The Set CEO Robin Stangroom has a theory: Luxury hotels getting ahead are the ones willing to take a real risk.
Take Nay Palad Hideaway, a 10-villa property on Siargao Island in the Philippines. It’s one of 17 member properties in The Set, the boutique collection Stangroom has spent nine years help building. Guests arrive via zip line over the jungle canopy. There are no menus, no restaurants, and no check-in desk. A chef arrives daily to ask what you want to eat, builds the menu around your answer and what the local market offers that morning. One night you might dine in a treehouse; the next evening meal could be on your private beach.
The property has been incredibly successful, winning awards and accolades along the way. The model is also the opposite of how the luxury hotel industry increasingly works in the era of big brand takeovers.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Luxury Travel Advisor.
