For the second 12 months in a row, Condé Nast Traveller launched its record of the UK’s top travel specialists – the folks we belief most in terms of advising us on journey plans, reserving our journeys and ensuring we get insider entry, these not possible restaurant reservations and the last word immersive experiences we are going to keep in mind for years to return. These prime specialists gathered on the all-new Chancery Rosewood in London for our second annual Points of View summit – a day of fascinating debate and dialogue with some of essentially the most thrilling minds working in journey and hospitality at this time. What tendencies are shaping journey in 2026 and past? How can luxurious manufacturers stand out amongst rising competitors? How will AI affect the best way we guide, expertise and take into consideration journey? These had been simply a few of the invigorating subjects touched on through the day.
On Friday 7 November 2025, choose company had been invited to a pre-summit non-public breakfast with Divia Thani, CN Traveller’s international editorial director, and Stefan Leser of Adeera Hospitality, which has plans to launch a number of lodge manufacturers throughout Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
Over scrumptious eggs and ful mudammas (fava beans cooked with olive oil, cumin and topped with lemon juice, parsley and tomatoes), our specialists got a sneak peek into Adeera’s bold plans to create a homegrown hospitality model constructed on highlighting the local people and tradition. By 10am, the Chancery Rosewood’s lovely Pavilion was full of journey insiders, and the summit kicked off.
The tendencies shaping journey in 2026
First up was a dialog about what is going to form our travels within the coming 12 months. Condé Nast Traveller’s digital director Sarah Allard led a panel of specialists in figuring out the important thing locations, focuses and motives for high-end travellers in 2026. Jules Maury, head of Scott Dunn Private; Jenny Southan, founder of Globetrender; James Wallman, CEO of World Experience Organisation, and Reema Almokhtar, tourism communications and business partnership senior director at Red Sea Global, mentioned how low season journey is turning into more and more standard, with folks additionally contemplating the potential impression of scorching climate in your experiences. Southan talked about cool-cations to Scandinavia; Asturias in northern Spain as an alternative of Barcelona, and so on. See our guide to off-season Italy.
They additionally mentioned how the sustained impression of movie, tv and music on these selecting locations, and a shift in traveller’s mindsets from sightseeing to storytelling. People world over are searching for extra intentional journey, paired with contributing to society and collaborating in cultural occasions. Maury spoke of sustained journey to Japan and to the US, particularly with the nation celebrating 250 years in 2026, and Route 66 celebrating 100 years. Wallman spoke of the hazard of over-designing a journey: “When we make it too easy, we design out the fun. Friction is important.” Almokhtar emphasised how resorts on the Red Sea are all designed for multigenerational journeys, permitting for folks to return collectively at moments but in addition have separate experiences throughout their stays that cater to completely different ages and pursuits.
How to create a hospitality model folks will return to
Next up, CNT’s options editor Olivia Squire sat down with Martin Kuczmarski, former chief working officer at Soho House Group and now the restaurateur behind Mayfair’s hotspot, The Dover. They touched on every part from the significance of face-to-face interplay with prospects and customers, the necessity for artistic areas for communities to congregate, and the way independence and individuality is extra key than ever. “It’s not about just writing a new chapter, but writing a new book,” Martin informed Olivia about his hopes for his new profession, which was pushed by eager to return to an older, elegant tackle hospitality. “I asked myself, ‘Why are there no tablecloths [at restaurants] anymore? Why aren’t there candles? Why am I being told I have to leave my table at 8pm? Where is the kind, generous service?’ I wanted to do something classic and simple.” He additionally talked about how he ended up hiring Milan-based Quincoces-Dragò & Partners to assist design the area – expressly as a result of they’d by no means labored on a restaurant or lodge earlier than. “They thought I was crazy – but they agreed to do it!”
Standing out within the luxurious world
Finding a option to minimize by the noise and stand out is a fixed concern for these within the luxurious business. For the third discuss of the day, CNT’s international editorial director, Divia Thani, spoke to individuals who know a lot about what luxurious customers are searching for – and the way to fulfill them. James McBride, CEO and co-founder of Nihi, spoke of how some of his prime prospects from his days working the Carlyle in New York had chanced on the island of Sumba a long time in the past. “It was a surfers’ paradise,” he stated, “but I had no idea where it was – I had to Google it.” Today, Nihi Sumba, an hour’s flight from Bali in Indonesia, attracts everybody from tech barons to Hollywood stars. “We keep evolving,” he stated, talking of new experiences accessible on the resort, together with a spa safari and horse reiki.
Meanwhile, Michael Bonsor, managing director of The Chancery Rosewood, talked about how London’s most talked-about new lodge actually delivers on the promise of offering a sense of place. Previously the American embassy constructing, the lodge now boasts a formidable artwork assortment that includes each British and American artists, and an artwork concierge who can take company on excursions. Everything from the music curation to the toilet facilities is supposed to spotlight the historical past and tradition of London. Helen Brocklebank, CEO of Walpole, concurred: “No matter their age, what we are seeing in luxury consumers is a desire for true luxury – they want to know what the story is behind it, the background, what’s special about it. The authenticity is important, as is the craftsmanship, and a sense of experience and discovery. It’s about selling a dream.”