LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EXISTENTIAL CURIOSITY APART, THE FLEETING NATURE

of life has never been in question. But when it defines your business model, it’s somewhat novel. 700,000 Heures is the world’s first ephemeral hotel. The fact that we will spend only about 700,000 hours on the planet is the raison d’être behind this pioneering adventure that began in 2020, with a mission to create transformative experiences. It’s a moveable feast of hotels, in a sense, where every six months, it uproots to re-establish in a new destination, where they set up shop in a quirky structure—it could be a tree house, a palace or even a houseboat.

Disruptive as it sounds, the rise of the non-hotel format is one of the biggest trends in hospitality now. No wonder hotels can no longer solely rely on oversized penthouses or unimpeachable service as a clincher. Instead, it’s all about providing the most exclusive experiences, changing the way one perceives a hotel. As the New York Times sums up the experience of 700,000 Heures: “The idea is that a hotel is not an actual structure, but a state of mind, a series of experiences, a respite from your life. It’s about what you can get out of a destination.”

According to an October 2021 report commissioned by Airbnb and produced by Economic Impact, 79 per cent of Indian travellers want to travel in ways that benefit communities both economically and socially, and opt for ‘unique’ accommodation options, which the vacation rental platform defines, interestingly as ‘barn, boat, castle, campsite, hut, island, plane, shepherd’s hut, train, treehouse, windmill and yurts’, none of which include the word hotel. According to Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager Airbnb for India, “In India alone, from 2019 to 2021, nights booked at unique properties on Airbnb increased by over 30 per cent.” In fact, Airbnb now offers an official “off-grid” category.

This is one of the latest luxury travel trends that calls out to ‘extreme escapism’.

Spice’s special travel issue helps you to get lost, while finding yourself. In this postostentation age, the ‘cool tribe’ that is shaping mainstream luxury travel is the ‘global gypset’ [ jetsetting gypsy] that want a holiday with achievement—a break from the humdrum comfort zone. Long bike rides, epic walks, ultra-running, pilgrimage, swimming treks, taking plant medicine in the Peruvian Amazon, or riding a horse through Patagonia.

It’s all about combining personal passions with travel for a more integrated lifestyle. Just like golfing holidays provide more than par for the course by including access to state-of-the-art wellness facilities and other competitive pursuits. Join Spice’s tee party across five of the best ‘stay & play,’ golf resorts in Asia to head for this winter.

If slinking away with your golfing buddies seems too hedonistic, indulge your senses at Qayaam Gah instead. This sufi-themed luxury retreat nestled in the Zabarwan Hills of Srinagar, is the perfect escape from the crush of city life. With just seven keys, Qayaam Gah is as exclusive as it gets. “In the spiritual symbolism of Sufism, qayaam signifies the highest mystical state--the experience of unity with everything, the conscious and unbroken enjoyment of the oneness of life,” explains the owner Altaf Chapri.

There are plenty of other stories elsewhere in the issue to hold your attention—in Philadelphia, for example, where we chose to retire at The Guild House, listed by

Travel & Leisure as one of the world’s best new hotels in 2022. It isn’t everyday that you can holler through a hole at a hotel’s entrance door or walk in with no concierge or elevator in sight. There’s just an old-fashioned dumbwaiter on which you load your bags for one of the 12 rooms.

With a dash of old-world luxury, Spice’s fun-fest trawls the top tables for Indian food in London with new restaurants such as Chourangi and Manthan in Mayfair. As ever, our travel roster is a heady mix of soul and spice.