In our series “Looking to the future with…” we invite visionaries, role models and key players of today to give us an insight into their personal vision of our future.
In the current edition, TSBG graduate Kurt Macher, General Manager of London’s luxury hotel Shangri-La The Shard tells us something about his visions for the future.
Dear Kurt, you have already worked and lived in many places and are what is understood by a citizen of the world. Accordingly, you have seen a lot. How does someone with such a wealth of experience see the future – optimistically or pessimistically and why?
Even though there are challenges in the world right now I am optimistic about the future. Covid was a reset for the hospitality industry as more and more companies are now trying to care more for their employees‘ work life balance – this is a great outcome from covid . The challenges with energy bills, supply chain issues and inflation, etc. Is going to encourage hospitality businesses to be more innovative and also more sustainable, to manage things in a more balanced way
Kurt Macher, GM
Challenges & Opportunities of the Future
We are living in difficult times right now – changing values, climate catastrophe, the difficult economic situation and much more. There are also major upheavals in our industry. Where do you see the biggest challenges and but also opportunities in tourism and gastronomy in the next few years?
Labour issues, inflation and sustainability are big challenges in the years to come. Experience-led hospitality is a big opportunity – while things are tough, hotels and hospitality businesses are in a position to provide much needed escapism to guests. In the future, finding more sustainable ways to run hospitality businesses and driving a positive impact in the local and wider community will be a big opportunity as it is something guests are increasingly looking for when selecting where to spend their money. Becoming more diverse and open to hiring staff members from all walks of life, different industries as well – to overcome the labour challenges and create a sense of community.
For each Shangri-La property in the Middle East, India, Indian Ocean & Americas region, I have implemented an innovation champion who is part of the hotel team. Through each champion, we are creating a culture of innovation within each hotel, encouraging team members to share ideas and thoughts on new experiences, and sharing best practices We are working on 1 big innovation idea we can implement next year in all our hotels. I try to go to conferences and follow companies that are innovative leaders to get inspired and continuously influence my hotel and other hotels in the region.
Guests of the Future
Giving guests escapism and creating feel good experiences will continuously be a big trend. Curated, immersive experiences that transport guests to a different world. Metaverse – VR will be a big trend in the future. Art will become more digital, escapist . Roaring Twenties – after covid, this decade will be known as the Roaring Twenties – celebrations and making up for lost time. Resurgence of city breaks – city hotels are going to have a comeback as people choose to spend time in the city instead of more rural, wilderness destinations . Bringing communities in – in the future, communities will be more self-contained and need to support one another more, as sustainability and supply chain, etc become more of an issue.
Apprenticeships will grow in value as people prefer to train on the job instead of going to university. In hospitality, hotels need to have programmes and training in place to enable them to employ young inexperienced workers
The key is to figure out what your passion is, having motivation and being determined to succeed. Try working in lots of different areas of a hotel and then think about where you want to grow your career – F&B, rooms, becoming a specialist? Try to get some international opportunities to live and work in different cities and locations, to figure out what you’re most passionate about.
