VANDERSLICE:

We have defined Conrad in what we call the smart luxury space. But what’s happened over the last several years is, the luxury traveler has changed dramatically – much more global, younger, more casual in attitude, plugged-in. And our innovation platforms behind Conrad totally line up with that new luxury traveler.

How do you connect your brands with this traveler?

We no longer look at demographics – income level, age, all of those things. We actually are into mindsets. And for each one of the brands, I have mindsets determined. Because at any given time, your mindset can change depending on your occasion. How so?

If you got me on Thursday night when I was in Minneapolis, I’m one customer; when I’m there on Saturday with my family, I’m a different customer. So we have to be adaptable and shift gears on the fly. And that’s tough.You can throw all the technology you want at it, but basically it’s just humans connecting with humans, doing whatever they need at that time to help them win – whatever that means to them.

So technology alone can’t solve problems – it enables people to solve problems.

Exactly. Where technology meets service is where the ballgame’s going to be in the luxury space. For example, the Conrad Concierge is an app that 250,000 people have on their smartphones. So everything the hotel provides is now at your fingertips. If you think about this new luxury traveler and their technical ability, it totally aligns with who they are. And they use it – it’s unbelievable – and when they do, our satisfaction scores go through the roof.

Less personal interaction equals higher satisfaction?