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Chiel Nobels

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Why Independent Hotels Should Think Twice Before Joining a Soft Brand

🏨 Soft brands promise global distribution and loyalty programs while retaining hotel names. However, in the AI era, individuality is crucial. Soft brands blur hotel identities with uniformity and incur fees for brand, marketing, technology, and compliance. As AI favors specificity and meaning, independent hotels with distinct identities become more discoverable. DNA Hotels offers a semantic framework through the Meaningful Architectural Index, emphasizing clarity and expression over mere affiliation, preparing hotels for the next discovery layer.
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Luxury used to be about being seen. Now it’s about how a place makes you feel. The future of luxury isn’t louder, bigger or more impressive. It’s internal. Hotels have always been designed for… | Chiel Nobels | 24 comments

🏨 Luxury hospitality is diverging into two categories: external luxury, catering to Status Seekers and Service Loyalists with prestige and predictability, and internal luxury, focusing on Experience Hunters and Transformation Seekers with mood and depth. The shift is due to AI-driven travel planning, emphasizing internal requests like "lively" or "grounding." DNA Hotels aligns with internal clarity, curating vibes and emotions. The future hinges on clearly defining the guest experience.
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