Luxury travel trends: from hotel ‘homes’ to biohacking
How do you give wealthy travellers what they want? Ask Philippe Zuber, chief executive of One & Only and Atlantis Resorts.
Opening a hotel in Dubai requires creativity, audacity and a splash of architectural ingenuity. The desert city’s most talked-about lodging delivers on all counts: the world’s longest cantilever, a gravity-defying infinity pool, and a constellation of restaurants by Michelin-starred chefs.
But at One & Only One Za’abeel, a 229-room hotel occupying dual shimmering towers, one small flourish caught this reporter’s eye. In the cinematic bar was a hydraulic sofa that descended to the floor below. A wacky, Willy Wonka-like gesture, it was utterly unexpected.
“Our guests want to be continuously surprised,” says Philippe Zuber. As chief executive officer for Kerzner International, the owner of One & Only and Atlantis Resorts, Zuber is acutely insightful about luxury travellers.
With 14 resorts in leafy locations such as Mexico and Montenegro, and a pipeline of a dozen more, the One & Only marque is synonymous with leading-edge design, top-tier service and aspirational glamour.
Fashioning ultra-luxe playgrounds for the world’s fussiest people is a tough needle to thread – and it goes way beyond offering high thread count sheets. “We read how people are behaving in their leisure – it’s the most complicated space,” Zuber says.
Discerning travellers seek a multitude of things, he adds, including seamless interactions, culinary attractions and elevated wellness facilities. Another major requirement is a variety of local experiences, from thought-provoking to endorphin-boosting. Or the option to do nothing at all.
“At a resort you are spontaneous, you don’t want to compromise,” says Zuber. “If you want six experiences in a day you will do it and expect to have your room ready. Adjusting to what the guests want and optimising their time – this is luxury.”
On a recent morning, Zuber granted The Australian an audience in the lofty and lavish environs of One Za’abeel’s private club on level 53. Integral to One & Only’s strategic expansion are residential apartments, dwellings and villas that are connected to and separate from each resort.
Clearly, the demand for hotel-approved homes, offering both services and seclusion, is booming among high-net-worth individuals. “It’s never used as a full-time residence,” Zuber says. “Our clients want the flexibility to rent it out” and to have it managed by the hotel.
The peripatetic French native, who joined Kerzner in 2015 and became chief executive four years ago, travels two weeks out of each month to scrutinise the properties and connect with his far-flung team. Affable and approachable, Zuber fosters an entrepreneurial work environment two executives tell me.
In his approach, Zuber blends the big-sky thinking of a strategist and the attention to detail of a miniaturist. He can segue from discussing macro trends to explaining the nuances of intuitive hotel design. “Catering for families might sound simple – three rooms connected to each other – but do you have enough chairs, toilets. We are good at doing that.”
The latest One & Only launch in Dubai, its third after Royal Mirage and The Palm, is a “vertical resort” with a metropolitan focus. The dramatic, H-shaped building is by Japanese firm Nikken Sekkei, while the rooms were crafted by Belgian designer Jean-Michel Gathy. An enormous digital artwork by New Zealander Jesse Woolston animates the dining zone.
Zuber began his career in food and beverage almost three decades ago, and it remains a major preoccupation. Connecting the two towers at One Za’abeel is “The Link”, a glass-clad boulevard with eateries by renowned toques including Anne-Sophie Pic, Mehmet Gürs and Paco Morales.
“We were one of the first to partner with celebrity chefs, everyone does it now,” says Zuber. “But we have a business model that chefs find interesting – and many of them want to work with us.”
Aside from breaking bread with culinary innovators, Kerzner is also adept at stitching up partnerships with lifestyle brands. Earlier this year, at a soiree at One & Only Aesthesis in the Athenian Riviera, designer Olivier Rousteing unveiled Balmain-branded cabanas, shades and towels. A special edition of Balmain’s 1945 Cabas bag is available from the resort.
Meanwhile, American designer Mara Hoffman (who closed her namesake brand in June but isn’t leaving fashion) designed a capsule collection for One & Only Mandarina in Mexico, including swimwear made from sustainable wood pulp in jungle-bright shades. It seems that wealthy travellers crave style-savvy hotel merchandise, too.
The company also has a reputation for orchestrating elaborate hotel openings. Jennifer Lopez performed at the glittering launch event for One Za’abeel. For the debut of Atlantis The Royal last year, Kerzner reportedly paid Beyonce $US24 million. If it was worth the investment, Zuber is not saying but what the property received in global exposure was priceless.
Also within the One Za’abeel development is Siro, a fitness-focused hotel concept aimed at well-heeled travellers who live in cross-trainers. “When people travel they place their health as their biggest priority, no compromising,” Zuber says. “Siro is a 360-degree journey, with biohacking, coaching, classes, nutrition, mindfulness, and recovery.”
Zuber sounds almost apologetic about the recent closure of Emirates One & Only Wolgan Valley in The Blue Mountains. He cites a confluence of factors, including a landslide, logistical challenges and cultural quirks. “I loved that property and we made it work for international clients, but Aussies won’t pay $1000 a night in their own country.”
The group is not expected to announce a new antipodean project but never say never. “Yes we would like to be in Australia, we believe in the region, but we need a minimum of two properties to make it work.”
In the meantime, Kerzner has noticed a spike of interest from Australian travellers, especially in Greece. Earlier this year, One & Only Kea Island debuted on a little-known Cycladic haven. Five years in the making, the all-villa resort evokes a high-end Greek village etched into a hillside.
“It was an extraordinary challenge, but nothing comes easy,” Zuber says. Building on a remote island opens a Pandora’s box of issues. “You need to import all the workers, organise accommodation and connect with the local community,” he says. The group tapped London-based architect John Heah to carve out this game-changing Mediterranean resort.
Next up is an alpine lodge, and the group’s first US venture, opening next year in Big Sky, Montana. “We want to create something very unique,” he says, of the 75-key property located near Yellowstone National Park.
Like Yogi Bear, Yellowstone’s most famous resident, Zuber is smarter than the average hospitality tsar. And though he has lived in the UAE for over a decade, he says he is still “very French”. His sleekly tailored suits, refined glasses and appetite for wines from Bordeaux attest to that.
“It’s how to remain French,” he tells me with a smile. “As well as a bit of arrogance and a bad sense of humour.”
Has he tried the hydraulic chair at One Za’abeel’s bar? “Yeah. You have a glass of Champagne, you go down to the other floor, and you walk in the infinity room with stunning views. Everyone loves it.”
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