Design Hotels has published Further Forecast, a trend report defining six key themes over 158 pages of actionable insights, case studies and interviews that will transform the industry in 2024 and beyond – and the way we travel today, tomorrow and for years to come.

Developed in collaboration with Lisbon- and Melbourne-based futurist agency Soon Future Studies, the report combines in-depth field research and consumer surveys at the intersection of hospitality, design, art and technology, exposing previously undocumented shifts in travel and culture.

As Design Hotels celebrates its 30-year anniversary, Further Forecast provides important and widely accessible insights into the breadth of the brand’s knowledge and network. An extension of Design Hotels’ concept Further, the report synthesises the most pertinent developments in art, design, science, technology and beyond to prompt conversations and collaborations across creative disciplines and inspire new paradigms in travel.

To compile the 158-page publication, Design Hotels used an array of primary and secondary research, including expert interviews, consumer surveys, strategic foresight and trend analysis. Primary data sources include the Design Hotels Community Survey comprising 1,789 responses from June 2023, more than 200 case studies, and interviews with industry thought leaders at companies such as Microsoft, TeamLab, Ikea’s Space10, Beckley Retreats and Bompas & Parr.

Soon Future Studies added to this field research by using proprietary data banks of signals to map out the macro-environmental drivers of change with emerging cultural trends. A PESTE (political, economic, social, technology, environment) analysis synthesised 400 cultural signals into six macro trends: Age of Awe; The Intelligence Era; Remedial Pursuits; Ancestral Wisdom; Connected Quests; and Ecology Urgency.

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Key statistics from the Design Hotels Community Survey 2023 that support the Further Forecast include:

‒ 63% of people are willing to invest more money in transformational or out of the ordinary experiences.

‒ 60% of people are interested in or actively increasing their practices and rituals such as meditation and breathwork, suggesting a rising interest in such in experiences in hotels.

‒ In the past year, 54% of people have experimented with AI tools, platforms or services, such as ChatGPT, GPT-4, and DALL-E 2, and 23% of those people used AI to help them plan travel.

‒ 50% of people said they are seeking more community-led experiences or opportunities to connect with people in a deeper way, prompting a wave of new hospitality loyalty and membership models.

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“The Further Forecast marks a significant moment for Design Hotels as a global brand,” says Sarah Doyle, Vice President and Global Brand Leader of Design Hotels. “We are committed to engaging in forward-thinking initiatives, challenging status quos and pushing the industry further in a circular way. We hope hoteliers, designers, restaurateurs and architects alike will be inspired from this forecast to introduce new strategies and creative initiatives based on its findings.”

Sarah Owen, co-founder and Global Futures Director at Soon Future Studies, comments: “We are thrilled to have partnered with Design Hotels to create this ground-breaking report on the future of the travel industry. Our futures-oriented methodologies unveiled exciting developments and trajectories that will not only shape the industry but also the longevity of our planet and generations to come.”

Within every mega-trend is a series of micro-trends that underline the topic as well as outlined, actionable takeaways for readers, with a useful Now, Near, and Far format. Written for hoteliers, designers, architects and cultural tastemakers alike, Further Forecast will be published annually, ensuring the Further creative community and Design Hotels members remain at the forefront of travel.

To purchase Further Forecast or download a complimentary preview report, head to the Design Hotels website. Sleeper readers can get 20 per cent off the report with code SLEEPER20.