The future of travel
As our wanderlust begins to return, we look at the pioneers shaping the future of travel
hall we pause a brief moment to process the influx of surreal
which emerged during the pandemic to plug the gap in our travel desires? In September 2020 Quantas Airlines offered a seven-hour sightseeing ‘flight to nowhere’ over Queensland, The Gold Coast and New South Wales which sold out within 10 minutes. ‘Digital Tourism’ became the new buzzword, Walt Disney World and Legoland encouraged families to take a turn on their most famous rides using VR technology and the Samsung XR app offered virtual city breaks. So where to now?
Airbnb believes there will be a focus on ‘pod travel’ for the next few years. ‘Travel will become less about where and when you go, and more about who you are with and what you can do together,’ says Amanda Cupples, general manager for Northern Europe. ‘People will travel in small groups while minimising their social contact with others.’
Edyn, a pioneer in extended-stay living is set to thrive with this post-pandemic outlook and its wildly fast-growing ‘Locke aparthotel’ model has no sign of stopping with Locke de Convento in Lisbon and Locke in Berlin opening summer 2022. ‘The beauty of staying at a Locke means that you can feel free to mingle in our social spaces or hunker down and stay in your studio apartment if you want (or need) to,’ explains Stephen Mccall, CEO of Edyn.
Hot on its heels is The Other House, due to open in spring 2022 in Covent Garden and South Kensington. A members’ club-style hotel with beautifully designed living areas, sleeping areas and kitchen, guests will be able to control their stay through an app.
Combining remote location and green credentials, other-worldly Hygge Circles Ugakei blends Danish and Japanese design to create a next-gen, sustainable experience in the forests of Japan. It opens next spring and the site features rows of cottages amid rivers and trees.
Finally there’s joy. ‘As we emerge from the pandemic, consumers will be seeking out experiences that can’t be replicated in the home,’ explains Claire Dickinson, lifestyle futures forecaster at WGSN.
‘In hospitality we’re seeing a resurgence of immersive and multisensory dining and fantasy restaurant interiors providing post-lockdown escapism and a much-needed dose of hedonism.’
“We’re seeing a resurgence of immersive experiences, providing post-lockdown escapism”
sofferings