What People Want From a Luxury Experience

26 March 2020

With guest Bill Walshe - CEO of Viceroy Hotel Group

Subscribe:

Outside In on Apple Podcasts Outside In on Spotify Outside In on Tune In Outside In on Stitcher Outside In on Overcast Outside In on Soundcloud Outside In via RSS

Share this episode:

In luxury, “cookie cutter” doesn’t cut it. And for a luxury hotel brand, it has to strike a delicate balance between delivering a guest experience that’s both consistent and one-of-a-kind. Bill Walshe, CEO at Viceroy Hotel Group, says that consistency shouldn’t stifle the things that guests remember: spontaneity, authenticity, individuality, and creativity. He calls his philosophy “consistent individuality.” Viceroy Hotel Group maintains 15 properties around the world, from St. Lucia to Los Cabos to Beverly Hills and beyond, with another 8 soon to enter the brand’s portfolio. Each maintains its own distinct sense of location and destination while also sharing Viceroy’s brand essence. Walshe joins the podcast to give his take on what luxury means in the service industry today, and how Viceroy designs its experience around changing guest preferences, new technologies, brand partnerships, and shared values.

Listen to this podcast episode to learn:

  • Why hotels aren’t just service providers; they’re content providers with Instagrammable moments in mind
  • From celebrity chefs to spin studios, how the right brand partnerships and alliances add value to the guest experience and future-proof the business
  • Why guests want to stay at hotels where they feel they’re making a positive impact on the world through a “contribution without compromise”
  • Why Viceroy decided to open the first-ever hotel designed around celebrating female achievement and empowerment (Hotel Zena in Washington, DC)
  • Is luxury’s assumed exclusivity a “historically passé” notion?