Rethinking Hospitality: Designing for Presence and Participation
Reading the Passion Principle , a collaborative framework by Design Hotels & Universal Design Studio (2025) - felt like finding vocabulary for something many of us have been sensing for years: hospitality is becoming less about presentation and more about participation.
THE PASSION PRINCIPLE REPORT BY DESIGN HOTELS
The Report approaches hospitality not simply as an industry but as a moving, breathing and evolving universe where many worlds collide. It brings forward ideas that feel both urgent and inspiring as we enter a new era of travel defined by authenticity, curiosity, and collaboration. One idea that resonated deeply was the statement that:
‘‘ WHEN THE HOST AND HOSTED ENGAGE WITH A GENUINE MUTUL PASSION, HOSPITALITY SHIFTS FROM PERFORMANCE TO CO-CREATION “ - The Passion Principle Report
The Report explores what happens when travel moves beyond consumption and starts to foster genuine emotional exchange between places and people. I couldn’t help but reflect on how closely this mirrors my own experience - observing guests, design, and service across different cultures, and noticing that the most memorable stays always share one thing: they feel alive.
As the Report notes: “ GREAT HOSPITALITY IS NOT JUST DELIVERED - IT’S CO-AUTHORED ” - Stijn Oyen, Managing Director, Design Hotels
Reading that, I found myself nodding: today’s travelers want to be part of the story. They crave spaces that respond to them, not just accommodate them.
According to The Passion Principle Report, “93% prefer experiences that feel ‘real and unscripted’ over ‘staged and polished’ ones,”
and “90% value genuine, personal connection with hotel teams — like having a friendly chat — rather than just receiving service.”
TECHNOLOGY WITH A HUMAN HEART
Another section that stood out explored the relationship between technology and humanity. The authors write:
“ Technology, especially AI, should augment, not replace, human intuition and emotional responsiveness - creating systems that empower, not displace, human connection. ” - The Passion Principle Report
Rather than viewing AI as a rival, they frame it as an ally - one that can take over repetitive, data-driven tasks so humans can focus on connection and creativity.
That aligns perfectly with how I see the future of hospitality. If we let AI handle operational flows like check-ins and check-outs, we can reclaim the most human part of the experience, the welcome itself.
Imagine a reception-free hotel where arrival happens online and the “reception desk” transforms into a greeting room. The host and guest meet without barriers, sharing the same space and energy. The ritual of arrival becomes circular instead of linear; no longer arrive–wait–check-in–go to room, but an open loop where each guest chooses their own beginning.
DESIGN THAT ENCOURAGES DISCOVERY
Perhaps the most thought-provoking question posed in the Report is “ How might we design spaces that prompt guests not just to inhabit, but to co-create? ”
That question has lingered with me since I read it. I believe this is where the future of hospitality truly lies - at the intersection of design, emotion, and participation.
I picture hotels where no space dictates its function, yet every detail gently invites discovery. Lighting that shifts with mood, furniture that moves to encourage conversation, and objects that spark curiosity. Why not replace the predictable stack of coffee-table books with a custom board game that tells the story of the neighborhood or the property’s history? Something playful that connects guests to place and to each other.
These small, unexpected gestures turn guests into participants. They make a stay memorable not because it was perfect, but because it felt genuine.
FROM CONTROL TO CURIOSITY
The part of the report that struck me most was its reflection on how spaces can shape participation. I share that belief. A great hotel doesn’t tell you how to behave it rather gives you permission to play, to belong, to interpret.
When design, service, and emotion align, hospitality becomes something fluid, not a performance, but a shared rhythm between host and guest. And perhaps that’s the future we’re all designing toward: places that breathe, that evolve with every stay, and that remind us how unscripted connection can make you feel alive again.
IN CLOSING
The more I think about the future of hospitality, the more I see it as a shift toward thoughtful simplicity, where technology recedes into the background, and design becomes the invisible hand that nudges connection.
Hospitality doesn’t need to be louder or more elaborate. It just needs to feel genuine - supported by technology, shaped by design, and held together by people who care.
"If we cling too tightly to perfection, we suffocate the very thing that makes a work magical: the spontaneity, the serendipity, the joy of the unexpected." - WILL GUIDARA
Inspired by “The Passion Principle: A Framework for Post-Experiential Hospitality,” Design Hotels × Universal Design Studio, 2025.
Written by Sonja Stojcevski, founder of Brand & Spice and Saunter Tables, merging hospitality, design, and storytelling into meaningful experiences.