Becker is a former correspondent for The New York Times, who spent five years criss-crossing the globe to measure the impact of the tourist trade. The result is “Overbooked,” part travelogue and part examination, exploring how what was once a hobby became a giant industry, employing 1 in 10 people globally and becoming the main source of income for many countries across the world. Becker looks at case studies both good and bad: eco-tourism in Costa Rica and business travel in France, to the destruction of Angkor Wat and the over-tourism plaguing Venice. The book is eye-opening in its facts and data, and makes an impassioned plea for why sustainable tourism is imperative for the future. However, after reading the book, we felt that Becker falls short of offering real solutions to the problems she observed as well as giving the reader the tools he or she needs to be a responsible traveller.

#1: It’s easy to be blind to the effects of tourism.

Tourism is both enriching and destructive, leaving winners and losers in its wake. But most vacationers are blissfully unaware of the toll their vacation can have in moments and places on the local population and the environment at large. Why is that? Despite its size, the tourism industry is a largely neglected topic - unlike the oil or pharmaceutical industries, for example, which come under immense scrutiny from governments and the media. Instead, it is still seen as a 'soft' issue, relegated to the travel pages. Because of this, vacationers simply don’t know how to travel in the most responsible manner.

#2: Travel journalism perpetuates this problem.

Becker contends that travel journalism is compromised, serving a PR function rather than tackling the adverse effects of mass tourism. In return for free flights, stays, meals and tours, travel journalists are expected to write rave reviews and less inclined to provide critical commentary on a place. After all, not only will they not be invited back, but they may lose out on other invitations in the future. The singular goal for travel writing has been to help vacationers pursue their dream of a perfect trip.

#3: Governments can make or break a country’s tourism industry.

As Becker states, “Tourism is that rare industry whose ‘product’ is a country.” This gives governments the ultimate decision-making power. Governments can choose to “preserve cultural sites or allow them to be destroyed; they can set aside wilderness areas or issue permits to build resorts along a deserted beach...”

They are also the main sales force for tourism. Becker has found that governments that have chosen to remove themselves from the tourism business, such as the United States, which resigned from the U.S. World Tourism Organisation in 1996, have suffered as a result. France and Costa Rica, on the other hand, have taken proactive measures to protect their countries while growing their respective tourism industries.

When you plan your next trip, skip the glossy magazines and really research the destination – the good, the bad, the ugly – in order to have a more well-rounded perspective of the place and better inform your buying decisions - with the goal to have the most positive impact possible. Nowadays you can rely on online resources promoting sustainable tourism, such as cooperations for hotels and accommodations that are local, green and sustainable (i.e. eco suites).

We all know, to travel sustainably is a work in progress. So, as we say at MAp, take it step-by-step. Small improvements to your travel plans and conscious decisions make all the difference over time.

“Taken together, all of our innocent vacations and trips have changed lives and the fortunes of nations.”

We hope this exposé into the travel industry was enlightening for you and will help you in the future to consider your impact on local economies, cultural heritage and the environment when you set foot in a new place. We’d love to hear which country case studies you found to be most interesting – please comment below.

Lastly, support a local bookshop by buying “Overbooked” here: https://bookshop.org/

Dear Ms. Kern Nyberg, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us. Can you give our readers a brief glimpse of how the Sinn & Gewinn Hotels are doing in these extraordinarily difficult times?

We can perhaps paraphrase it this way: it is an up and down at a low level. The "up" stands for hope on the horizon. The lockdown hit us hard, from one day to the next we no longer had any guests and in the spring 2020 we were unfortunately forced to close our hotels until Pentecost. With the exception of two pensions, where we mainly accommodate long-term tenants. The following summer was passable and we were able to stay afloat with a lot of savings and good planning. Since the second wave, we've been in almost as bad of shape as we were in the first lockdown. What is helping us now to keep the hotels open are the long-stay concepts that we developed in the summer.

You mentioned the long-term guests in your pensions. We also know that the group is committed to non-profit business. Can you explain the concept of the Sinn & Gewinn Hotels to our readers in more detail?

The Sinn & Gewinn Hotels started 20 years ago with the original idea of creating jobs for women in difficult conditions. The LADYs FIRST Hotel in Seefeld in Zurich was the first to open and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2021. Over time, other companies were taken over, always with the aim of enabling women with mental and cognitive impairments to return to the world of work. Since we were able to employ fewer women in the pensions, we integrated the social benefits for the residents: a third of the rooms are always reserved for women in emergency or transitional situations.

When we develop hotel concepts and brands at MAp, we always ask ourselves what the greater purpose is. Since last year, we have noticed that the question of meaning is emerging more and more and is also being discussed by a broader audience. How did you experience this development?

What I have seen in the past few years is that this is no longer just important for selling the product. For me, the fastest moving market is the human resources market, i.e. the employee market. I have the clear impression that it is easier for us as Sinn & Gewinn Hotels to find and keep employees, because we also have meaning and do not exist just for profit. And in general it is simply more humane to work for us than compared to other hotels.

Women play a central role in the Sinn & Gewinn Hotels concept. How have you perceived the change in the needs of your female guests in recent years?

I don't think that needs have fundamentally changed, but instead how we deal with our own demands has changed a lot. Today’s needs are expressed more freely and more clearly than before. And what we also see: there are many more women travelling alone, in the business as well as in the leisure sector.

What is the percentage of female guests in your hotels?

The LADYs FIRST Hotel is our only hotel in which only women were welcomed at the beginning. This has not been the case since 2002 - women and men are very welcome.

Sometimes we have even more men than women as guests. This can be explained by business travellers during the week, a travel segment where the male segment of the population still dominates. However, if you compare the proportion with other hotels in the same segment, we skim off a large proportion of female business travellers.

Not only is the business travel segment predominantly male-dominated, but also the hotel industry. Here, too, there have been major changes since last year. What can we all do to motivate (young) women to work in the hotel industry and to promote gender diversity?

That's a really big topic. As women, for example, we can start showing little girls what we can achieve. I am convinced that a lot has to do with the role models children see. I didn't notice many female hotel managers in the past, but I think that a lot has changed institutionally. That's why I'm happy to give interviews like this one - to show my face in general. I encourage every other woman to do the same!

We have finally left 2020. What are your hopes for this year, the future?

Regardless of how the pandemic develops now, my hope is that a cultured and fact-filled discourse will be conducted. That the “hobby virologists” don't take over and feed the public discourse even more with rumours, “fake news” and conspiracies. I wish for a victory of reason.

At MAp, we often say when "Shit happens, Shift happens." In our last blog posts we tried to show how many options there are in this time of crisis. What positive things did the Corona pandemic period bring you? What did you learn from it?

An unbelievable amount of commitment, flexibility, adaptability, forward thinking: what do we need now? Where do we have to start? We have done things, are still trying them and changing things again, none of that would have been imaginable for me a year ago. Personally, I can say that I am growing from this current situation.

At MAp, we are experts in concept and brand creation and often find that when everything is running smoothly, long-term issues such as strategy development, positioning, etc. are often pushed aside. We have a double question about this. On the one hand: How do you see this development in the market? And the second question: What is a good hotel concept for you personally?

The market is the place where demand and supply meet. The demand is at a low and this means that the providers have to work harder and position themselves. Those providers who look ahead with commitment and who don't bury their heads in the sand need positioning and a clear focus more than ever before. Hotels that see hope for themselves that they can get out of this crisis are now clinging to the concept and positioning.

And to answer the second question: For me, a good hotel concept is when the advertising statement on the website matches what I find when I go to the hotel. Furthermore, the employees should then also fit in with the whole and fully support the hotel philosophy. For me, a good hotel concept is when everything is from a single source and is well-rounded.

What other messages would you like our readers to take away from this interview?

“Those who fight, can win. Those who do not fight have already lost!” That's actually my saying and I think it fits quite well at the moment.

Rosenberg, an American psychologist, developed and coined the term “Nonviolent Communication” (NVC), which is a theory of communication that teaches people to express themselves clearly and honestly, while being respectful, empathic and focusing on what is being said as opposed to diagnosing or judging; or, as Rosenberg puts it simply, “a way of communicating that leads us to give from the heart.” He contends that, for centuries, people have been taught to speak and think in ways that can in fact perpetuate pain, conflict or even violence. This is where NVC comes in: to reduce these issues, build trust, strengthen relationships and promote peace – one interaction at a time. Through useful anecdotes, inspiring stories and practical exercises, Rosenberg introduces a framework for NVC and shows us how to authentically express ourselves in any type of heated situation (internally, in business, in relationships and more).

#1: In order to be successful at NVC, we must focus on four key components: observations, feelings, needs and requests.

The process of NVC is as follows: 1) Observing a situation, 2) recognising the feelings that this situation awakens, 3) identifying what needs are connected to those feelings, and lastly, 4) looking at what we can ask for to satisfy those needs. When used in a sentence: “When ___, I feel ___, because I am needing ___. Therefore, I would now like ___.”

To practice NVC is to express these four components verbally (or by other means), but also to receive the same four areas of information from others. That is to say, sensing what they are observing, feeling, needing and requesting so that we can determine how we can best help them. When we use this process, we create a flow of communication that leads to compassion from both sides.

#2: When there is an emotional response to a situation, it's always based on an unmet need, so don’t be quick to judge or blame.

Judging or blaming someone is the worst thing we can do if we want them to listen or change their behaviour. Instead, Rosenberg suggests a foundational habit for NVC: that we learn to separate observations from judgments or blame, keeping our observations objective and neutral.

Better yet, understanding others’ behaviours as manifestations of their unmet needs helps to humanize conflicts and create empathy. And if we show empathy and true understanding for one’s needs, we’re likely to receive a respectful response to our requests of them.

#3: Connection to self (being at home with our own feelings and needs), enables us to form better connections with others and thereby become better communicators.

According to Rosenberg, NVC’s most important use may be in developing self-compassion. As he states, “When we are internally violent towards ourselves, it is difficult to be genuinely compassionate towards others.” Therefore, it is important to employ NVC in our own moment-to-moment evaluation of ourselves in a way that helps us to learn, grow and make decisions that serve us – rather than turning to self-hatred. By being better in tune with ourselves and assessing our behaviours in terms of our unmet needs, not only can we cultivate self-compassion, but we can better communicate our requests of others and thus be better communicators.

While NVC can be applied to any aspect of one ‘s life, let’s look at how it can be utilised in the world of business (we are consultants after all).

• Sales + Marketing: An NVC approach to Sales + Marketing is listening to your target audience and letting them know how you can meet their needs and make their lives more enriching. This should be nothing new!
• Money: When evaluating an incoming offer, whether it be for a product, service or salary, ask yourself, “does this amount work for me in relation to my needs, or my business in relation to its needs?” 
• Stress Management + Team-Building: There is a lot of stress in the business world. Therefore, feelings and needs awareness, of self and others (aka showing empathy), is crucial to stress management and creating a productive working environment.

“The objective of Nonviolent Communication is not to change people and their behaviour in order to get our way: it is to establish relationships based on honesty and empathy, which will eventually fulfil everyone’s needs.”

We genuinely hope that you read this book and share it with whoever is important to you. If you do, let us know what you think!  Support a local bookshop by buying your book here: https://bookshop.org/. You can also find further valuable information on this website: https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com

In a world in which we are all looking to make an impact, improving the way we communicate is an important first step.

Dear Eva, it is such a pleasure and honour for me to interview you today. It’s December 2020 – which means we’re at the end of 2020, an extraordinary year for the world and a special one for you and your boutique management consultancy, as you’ve celebrated the 11th anniversary of Human Facts.  And of course, this gives me an amazing opportunity to ask you 11 questions that fall into three categories. First, I would love to look back with you – at how it all started. Then, it would be so inspiring for me and your audience to learn more about the lessons you’ve learned, and what you can share with us. And then of course, let’s take a look at the future. Let’s go back to 2009 with our first question: 

1. What inspired, motivated and pushed you to found Human Facts 11 years ago?
Well I think I have to give a bit more context to answer this question. At that time I was working in a large, multinational corporation in the financial industry. Mainly, we tried to unleash a more collaborative mindset among leaders and a “We-Culture” across functional or geographical boundaries and I really loved it. However, despite a senior management affirming all the time how important these topics were, it was always a battle to get the so-called “soft topics” on the management agenda. It seemed that managers gave “hard topics”, such as revenues, technical issues etc. clear favour, valuing them as more important. 

I realised that this was a manifestation of a general deep divide between the business world and humanity. To be a “tough cookie”, to be fact and number driven, rational, distant and a demanding negotiator, condensing all you have to say into three bullet points, was what was highly valued and expected as professional business behaviour. I remember wearing only black polo-neck jumpers to cover anything that would reveal that I am a multi-dimensional and colourful human being. There was no place for humanity, all that makes us human, such as feeling with all senses, being creative, kind, helpful, caring, giving, having emotions, love, compassion, solidarity, empathy, forgiveness –  these behaviours were an absolute no-go, not business-like at all. 

I increasingly suffered from this divide in my outside world and inside my own life – here my business-self and there, apart from it, my human self with all my senses and feelings, my love to care for others, to be close and to feel with them. So it was both, an outside and an inside push that led me to found Human Facts, to stand-up and bridge this divide and to help give an inclusive management approach a voice.

Thank you so much for these insights Eva. And I’m beyond happy that when I look at the Human Facts website today, it shows colour, personality and emotion. And it also shows that the main driving force, your WHY, has never changed – “the value of we.” I can assume that sticking to your core wasn’t always easy and is for sure something to be proud of.

2. Staying with this topic, Eva. What are you are most proud of when looking back at 11 years of Human Facts? 
There are two things. First, not giving up when things did not work out as expected. Particularly in the beginning, which was quite painful to be honest. A lot of colleagues kicked-off their businesses with existing clients. I literally started off with 0. The very first mandate I got from a friend – thanks again Dolores! - who worked for a church in a very small community in Switzerland. She invited me to hold a speech about “How managers tick”. It was in the midst of the financial crisis and there was huge public distrust against managers in general. I was standing in a large hall prepared for about a hundred people. Embarrassingly only a few people showed up – I think not even ten. However, I gave my speech and we ended up having a very insightful and engaged discussion with the few people around. It was certainly not the glorious and shiny beginning one would have wished for. 

But in retrospect, it guided me in the right direction: focusing on those who want to work with you – they are the right ones. And do not go only for quantity but for what feels right, resonates and has the potential to co-create meaning, and as well, joy and fun. 

The second thing I am very grateful for, is the fact that more than half of my clients have become recurring clients and have stayed with me for years or recommended me to others. We were able to develop very sustainable, longterm and enriching partnerships, and in some cases, even friendships that I appreciate very much.

Looking at the other side of being an entrepreneur:

3. Can you share with us the most painful insight you had to acknowledge over the last 11 years? How did you handle it and what did you learn from it?
Well, I guess my most painful - yet most important - learning was that I was not prepared at all to market my business, respectively myself. As embarrassing and naive as it may sound, I had the wishful thinking that clients would come to me as soon as they learned about the experiences and competences I offer. After digesting this shock, I slowly realised: to be competent is one thing, to market it is another. So, I started to move myself out of my comfort zone and tried to learn about acquisition and marketing, actively approached people and clearly asked for help. 

It’s still not the favoured part of my business today but I learned that it is not necessary to like everything you do – but you should be capable of doing it.

I think a lot of our readers, viewers and listeners resonated with the statement that as an entrepreneur you do not necessarily need to like everything you do and that it is so important to continuously move yourself out of your comfort zone. Staying in this line:

4. What ONE thing do you wish you’d done differently? 
Overall, I think I would have started together with others and not alone anymore. Today, I appreciate so much to think together, to share ideas, to co-design, co-create and co-work with all my wonderful partners – such as with you for example. I truly believe we can serve people and planet better together – and above all else, it’s much more fun :)

You have had such a wonderful career. And I’m so thrilled to ask you about some insights and advices, especially for young and aspiring entrepreneurs. 

5. What are your three main suggestions for new / young / aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders?
To be honest, I am very reluctant to provide suggestions as I believe there is no such thing as “best practices” that you can pass on – everybody needs to find his or her own journey. So maybe that is my most important suggestion. :) But I am happy to share my personal top learnings from my 11-year “entrepreneurship” journey: 

First, make every experience a chance to learn. If you don’t always take the turn you wanted or expected, be confident that there is something to learn in it. What a turn might bring, you will recognise only from a distance. 

Secondly, most clients prefer that you serve them in an authentic way. In other words: it’s not about sugarcoating. It’s about respectful candour and care. Don’t fear difficult conversations or conflicts. Interestingly, the client relationships that started off with a conflict ended up to be the best ones. 

And thirdly, find a balance between give and take.You only survive on your little boat in this big “ocean” called the global market if you care and give back to others. Much more of our career, business or personal success than we might be conscious of is a result of many others who graciously connected us to people, shared their knowledge with us, helped us develop ideas, passed business opportunities to us or simply encouraged us. Even if you can’t give back to each and every person who helped you along the way, pass it forward to somebody else. Don’t take it for granted. Care for and cultivate all your relationships – not only the ones with clients. The world is circular – what you share comes back to you.

Thank you for your advice. Especially the third one – finding a balance between give and take – it really resonates with me. For me, that’s one of the main characteristics of an inspirational leader, an inspirational leader such as you, dear Eva. I know that during the course of your career you have worked with many inspirational leaders. 

6. What values and personality traits do inspirational managers and leaders all have in common?
At least two outstanding inspirational leaders come into my mind I had the chance to work with. I witnessed that they make a difference particularly in critical situations. 

For example, during a townhall with a hundred leaders, where a C-Level colleague got under fire from the audience, the CEO stood up and said “This is not how we solve things here - we do not shoot at people. We are in this boat together and we find solutions and answers together”. Another one, when it came to a rollout of leader assessments in order to change leader behaviour, put himself in front and said: “I will take part in it, I’ll do the assessment, too”. 

Both, in my eyes, showed what I think inspirational leaders do: They not only inspire by words, but by living-up to the change for which they seek. It’s not only about how to change others, they put themselves in the equation, too.

Above all, they are great listeners and great learners, ask questions, seek out people with diverse opinions from themselves, ask for feedback and admit what they do not know or apologise for mistakes, are empathetic and respectful to everybody. And finally, they have a great portion of humour and can laugh at themselves too.

7. From your experience, if you have to pick one single trait: Which one is the most dangerous trait in a leader? 
Overconfidence. They underestimate their own “blindness” caused by the hierarchical system they are operating in. For example, when another firm experiences a scandal or derailment, they tend to attribute those issues to the character of a certain leader and feel like “This will never happen to me.” Whereas this mostly happens due to the “locked-in” phenomenon that all hierarchical systems suffer from and which can hit all of us.

8. You often talk about asking the right questions: What are the top three questions that have inspired change and action in your career? How have these questions changed over the years? What were questions you asked at the beginning of your career and what questions are you asking yourself lately?
In my early career it was a question that I was asked by a seasoned manager I met at one of those corporate business dinners: What is your big dream that you want to fulfil in this life? I was speechless. It provoked many sleepless nights. Finally, it led me to stop my corporate career and go back to university for a PhD, which I found out had been a dream for me. It indeed became the seedbed for my lifetime mission and a vessel for a lot of wonderful, enriching relationships.

Later on it was “What about you do you want to stick in people’s hearts?” So, for example, do you want that people experience you always in a hassle? Always pointing out problems? Always being perfect? Do you want to leave them feeling discouraged or encouraged, appreciated or disregarded? Included or offset? Up to then, I was very much concerned about what I say, i.e. words and content. But from then onwards, I realised that we also leave an unspoken energetical footprint – mostly subconsciously - with others. And we should in fact be more conscious of the energetic mark we leave with others.

Lately, I’ve been inspired by questions like: How can I become who I am destined to be? What if it’s not so important what happens in my life but how I respond to what happens?

These questions let my focus shift from the “wanting” of something specific in life to the “how” can I respond or transform what has been offered to me?

We’ve arrived at our last section of questions - looking into the future:

9. What concerns you the most when looking at the current business environment, when thinking about the future? 
The lack of partnerships. To solve the most burning issues of our times, such as inequalities, climate change, and the like, is not a question of money. We need the ability to partner across any kind of boundaries, such as different disciplines, different cultures, geographies, nations, demographics, organisations and so on. After a long period of “what’s in it for me” and “me comes first” we have all learned how to pursue our own advantages and are, in a sense, “best-self” driven. But how to become “best partner” driven? How can we learn to shift from “what’s in it for me” towards “what’s-in-it-for all-of-us”? Not in a selfless sense but in a sense of developing and partnering towards a shared purpose, that benefits us all? This needs a conscious paradigm shift and renaissance of our social cooperative roots and strengths.

10. What are the keys to developing the next generation of leaders in the world?
I think this holds true not only for the next generation, but us all: How to enable collaboration among distributed people across any boundaries, and above all, consciousness, gratitude, ethics and the aspiration of becoming a best partner.

11.What do you hope will be different in the business world / leadership area in 11 years from now?
I have indeed some hopes: 

First, I hope that businesses will exist only to serve humanity in the short and the longterm. Not as a social responsibility add on, but as their true legitimation and purpose. Second, I believe that stakeholder relationships of companies, and particularly the quality of these relationships, should become its own intangible asset class on the balance sheet – maybe called Network-Capital or the like. It should form the base for any risk evaluations of firms and be taxed. And finally, as a result of this, I hope that leadership will be much more collaborative and truly partnering. I hope that we will see leaders get rewarded, appreciated and receive applause for how many collective partnerships they enabled that generated sustainable impact for the benefit of all-of-us.

Eva, we’ve reached the end of our interview. It was as inspiring, kind and heart-opening as I expected. Thank you for all you’ve done to bring more humanity to the business world over the last 11 years and thank you as well for continuing to do so, because the world will need it more than ever. I allow myself to conclude this interview with our personal mantra, that matches this conversation so well: onwards together. Thank you, Eva.

In his book, Simon Sinek teaches an important lesson that all business leaders should know: in order to be successful, you must lead with your why. In this 250-page book, Sinek answers the question: why are some people and organisations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? He looks at the evolutionary reasons behind human behaviour, draws on real-life stories and points to examples of some of history’s most inspiring leaders who have been driven by their why (think Steve Jobs and the Wright Brothers). Additionally, Sinek provides a clear and proven framework for how people and companies can become more purposeful in what they do. This book is therefore perfect for anyone who wants to inspire others and have long-term success with their businesses.

#1: Why is more powerful than what or how.
Why you do something is more important than either what you do or how you do it. It’s those products or services that are infused with and based on the why of a company that are more successful than those that are based on the what or how. Therefore, the world’s most influential and inspired leaders lead with the why (belief), follow that with the how (actions) and then address the what (products, services, etc.). All must be in harmony in order to be a truly authentic brand. This is demonstrated by The Golden Circle, a framework upon which organisations should be built.

#2: To have real impact and garner loyalty, you need to consistently communicate your why.
It’s critical that you consistently communicate and refer back to your higher purpose, cause, or belief as part of your messaging. Those with similar values will be able to relate to, buy into and align with the greater cause you are pursuing. As a result, your message will have a more lasting mass market success, as it is vision and charisma that ultimately attract innovators and early adopters (aka those people who will pay a premium and be loyal to you in the long-run).

When your why is clear, those who have the same belief can help you bring your cause to life and make it a lasting success.

#3: Inspiration is more effective at influencing human behaviour than manipulation.
Manipulative techniques are often used in sales and marketing. These can include dropping the price, running a promotion, using scarcity or peer pressure to get people to buy, etc. Manipulative strategies come at a cost (especially when you lower prices) and do not result in long-term success.

On the other hand, inspiration talks directly to the limbic brain, which is the section of the brain responsible for feelings and that controls decision-making. It is your limbic brain that is more powerful and drives your behaviour.

In order to apply the principles set out in this book and find your why, answer the following fundamental question:

Why do you exist beyond making profit?

Put the answer to that question at the very centre of The Golden Circle. From there, address the how and what: how do you do what you do? How is it different or better than others? What do you do?

With the answers to these questions, you’ll be able to determine what makes you unique, who can support you and bring your vision to life, what products and services you can offer, and more. But do take heed – ensure your answers always touch back to and are consistent with your overall why.

"Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do.
When I say WHY, I don’t mean to make money—that’s a result.
By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief?
WHY does your company exist?
WHY do you get out of bed every morning?
And WHY should anyone care?"

Have you read “Start with Why?” We’d love to hear your feedback and what your why is – in business or in life. Support a local bookshop by buying your book here: https://bookshop.org/

Stay tuned for future reviews and have a purposeful new year!

Dear Harsha, thank you for taking the time to meet with us. To start, can you please share the story behind Saira Hospitality and how it came to be?

My four sisters and I were strongly influenced by my father’s philanthropic work with Mother Teresa and I always sought to merge a deep-rooted dedication to philanthropy with my passion: luxury hospitality. In 2011, I visited Cambodia where I came across a non-profit that was training women, who would otherwise fall into sex trafficking, in hospitality to be employed as housekeepers. They had a 90% plus success rate of placing these women into employment at luxury hotels which I found hugely inspiring and was grateful to see firsthand how these two worlds of philanthropy and hospitality could be connected. After years of working for international hotel brands including Six Senses Resorts and Residences, the Fullerton Hotel and André Balazs properties, I enrolled in the MMH graduate program at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, where I began developing the concept for Saira Hospitality. During our Winter break, I was working at the Aman Galle when I overheard an interview between an Italian General Manager and a local Sri Lankan. The GM clearly wanted to hire the local Sri Lankan man as a pool cleaner for a variety of reasons I guessed: the cost would be less than hiring an expat, locals add to the guest experience and wanting to do the right thing by the community. From what I could see and hear, the local Sri Lankan man seemed to truly want the job, be on time for the interview, arrive well dressed and appear positive yet he didn’t have the simple interview skills he needed to be hired. The non-profit hotel school concept was clear at this point and seemed to be meeting a need on both sides. Hotel operators often cannot find well-trained, local talent and local communities are seeking opportunities and employment but lack the skills they need to be employed. Saira Hospitality won first place at Cornell University’s Business Plan competition in 2014 and it was at this point that I recognized the strong correlation between hospitality and philanthropy. Both are linked through the hospitality gene, the gene of service: service to the guest and service to humanity.

What is your approach and what kind of content do you cover as part of your training programme?

We partner with hotels around the world and launch pop-up hotel schools for local communities, providing hospitality operators with higher retention, community diplomacy and local talent upon opening. We identify their future hiring needs and incorporate as much of the brand's orientation, culture and training as possible into the curriculum content so students at the end of the program, form a pool of well-trained, local labor for the brand to hire from on schedule.

After a rigorous four-step interview process, applicants are accepted and students are taken through two to eight weeks of hospitality training provided by hospitality experts, including Cornell Hotel School graduates. During Saira’s training, students engage in both theoretical and experiential learning. We teach the key skills we feel they need to gain employment with partner hotels, emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, leadership, communication, service recovery, mindfulness and so on.

We also focus on hands-on learning, typically in the departments of Food and Beverage, Front Office and Housekeeping but we can also train for those skills needed in other departments, according to the needs of our brand partner/s. Hospitality, as a people industry, is incredibly subjective and emotional, which is why Saira can even exist. You don’t need to have a formal education to be successful in hospitality — to be successful in hospitality you have to be empathetic and understand human behavior. Saira’s role is about nurturing what we call “the hospitality gene.” We believe in teaching skills that can be applied both when working in hospitality but also to the personal lives of the students. Some of our students in the past have managed to heal broken marriages by learning about the communication skills we teach in class. Much of what we teach enriches both the professional and personal lives of our students.

What hotel brands have you worked with and what kind of benefits have they seen as a result of your partnership?

Today Saira has graduated 250 students with an average of 10% turnover to participating hotel partners, including Virgin Limited Edition, Rosewood Hotels, Autograph Collection, Bunkhouse Hotels and Habitas in downtown Los Angeles, Mexico, British Virgin Islands and Namibia. They have also met 100% of their hiring needs from our graduates within the local community.

What is the impact you have on local communities?

Everything we do is centred on empowering local communities. I believe offering a free, high standard of education to communities that may not have the privilege to access information is one of the most valuable commodities that you can provide someone. In our most recent project with Habitas that took us to Namibia, we had more than 300 applications and encountered people that hadn’t had a job in eight years, who, when asked out of curiosity in Saira interviews how much money they needed to survive each month, some were happy to earn even $50 USD per month from any job they could get. In countries that are experiencing socio-economic hardship, Saira is providing a platform for a career in hospitality, and at the very least, some belief in themselves that they can achieve one.

After our BVI pop-ups, we had the following results:

• 98% of Saira graduates now see hospitality as a career
• 80% of graduates currently work in hospitality
• 94% of students found the program beneficial to work performance
• 69% of graduates hired were previously unemployed
• 91% of Saira graduates are currently employed or in school

Where do you envision the future of hospitality going as it relates to social impact? And what steps can hoteliers take to increase their social impact?

We partnered with Porter and Sail in the hope of raising funds from potential guests who want to play their part in educating and empowering local communities. We hope these kinds of partnerships will eventually allow us to launch schools with smaller, independent hotels that may not have the resources to fund 100% of the school themselves but are still wanting to train and hire the local community. Guests today have a conscience and want to travel more thoughtfully - they are travelling more mindfully than ever which we need to take advantage of as we don’t know how long it will last for. We need hotels and OTA’s to take responsibility and to listen to the needs of the community to be able to provide the guest a variety of options where they can easily give back while traveling. We often think that donations involve financial resources but I believe volunteering even a couple of hours of your time on vacation can be life-changing, shifting someone’s mindset, sharing knowledge.

If you can afford to travel, share your knowledge with those who can’t afford to. We need the next generation of guests to help us spread awareness of what we do, so that the industry stops using an ancient model of hiring and instead creates a responsible and sustainable future for hospitality.

We at MA people are specialised in crafting innovative hotel concepts and brands: what makes a hotel experience a truly outstanding one for you personally?

For a hotel experience to be outstanding for me, it has to be a thoughtful experience. I always think first of the service. As we teach at Saira, 70% of an experience is emotional. How did the experience make you feel? How did the service make you feel? The product can be of the highest design and quality but if the service doesn’t match the product, the experience won’t stand out. Even at the most expensive hotels, if the service doesn’t feel genuine and thoughtful, it becomes just another five star hotel with high end amenities and scripted service that doesn’t meet the needs of each unique guest.Then, once I’m fascinated and excited by the level of service, only then will the design of the hotel, the flow of the experiences, the F&B offerings, the picturesque views and so on... only then do they come alive.

Revolution is the only solution

This was our credo when starting to work at the Kandima Maldives resort concept (and it still is). In an overcrowded market there is no chance to succeed if you haven’t got the vision (and the guts) to create something remarkably unique. But first you have to understand the game before you can change it. That’s why our research stage was key. We journeyed through Europe and Asia to analyse the most innovative concepts – what made them work – or not in some cases. We slept in millennial hotels and also in tiny airport cabins all in the name of research.

Work with the best

If you want to create the best, you have to work with the best. As the saying goes “You can’t do epic shit with basic people”. Therefore Kandima Maldives partnered with globally renown experts in their areas. Did you have a look at the Kandima Maldives branding? It has been created by the truly incredible Snask in Stockholm. The feedback we received: wow, different, special – game-changing. Goal achieved ;-).

Be dynamic but never compromise on the basics

Creating a resort concept might take some time, implementing it even longer. Over the last two years our partners at the project changed, the amazing and fun K’ team has been formed; new people are continuously joining and co-creating. This means that there is a steady stream of new ideas and new tasks to be tackled every single day. Our role as strategic partner is to help, assist, co-ordinate and be as flexible and dynamic as possible. Our key focus is to ensure the basics - the foundations and details that make the Kandima Maldives concept and brand fresh and unique - are implemented effectively and without compromise.

Fall in love with the details

It’s all about the details. The small touches. As a visionary and concept developer, it is a must to fall in love with these details – even if that means that you lose some sleep over that one single social media post, or design elements that aren’t quite right yet. You cannot half-ass anything if you want to create a unique and successful hotel concept and bring it to life.

It’s all about huMAns

A concept may be great on paper, but without the right people in place it will never (ever) fulfil it’s potential. We never underestimate the power of the people. At MA people our concepts start and end with huMAns. At Kandima Maldives guests will experience service unlike any other resort. The K’team will make the difference, ensuring each and every guest is "kandimatised". They will help to create memorable and unforgettable lifestyle experiences. There are many definitions out there for hospitality – at MA people we boil it down to one simple yet crucial statement: it’s from huMAns for huMAns. If everything you do and create keeps that in mind, you are already a game-changer in today’s hospitality market.

Follow the journey of the K’ team until the opening in December 2016 and get "kandimatised"!

Feel free to share this post with other visionaries - or get in touch if you, or someone you know is interested in co- creating the next game-changing concept with us.

Talk to you soon,
Your MA people 

Anne, what inspired you to set up a hostel over fifteen years ago?

My sister and I went travelling after university and just fell in love with hostel life. For us, hostels offered a kind of “on the road” accommodation that felt both comforting and exciting. “Comforting” in that a good hostel feels a lot like a home away from home, “exciting” because hostels helped connect us to so many new experiences and new people from all walks of life and cultures. We felt that we learnt a lot about what makes a great hostel so when the opportunity arose to open one of our own, we grabbed it and I have never looked back! I am so lucky to do something I love.

How would you describe the Clink Hostels DNA?

Clink is all about connection – to both people and to places. Everything we do at Clink centres around creating an amazing city experience for our guests and we try to take a creative approach to hostelling to achieve that. That starts with the buildings we choose and runs through the whole business – from the staff we hire, to the local knowledge we share and the events we put on regularly for guests. It’s all about creating those shared and memorable experiences that guests can take home with them, share with their friends and family and, hopefully, share with their grandkids in years to come!

We love your “Stay & Play”, “Stay & Create” and “Stay & Scribble” programmes. Could you introduce our readers to these great initiatives?

We love them too! These programmes fall under our wider “ClinkCREATIVE” initiative. ClinkCREATIVE was born out of the drive to really improve our offering for guests and to connect Clink to local and international artistic communities. Stay & Play offers up-and coming bands or musicians the chance to stay for free in exchange for playing a gig at one of our lively bars. Stay & Create is similar, but for artists, offering creative types space to paint or exhibit in the hostels – or host a workshop to share their talents with guests. Stay & Scribble is aimed at travel bloggers or aspiring travel writers who can either come and stay in exchange for writing a hostel review or travel piece about one of the cities. For more info and for anyone looking to apply visit ClinkCREATIVE. 

In your opinion, how have the needs of backpackers/budget travellers changed over the years?

Honestly, I don’t feel that the basic needs of backpackers/budget travellers have changed all that much. The standard of hostels has improved dramatically (scary showers and smelly duvets are definitely a thing of the past!) so I think that backpacker/budget traveller expectations are higher. However, I do genuinely feel that, on a basic level, young travellers want what they have always wanted when they travel - accommodation that offers them safe, comfortable and cost-effective place to sleep that’s going to allow them to explore new places and meet new people. At Clink, we try to ensure those basic needs are always met, whilst simultaneously working on new ways to really engage with guests and improve their overall stay and city experience. In an age where young travellers are often attached to their mobile phone, trying to encourage real life connection can be a challenge! However, it’s something that we’re passionate about doing at Clink, and initiatives like ClinkCREATIVE are a big part of that.

Apart from Clink Hostels ;-), which other hospitality concept/brand surprises and inspires you?

Oh there’s so many out there that I’m constantly inspired by! I have always loved Kex hostel in Iceland, I find it fun and inspirational, and was fortunate enough to stay there two years ago. They do an amazing job of weaving hostel life into the local community and communicating their own unique personality. Design-wise, Michelberger in Berlin is a real favourite and I love their authenticity. Volkshotel’s event programme is really impressive and helps foster such a great atmosphere there. The Good Hotel in London (formerly in Amsterdam) has a real social mission - something I feel is important in creating futureproof businesses. 

What’s in the Clink Hostels project pipeline? Are you planning to further expand Clink Hostels?

The plan for Clink this year is to work hard on refining our current offering to make sure that our vision for Clink really aligns with the experience that the guest has. We do plan to expand into Europe in the coming years, and with our new MD, Mark Fenelon at the helm, there’s lots going on behind the scenes in terms of planning new locations. Doing the groundwork now is important so that we can be confident in being able to deliver a streamlined Clink experience as we grow.

1. Soohyun, what exactly is “glamping” and how did you discover / start to love it?

Glamping is a combined term from “glamour” and “camping” to describe a style of camping with amenities (like washroom, kitchen) and in some cases, resort-style services not usually associated with traditional camping. It has become an alternative way to spend one’s vacation. I was inspired by the Tree hotel in Sweden, and began to think of new inventive ways to experience nature in the closest proximity. Our younger clients wanted the same and asked for something dramatically different than a single hotel room. That’s when we started our glamping projects in 2014.

2. Can you give our readers some information on your company “Atelier Chang”? What’s the idea behind and where have you implemented this concept already?

Our design focuses on Simplicity For Many. Glamping represents this concept the best. Our glamping tents are designed for the distinctive user experience by offering very simple but inventive form and content. These tents are called Cutent, Firefly, or Mountain, as their concept was driven from simple objects found in nature. The breadth of space is also quite unique: 45-60 sqm of interior space, as big as a small flat. The tent material adds to its exciting appearance: stylish bright colorus of the fabric is 100% non-flammable, 100% recyclable. It’s the same fabric used for the London Olympic Stadium. About 5 glamping resorts are already built in Asia with our models in recent 2 years, with 2-3 more projects on its way this summer in larger scale.
http://atelierchang.com/glamping/

3. Can you tell us a bit more about the Knothouse, the 5 residential structures that you realised on Geoje Island, South Korea?

We wanted to create a knot from a strip of landscape. A house made of knot could blur the boundary between the inside and outside. While sitting in the living room Jacuzzi, you could feel like you are immersed in the entire ocean view in front of you. The front garden continues seamlessly into the living room. It turned out to be a popular project that many people wanted to visit even with 2-month-in-advance reservation. 
http://atelierchang.com/knot-house/

4. We know you like to travel with your family and your little son. Which hotels and accommodations do you prefer and what exactly are you looking for when booking your family escape?

We always look for vacation venues where both parents and kids can have fun. For instance, if the hotel itself has interesting programs or a concept that our entire family can enjoy – separately or together – that ticks the mark. Convenience as well as adventure are parts of the criteria.

5. From your perspective: what are the trends that are going to shape the future of hospitality and tourism over the next years?  

I once read an article where a global officer in Marriot Edmundson said “Design has been democratized.” Design does not reflect the rich few, but will have to face new consumers like millennials, who want great quality service with non-ridiculous overcharges. I cannot agree more that the new trend of hospitality will target on the intelligent mass, whether it be young family with toddlers, young couples travelling on backpack, or innovative retirees in their early 60s. They are more educated than ever and treasure unique experiences. As much as Airbnb has shaken up the dusty hotel businesses, the new small but unique outdoor experience will be welcomed by unprecedented mass audiences.  

Thank you Soohyun & keep on inspiring us with your innovative creations ;-)
MA people

Veronica, can you please explain what inspired you to found WE Factory and what it is all about?

The combination of different experiences in gastronomy and strategic design as well as my daily living in the city of Helsinki (focused on everyday design) kickstarted the launch of WE Factory. However, the idea had been in my mind already for a very long time.

When I was younger I read a lot of Italian literature from the 50s and 60s regarding life in factories. At that time many bright entrepreneurs commissioned facilities for workers during their free time. Already then they knew how important this was for the wellbeing of their workforce. But a lot of this idealism has been lost over the years. My early working experiences for example were everything but human-friendly. So I started food trials within different contexts. Why food? Because in my family eating was always regarded as a joyful moment of conviviality.

2014 in Helsinki every bit fell into place and I felt it was just the right time. I founded WE Factory with the vision to bring social change through food where people spend most of their time: at work. Therefore we design creative and inspiring food services, experiences and programs for companies. We hold workshops to bring people together and empower them to live a slower and more fulfilling life, starting from what and how they eat - the source of happiness.

Your tagline is "Eat with a smile": what makes you smile when you eat?

“Eat with a smile” aims at conveying what WE Factory is all about: emotions, eating well and people. Eating good food that has been produced, harvested and prepared with the most care and attention and is served in good company makes you smile. Our tagline is about reframing time and space and enjoying every moment. “Eat with a smile” should happen at every meal one has: the breakfast at home, coffee break at the office, lunch with colleagues, afternoon snack during the brainstorming session and sleep well infusion before falling asleep.

We are specialised in crafting hotel concepts and brands: can you give our hotelier readers your TOP 3 advices on what they must consider when crafting great food experiences?

I personally like to stay at hotels with a unique personality and atmosphere. I’ve noticed that I’m not alone and more and more people seek uniqueness and authenticity. In my opinion, there is really no point to stay at a hotel that looks exactly the same in Moscow, Buenos Aires or Beirut. My top 3 advices when crafting a food experience are:

• Think about your guests and design an experience that suits them.
• Bring the local context in and make it exciting for your brand.
• Dare to be uniquely you. Travel to see what others are doing but eventually think with your own head and heart.

How do you see the future of dining? In which area do you see the biggest change and what will be the most influential trends?

I can’t predict the future but I hope that dining will become more inclusive. The fine dining scene is currently very exclusive. It addresses an elite of people that can afford it and has the knowledge to understand what it is all about. However, I believe that food culture and good food should reach the masses. This is the only way to promote a food revolution so many are talking about these days in terms of preventing food waste, preserving food diversity, and ultimately creating a better planet. On the other hand I also hope human beings will understand that technology needs to become more instrumental and not the end itself. I’m talking about 3D printing, for instance, or VR (virtual reality).

You are a big traveller #alwaysnomadic. What are your must-experience food spots around the world? What has been your best food design experience ever?

My travels always mix the research of what is new and cool (see hipster places, which usually represent just one part of the population) with what is authentic and the everyday kind of place. I guess this boils down to my anthropological interest to understand how “normal” people live. For instance, when I lived in Warsaw for a couple of months I asked local friends to take me to milk bars, which just recently had been revived. In Moscow, I visited some markets with a friend who claimed that tomatoes from Azerbaijan are as good as Italian ones. So we tasted (lots and lots) of different tomatoes at approximately 20 stands. That was fun! 
The best food experiences I’ve had so far were somewhat unexpected and unplanned. No frills. I’m a simple woman who prefers excellent raw ingredients and rituals rather than formal dishes: freshly baked pita bread straight from the oven at Princes Islands in Istanbul, mint tea in Morocco while watching the passers-by, fika (coffee and cinnamon bun) at Rosendals Tradgard in Stockholm, polenta and stew made by my mum in Italy... What’s remarkable: from the best food experiences I remember the whole story: the smells, the sounds and mostly all the people who shared the table with me.