How have you seen travel evolving to survive alongside the pandemic?
The crisis that we are currently going through has allowed many people the opportunity to pause and rethink their values and, importantly, their priorities. I believe travellers will become more health-focused, more aware of nature and more sensitive to the challenges of the planet. To motivate people to travel and boost tourism, we need to create a safe environment with unforgettable experiences. Our guests are looking for interesting, unique life moments and destinations.
The future of luxury travel post-pandemic is about satisfying an increasingly sophisticated and world-wise client who is looking to express his or her individuality and will be looking for destinations with distinct personality and character, such as Soneva. We believe that, after this crisis, people will travel to unique destinations to share special moments with family.
A one-bedroom Bayview Villa Suite at Soneva Kiri Resort
What are your hopes for travel post-pandemic?
I believe that only through introspection can we shape a better, new reality post-pandemic. In a post-pandemic world, consumers will be more conscious of the impact that they have on both nature and the communities which they visit. I have to specifically mention air travel which, while it is a big part of an individual’s ecological footprint, it is a very small contributor to greenhouse gases and its contribution is less than the negative impact of the beef and dairy industry. One of the key performance indicators of our chefs is the reduction of sugar, dairy, white flour, and beef on our menus. Beef consumption has reduced by 75% at our resorts. Dairy consumption has reduced considerably as well. It is our goal to bring the consumption of these two ingredients down to almost zero. Apart from being good for our guests’ health, this approach has also been very good for the environment.
It is my hope that, in a post-pandemic era, we will become more sensitive to nature’s innovations. We will try to work in harmony with nature rather than to battle it. This terrible virus came about because we ignored nature’s laws and I believe that now the hospitality industry will focus more on a natural, unique experience that contributes to the environment.
In light of this, how have your properties, in Maldives and Thailand, evolved?
This quieter period was an opportunity for our hotels to improve their properties and to carry out work that they hadn’t managed to when busy. These improvements include the new Water Retreats at Soneva Fushi, designed to ensure the utmost privacy for guests, as well as to make the most of the picture-perfect ocean vistas. Soneva Jani, too, will expand its water villa offering, and introduce fresh dining concepts, and a new Soneva Spa.
It is important that each and every one of us thinks about this experience and considers what we have learnt from it. We expect that people will come out of these times with a different perspective on life and different priorities. I believe that people will prioritise mother nature and will want to minimise their impact on the environment when they travel on holiday. All of this should be to our favour as sustainability is part of our DNA.
What and where do you think will be top of travellers’ wish lists in the future? What new trends do you think we might see emerge?
When we talk about resorts and hotels, I believe that destinations that are true to their offerings will continue to thrive and those that lose their individuality will suffer. We have seen that luxury in general, and not just hospitality, has become very conventional. Luxury brands should do their utmost to avoid losing their individuality. At Soneva, our guests do not have much interest in acquiring material luxuries, rather they have an increasing thirst for knowledge and learning – they seek discretion, special access, and surprise. They want meaning, authenticity, and connection. Today people crave conviction, experiences, focus, depth, discovery, and understanding.
With climate change and its affects so apparent, the world is striving for real experiences. Living in the moment is everything. When guests go on holiday, we don’t want them to do the same things that they do at home. We want them to escape, to dream, to feel. For that you need to experience. I strongly believe that a successful hospitality business in the future is one that combines apparent contrasts and makes these opposites compatible. When this is achieved, it creates an experience that is both unique and admired, one that immediately fosters loyalty from the guest.
Sonu Shivdasani and his wife Eva Malmström Shivdasani, founders of Soneva
Where are you looking forward to travelling the most?
I am very much looking forward to traveling to Japan and other parts of Asia, to promote our new Water Retreats and continue discussions about our future projects.
Quarantine measures are in place until 31 December for anyone returning to Hong Kong. What is the best way for people living in Hong Kong to support the travel industry at the moment?
Eat locally, support local producers and businesses that work with their communities, take your rubbish back home with you, take nothing and leave only footprints. We sincerely hope that travel will soon resume and restrictions will be eased and that we can welcome our guests from Hong Kong to the Maldives and Thailand.
Editor
Vogue Hong Kong
