Macakizi has five Land Rover Defenders, each subtly marked with a spade, ready to transport guests anywhere. As you approach the secluded bay where the hotel sits, you’ll leave behind the bustle and find a serene escape.

Our pick of Bodrum’s other restaurants

Derekoy Lokantasi
With its classic taverna tables, this restaurant provides a peaceful respite from the bustling crowds. Try its refreshing starters, such as labneh with green olives.
Derekoy, Derekoy Yolu No: 133, 48960 Bodrum

Bagarasi
Set amid a citrus orchard, Bagarasi is a fine ambassador of Bodrum’s cuisine. Its menu features the freshest ingredients sourced from local markets. Don’t miss its artichoke with ice cream.
Bitez, Pınarli Caddesi No: 59, 48470 Bodrum

Kurul Bitez
An ocakbasi spot in a converted stable that serves up authentic Turkish barbecue, despite having the ambience of a French bistro.
Bitez Mahallesi 1936 sok No: 2, 48470 Bodrum

Orfoz
This family-run fish restaurant and meyhane (tavern) showcases whatever the fishermen netted, including sea snails in wine sauce.
orfoz.net

Lucca by the Sea
For the past two decades, Lucca has drawn crowds in Istanbul’s vibrant Bebek district. Now it has opened a new site at Bodrum’s Mandarin Oriental.
luccabythesea.com

Limon
The best sunset in Bodrum. Whether you’re here for breakfast or sunset drinks, it’s timeless. Book early.
limongumusluk.com

Off the beaten track: Switzerland’s Furka Steam Railway

The Swiss are rightly proud of the efficiency and speed of their SBB railway system – but journeys along the nation’s breathtaking Alpine routes are best enjoyed at a slower pace. Constructed in 1925, the Furka Steam Railway is a living relic of European train travel’s golden age. Sometimes, rushing it would be to miss the point.

The 18km mountain pass is about 2,000 metres above sea level and begins in the village of Realp in the canton of Uri. It chugs through rugged pastures and frozen mountain lakes before finishing in Oberwald in Valais. Along the way, you’ll glimpse striking views of the Rhône Glacier, the Saint-Gotthard Massif and the Urseren Valley, all from the comfort of your seat.

The mountain pass reopened in 2010 after almost three decades, thanks to the construction of a 14km tunnel through a high-altitude section of the trail that’s prone to extreme weather conditions. Painstakingly restored by the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway Association, the picturesque route is run by an independent body called the Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke and operates between June and October.

The red locomotive passes by the Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhône in Gletsch, which is expected to reopen in 2026 (as well as the 19th-century belle époque Hôtel Belvédère, perched on a hairpin bend, which closed in 2016 after almost 150 years). The hope for the region is that, after a fresh lick of paint, the former might encourage more scene seekers to venture this way. In the meantime, if you do make the trip, we recommend that you buy a First Class ticket, order a glass of wine and toast a Swiss success that proves that there’s more to railway excellence than simply reaching your destination on time.
dfb.ch; glacier-du-rhone.ch

Architects of ambience: Meet three firms shaping hospitality’s finest spaces

Crucially, hospitality is also about the atmosphere cultivated by the interior design and architecture, spanning everything from material selection to furniture choice and lighting levels. These are the names making a material difference to leading hospitality operations across the globe.

1.
Chzon
Paris

“I made the choice to focus on hospitality because I’ve always enjoyed thinking about the narratives around projects,” says Dorothée Meilichzon, whose colourful design studio is nestled in a Haussmann building in Paris’s 10th arrondissement. “Who is going to sleep in this hotel? What’s the story of the building and the neighbourhood? How do we incorporate it?”  The practice, founded in 2009, works exclusively in hospitality design, with recent projects including the Experimental Chalet Val d’Isère in the French Alps.

An essential part of Chzon’s work is to analyse how people eat, socialise and sleep in a determined space in order to provide customers with an experience that feels intuitive. The studio is also keen to make each project distinct. “I get the idea of people wanting a hotel to be reassuring so guests can expect similar things in a particular hotel brand,” says Meilichzon. “But travel is about exceptionality and discovery, so you have to be surprised too.”

Working on introducing surprise means that no two projects look the same and each has discreet but distinct Chzon features. Shades of blue and green tend to dominate, with plenty of samples organised in labelled drawers at the studio, where a small team works in an open space bathed in the sunlight from the bay window. Meilichzon draws furniture for each project herself, which allows the designer to create something with a unique character that is still distinctly hers. The pieces are made using simple materials such as linen, cotton and wood, usually found near each project’s site. “We’re always looking to make the pieces travel as little as possible and utilise local craftsmanship traditions whenever we can,” she says.

In the case of the newly opened Experimental Chalet, locally sourced pine and wool were used to make traditional Savoyard chests and textiles. Other elements play with the region’s symbols, such as crests featuring the Val d’Isère eagle, door handles imitating branches and unique plaster on the walls. In mixing these details with a building programme that includes two restaurants and a lobby lounge, it means that guests at the chalet – whether early risers who like to be the first on the peak or those more inclined to participate in après-ski activities – are guaranteed a sense of escape.

This attention to these seemingly insignificant features ensures that each project feels grounded in place. “I want everyone who walks into one of our rooms to feel at ease,” says Meilichzon. “I want people to see that we’ve thought of them in every detail.”
chzon.com

2.
Acme
Sydney

Well-designed hospitality spaces should whisk us away from reality. For Sydney-based multidisciplinary studio Acme, figuring out how to provide that escape has been central to its approach since its first venue, Sydney café The Grounds of Alexandria. “I was working on the interiors for the project and was trying to give patrons a sense of arrival, to move them through the space and take them on this experiential journey,” says Caroline Choker, interior designer and Acme co-founder. It was a challenge that prompted Choker to enlist her partner, architect Vince Alafaci, to look at the café’s master planning and think about how to knit the sprawling site’s disparate spaces into one cohesive story.

The pair’s skillset – Alafaci’s big-picture architectural view and Choker’s eye for interior detail – were perfectly complementary and came to the fore at The Grounds of Alexandria in 2012, a hugely popular venture that uplifted the surrounding neighbourhood and inspired countless imitators. The duo formally founded Acme the following year and have since been responsible for some of the country’s most admired hospitality venues, from the heritage grandeur of Apollo Inn and Gimlet in Melbourne to the panoramic coastal luxury of Sydney’s Mimi’s.

The boutique studio has now grown to six staff and works on just eight to 10 projects a year, all of them powered by Alafaci and Choker’s shared approach. “We create solutions that integrate both disciplines, where architecture and interiors are seamless,” says Alafaci, explaining that although every Acme endeavour is unique, all of them share a vision of luxury that feels distinctly Australian, with an emphasis on context. That is why every Acme venue is characterised by abundant natural light, a multisensory approach to local textures and materials, and exteriors and colour palettes that speak to their area. “The trap for designers these days, especially in the hospitality realm, is taking inspiration from projects in other countries that don’t apply here,” says Choker. “We’re both from Sydney so we try to make sure that anything we do [in the city] is based on our experience.”

As grounded as Acme’s projects are in their Australian surroundings, the mission of transporting guests away from the familiar rhythms of their everyday life is still the priority. And it begins with a story. When Acme does its initial conceptual presentation to its clients, in addition to a floor plan and 3D visualisation of the space, the designers also present a storyboarded narrative of the venue. “We almost treat it like it’s a movie,” says Alafaci. “We write this story of the place and create a fantasy of what the project could be – it helps our design to have that touchpoint and it immerses the clients in the journey that we want to take guests on.”
acme-co.com.au

3.
MHOA
Austin

The ideal dining room seats about 40 people. That, at least, is the consensus among the restaurateurs who work with Michael Hsu Office of Architecture (MHOA), an Austin-based firm that has made a name for itself with eye-catching restaurant design. While many such establishments can seat far more, this perceived optimal size creates the opportunity, says Hsu, “to design spaces within spaces”. Take Uchiko Plano, a sushi restaurant in a Dallas suburb, which opened in 2024. It can fit 175 guests but following that golden rule led MHOA to design different areas, from a noisy bar for a lively night out to a hushed nook in the rear of the dining room for private conversations.

The emphasis on acoustics fits with MHOA’s philosophy that designing for dining is a multi-sensory experience. There are the obvious tastes and smells of the food but also distinctive visual techniques, such as providing sightlines to signature elements of the kitchen – say a wood-fired grill or chicken rotisserie. “Restaurants elicit a higher level of emotional response than other spaces,” says Hsu. “So we ask what we want it to feel like before we dive into what we want it to look like.”

For architects, conjuring feeling is a matter of paying close attention. “We expect all of our designers to be really astute observers of the world,” says MHOA principal Maija Kreishman. “Is the lighting too bright or too dim? Is my seat too wide or too high? Hospitality is made in the inches of a table, zeroing in on the many small elements to make one larger whole.” 

Hsu was born in Taiwan, where his mother, a classically trained chef, ran a noodle shop. He was raised in Houston and educated in Austin. The two cities are now home to his firm’s two studios, with hotels and restaurants accounting for about one third of the portfolio. And while Hsu has carved out a name among the Michelin-aspiring set, he is just as willing to apply his sheen to labour-of-love projects, such as restoring a casual bar, Uptown Sports, in an Austin heritage building that serves shrimp po’ boys and shows sport on TV.

For Hsu, a year travelling in Europe as an architecture student – and talking his way into a job with Rem Koolhaas along the way – cemented the notion that a worldly designer is a better designer. He cites being inspired by places such as the Alhambra gardens or a mid-century ranch on the Californian coast. Ultimately, Hsu’s firm gravitates toward the world of food and drink because they find kindred spirits among their clients. “Restaurateurs are some of our favorite people,” says Kreishman. “We all love to travel.”
hsuoffice.com

Three new must-visit luxury openings in São Paulo, Kurashiki and Paris

1.
Pulso Hotel
São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil’s most sprawling metropolis, is the heartbeat of the nation – which is why Otávio Suriani decided to name his latest hotel in the city Pulso. “It’s a word that’s linked to music and movement, both things that we want to bring to the hotel,” he says. Designed by architect Arthur Casas, Pulso sits on the border between the Faria Lima financial district and the buzzy Pinheiros district. It offers 52 apartments and five suites, all dressed in elegant neutral tones. “Casas designed the entire complex, from the façade to the small details on the lamps,” says Suriani.

Pulso pays tribute to two of the city’s biggest strengths: nightlife and food. Chef Charlô Whately oversees the hotel’s Restaurante Charlô and Boulangerie Cha Cha, the latter of which is part bakery, part deli. “This is a city that never sleeps,” says Suriani. “Our nightlife is crazy.” You can experience it for yourself at Pulso’s Bar Sarau, which is always ready to welcome those craving a nightcap and some intoxicating bossa nova.
pulsohotel.com

2.
Yoruya
Kurashiki

The city of Kurashiki in western Japan has long attracted enthusiasts of folk arts and crafts – it’s home to the Kurashiki Mingeikan, a museum dedicated to the subject – but it also has plenty to offer for those with more contemporary tastes. Fans of modernism will want to visit the Kurashiki City Art Museum, designed by Kenzo Tange, one of Japan’s great postwar architects. Day trippers, meanwhile, come to see the old buildings and tree-lined waterways. Until recently, however, anyone wanting to stay overnight would have struggled to find accommodation to match the surroundings. Now they have somewhere that fits the bill: Yoruya, a 13-room inn in a sensitively converted and extended former kimono merchant’s residence.

The century-old building’s original exterior has been retained, with a simple lantern above the door. Inside, the layout has been designed to mimic the traditional narrow streets known as hiyasai that are a distinctive feature of Kurashiki’s historic centre. Tokyo-based studio Simplicity has brought its signature modern craft style to the interiors – think white plastered walls, well-chosen Japanese prints and art books. The rooms couldn’t be more serene, with low mattresses, cotton pyjamas and baths that are open to the elements.

The operations team, Naru Developments, is led by hoteliers Yuta Oka and Fumitomo Hayase. They’ll be familiar to anyone who has stayed at Tokyo’s Hotel K5 or Onomichi’s Azumi Setoda. Dinner in Yoruya’s counter restaurant centres on local produce: chef Fumio Niimi prepares an omakase dinner that features such delicacies as clam cooked in a whole yuzu fruit and Okayama Nagi beef. Yoruya’s invitingly low-lit bar is open to non-residents; it’s well worth stopping in for a glass of wine or a local saké. Breakfast, best taken in the garden with its flowering crepe myrtle tree, is another treat. Expect fresh sesame tofu, grilled mamakari sardines (a regional speciality) and the chef’s homemade Japanese grape jelly. It’s a perfect start to the day before you hit Kurashiki’s streets to explore the city’s many cultural and historic delights.
yoruya-kurashiki.com

3.
Hôtel Dalila
Paris

Stroll through Montmartre and you’re almost certain to spot a few flowers hanging from residents’ balconies. The recently opened Hôtel Dalila in Paris’s 18th arrondissement is fittingly floral. Its 49 rooms, breakfast area and workspaces were conceived by Bordeaux-based Giovanna de Bosredon (pictured) of Auguri Studio, who designed the seven-floor hotel to resemble a comfortably lived-in Paris apartment.

“Our work here was a combination of architecture, interior design and curating vintage pieces,” says De Bosredon. “Inside the hotel, the chequered tiles and caning are in Montmartre’s colour palettes: the green of its squares, the red of the wine and the orange of the famous Lapin-Agile cabaret.” Among the vintage pieces are a bistro bar made from zinc and metal lamps by French architect and designer Charlotte Perriand.

This mishmash of old-school elements is complemented by more modern Hay sconces, bold carpet colours and metal furniture that echoes the seats found in public parks. The finishing touch? A view of the Basilique du Sacré Coeur. Hôtel Dalila is a true neighbourhood gem. Bravo!
hoteldalila.com

How Belmond reimagined the Eastern and Oriental Express

After a four-year hiatus, LVMH-owned hospitality group Belmond relaunched the Eastern and Oriental Express in early 2024. The luxury train, which first hit the rails in 1991 and stopped running as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, now takes passengers on a three-day trip through Singapore and Malaysia. Belmond took advantage of the break in service to refresh the train’s appearance.

The route begins at Singapore’s Woodlands Station, crossing into Malaysia and taking in the country’s jungles and cities, before looping back to the starting point. There are two seasonal routes. Between November and February, the Essence of Malaysia trip takes passengers to Langkawi, where they briefly board a boat for a cruise and some snorkelling. The Wild Malaysia trip, which runs from March to October, carries travellers deep into Taman Negara National Park to view its caves, birds and elusive Malayan tiger. Both journeys include a stop on Penang Island for a tour of George Town, a Unesco World Heritage site.

Belmond’s remodelling of the train has retained the original dark-green carriages and open-air observation car but added sumptuous new interiors that take cues from Southeast Asian textiles, while boasting plush carpeted floors and hand-painted lacquer panels. There are also eight sleeping cars, two restaurants, a piano bar and a spa. The latter, which opened in July, is operated by Dior; Taiwanese chef André Chiang curated the food and drink. Chiang’s spins on Malaysian and Peranakan cuisine include a cacao ganache with regional spices and a laksa bouillabaisse, a Malaysian twist on the French seafood soup. “Malaysia is definitely the capital of spices,” says Chiang. “The menus that we have crafted tell the story of the country’s rich heritage and culture.”

Gary Franklin, Belmond’s vice-president of trains and cruises, recalls his inaugural journey on the relaunched service. “It was my first time back on it since before the pandemic, making it an incredibly emotional experience to see this beautiful train rolling again,” Franklin tells monocle. “I will never tire of the quiet moments when I can enjoy a coffee on the observation deck. It’s magical.”
belmond.com

10 aviation advancements we’re looking forward to in 2025

1.
Air India is undergoing an overhaul under Tata Group ownership. Hundreds of new aircraft are on order, including gleaming A350s with improved cabins on New Delhi to New York and Heathrow routes. Up next? The refurbishing of older long-haul aircraft. 

2.
The new PDX Airport in Portland, Oregon, was unveiled in August. It might now be the best airport in the US thanks to its top-notch shops, restaurants and bars. The trees and greenery throughout the departure hall are a nice addition. 

3.
LAX’s Delta One lounge has been opened and it looks more like something we might expect to see in Asia or the Gulf. Its new jfk lounge is similarly outstanding. We hope that US airlines continue to improve their premium ground services, which make a difference at busy airports such as lax.

4.
Japan Airlines’ new A350-1000 is spreading its wings to more long-haul destinations, with updated cabins and impressive Business and First Class offerings. It runs between Tokyo and London, and Dallas and New York, with more destinations to come soon. 

5.
United Airlines is distinguishing itself with some creative and downright bold route planning. The latest round of programming includes service from New York to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. UA is also launching routes within Asia, bucking the trend of US airlines farming out this kind of flying to partners. 

6.
Etihad Airways is back to growth mode after years of cutbacks. It is rolling out new Business Class cabins across almost the entire fleet, reactivating a380s and relaunching 30 routes over the coming months. Combine this with the newly opened Abu Dhabi terminal – a huge improvement over the old – and Etihad looks increasingly like a real competitor to other Gulf carriers, not just a niche neighbour. 

7.
Cathay Pacific has new Aria Business Class suites and will soon debut its Halo Cabin in First Class. It’s nice to see CX returning to prominence and investing in its product once again. 

8.
Qatar Airways looks set to take a 25 per cent stake in Virgin Australia as the former fights a losing battle with the Australian government to fly additional services in the country. There’s speculation that QR could use the Virgin tie-up to get around restrictions by leasing its aircraft to the carrier. 

9.
Air France is poised to provide free Starlink wifi, joining a small but growing list of airlines to do so. But more eyes might be on AF’s revamped La Première First Class, which will hopefully enter service in 2025. 

10.
Scandinavian Airlines is relaunching a European Business Class service with a blocked middle seat. The move came just days after the carrier left Star Alliance to join Skyteam. Until now, the airline has only had a premium “Plus” service and filled every seat, including middles.

Roadside revival: The rebirth of the American motel

The American motel rose to prominence in the mid-20th century in response to the rising number of travellers in search of a place to bed down on long, cross-country roadtrips. But after their heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, many of these humble lodgings fell on hard times. Now, Texas is beginning to revitalise these historic hotels for a new generation.

Take Hotel Lucine, a former motel-turned-boutique residence in the coastal resort city of Galveston. It comprises an intimate central courtyard with a pastel-blue tiled pool, a fine-dining restaurant and the largest rooftop bar on the town’s beachfront. “I have admired the building since my wife and I moved back to Galveston several years ago,” says Dave Jacoby, who owns the hotel with his wife, Keath, and their business partner, Robert Marcus. “We were lucky to have the original architectural drawings from when it was built in 1963. We knew that to renovate it and run it well, we would need to stay true to the original aesthetic and restore the role of the hotel as a social hub in the Galveston community.”

The adaptation of a 1950s motel into a modern 21st-century stay was inevitably more complicated than simply dressing the property in new finery. Over time, hotels have had to innovate and diversify their offerings. Travellers’ expectations have also heightened and consumer priorities have shifted, so Hotel Lucine had to be updated to adapt to these changes. “The programming and design of any property plays a critical role in keeping the space filled with lively people,” says David Clark, founder and creative director at Austin-based Kartwheel Studio, who was tasked with the motel’s makeover. “We decided to extend the building towards the seawall property line, which enhanced the look and ensured that every space – whether for dining, lounging or socialising – was optimised for both the guests’ experience and operational efficiency.”

But Hotel Lucine is not alone in this Lone Star State motel revival. In 2017, Liz Lambert’s Austin Motel set the tone with its pop-vintage vision of a bright 21st-century roadside inn, while in San Antonio, Jayson Seidman’s Ranch Motel and Leisure Club turned a motor-court into a verdant haven. And other big projects are likely to follow suit. “I think a large part of this trend is tied to the time when these motels were originally built,” says Hotel Lucine’s Robert Marcus. “Many of them are in prime locations and offer an appealing opportunity for restoration.”

Why travel pillows are such a pain in the neck

What is it about people with travel pillows (asks Ed Stocker)? They walk around airports brandishing them like war trophies or wrapping them around their necks like bloated appendages. The pillows get scuffed, thrown into security bins and, often, end up on the floor before being gathered up and employed as a useless way of attempting to rest on a flight. All this despite having acquired who-knows-what in the way of bacteria on their messy transit.

Don’t get me wrong. For those of us travelling in the less comfortable parts of a plane, the idea of not falling asleep with my mouth open and waking up with a cricked neck from the unnatural way in which I’ve passed out is appealing. But somehow, no one seems to have invented a travel pillow that is comfortable or looks any good (I look forward to the flurry of emails telling me that I’m wrong; you can contact me at ejs@monocle.com). You just look silly with a miniature buoyancy aid around your neck.

Maybe the secret is to pack a small pillow in your carry-on or to scrunch up a jumper. Failing that, you could give up completely and realise that you’re not going to get any sleep when you’re in cattle class anyway. I find myself judging the people who wear travel pillows, the likes of whom I don’t want to spend any time with. Is it snobby? Probably.

While we’re on the topic, wielders of travel pillows are not the only tribe that I eschew at the airport. We’ll have to save my thoughts on those who shrink-wrap their suitcase in kilometres of plastic for another day. Have a restful flight, everyone.

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Paradise regained: Sustainable hospitality on Santorini

Markos Chaidemenos grew up near the sunny cliffs of Santorini, where he helped to run his parents’ hotel, Canaves Oia. “I used to work the afternoon shift, go out at night, come back to take a shower and then go straight to the morning shift,” he tells Monocle. He took over the family business in 2010 and turned it into the Canaves Collection, a luxury-resort brand comprising five properties across Santorini. Despite having plans to expand across the Cyclades, the second-generation hotelier is keen to ensure that the enterprise serves locals and enhances the character of the islands. 

Chaidemenos has seen the island change rapidly over the past 20 years. But unlike many critics, who say that Santorini has become overcrowded and touristy, his love for his home island has never diminished. “Santorini is beautiful, which is what attracts people and makes parts of it busy,” says Chaidemenos. “But it’s unfair to say that Santorini is a tourist trap. It’s much more than that.”

The Canaves Collection also consists of 250 staff residences. “This has not only improved the quality of life of our employees but also helped to take care of the local community as it avoids taking housing from permanent residents,” says Chaidemenos. But he’s not the only one taking action to protect Santorini’s resources: the Greek government is currently implementing policies to curb overtourism and preserve traditional architecture on the island.

The daily influx of cruise-ship tourists has recently been capped at 8,000 visitors, while permits have also been put in place to favour the renovation of existing structures over new buildings. For Chaidemenos, these are signs that the mentality on Santorini has changed. “As a local, these new decrees and ways of doing things are music to my ears,” he says. Working closely with the municipality, he hopes to encourage a slower form of tourism that’s more appreciative of the location’s many layers. “Santorini is more than just blue-domed churches and cliffs,” he says. “It can be as much of an off-the-beaten-path destination as any other Greek island.”
canaves.com