Journey locations the world over are fighting a brand new type of traveler: A youthful millennial or Gen-Z vacationer, hungry for experiences reasonably than cookie-cutter accommodations.
Right now’s vacationers are “looking for a point of view,” inside designer André Fu defined on the Fortune Brainstorm Design convention in Macau on Tuesday. In different phrases, they’re on the lookout for a particular environment or design ethos in selecting the place to remain or eat.
And, Fu defined, this even extends to the posh resort house. “Luxury is not about the fabrics. It’s not about the marble. It’s about feeling. It’s about connection. It’s about the emotion that you get when you’re in a space,” he mentioned.
“When you have that feeling that this is a space that’s designed around you, rather than you being just a particle in that environment—that sense of resonance is so invaluable,” Fu mentioned. “And I guess that level of connection…is what designers are thriving for these days.”
Swire Lodges deputy chairman Toby Smith agreed that journey patterns had been altering. “We’re finding that people are extending their trip. They’ve got a business trip, and they might extend the trip by a day or so to really explore the city or the location they happen to be in,” he mentioned. That opens up a possibility for customized service, reminiscent of resort employees personally escorting somebody staying on the Higher Home Shanghai via town’s historic French Concession district.
Fu’s first resort mission was the Higher Home Hong Kong, a small luxurious resort developed by Swire Lodges, which is underneath the umbrella of conglomerate Swire Pacific. The property developer is now planning to increase its luxurious resort model, the Higher Home, to a number of cities in mainland China and East Asia.
The impetus behind the Higher Home and its tagline “Houses not Hotels”, Smith defined, was that youthful vacationers “were looking for something a little bit more youthful, perhaps a little more dynamic, less stuffy, less formal.”
Lucas Schifres for Fortune
Higher Home accommodations are additionally small, with the Hong Kong property having simply over 100 rooms. “It’s very hard to deliver true personalization and luxury for a property that has much more than 100 keys,” Smith mentioned.
In mid-October, Swire Lodges rebranded its upscale Home Collective model as “The Upper House,” and pledged to open a number of extra properties throughout the area. The subsequent resort, Higher Home Shenzhen, will open in 2027, and options designs from German structure agency Büro Ole Scheeren.
Swire will observe Shenzhen with new initiatives in Xi’an, Tokyo, and Bangkok—which would be the model’s first branded residences in a mission designed by Foster + Companions.
Lodges and hospitality are “increasingly competitive,” Smith defined. “Construction costs are incredibly high, so I think the only way to get value is to build luxury and charge more for it.”
Swire Lodges generated 441 million Hong Kong {dollars} ($56 million) in income for the primary six months of 2025, a slight lower year-on-year. The corporate cited a slower-than-expected restoration in Hong Kong’s resort market and combined efficiency in mainland China. General, Swire Properties generated 8.7 billion Hong Kong {dollars} ($1.1 billion) for the primary half of the 12 months. Swire Properties’s shares are up simply over 35% for the 12 months thus far.
Nonetheless, Asian tourism—which has lengthy relied on vacationers from sources like mainland China, Europe and the U.S.—was beginning to diversify. On Tuesday, Smith pointed to the Center East and India as growing sources of luxurious vacationers.
“We are very confident about our brand,” Smith mentioned. “If we stick to our principles…then we will continue to grow at the pace that we want to grow.”
