What Gives a Hotel Project Soul? A Developer’s Guide to Crafting Belonging, Continuous Demand & Increased Returns
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Developers frequently obsess over luxury. How they can use remaining cash for bigger rooms, better finishes, imported marble, Michelin-starred chefs, the latest wellness concepts, larger spa and expanded amenities…the list never ends.
But somehow…while they make have add a “wow” factor, most of these venues still feel strangely…FoRgeTtAbLe.
If I’m honest, some of the places that have left the deepest mark on me were not the most luxurious, the most expensive, or even objectively the “nicest” places I’ve ever stayed.
They were actually imperfect. A little bit worn in, quirky and even slightly chaotic. But they all had something that's MUCH harder to engineer.
Soul.
That’s because luxury alone doesn’t create loyalty. Soul does. Soul is what creates belonging and belonging is what drives continuous demand. And in this day and age, where everyone and everything is fighting for your attention, the last thing you want to be is forgotten.
From a developer and investor’s perspective, I think this matters far more than most people realize.
Because while “vibe” might sound intangible, the commercial implications are not.
Places with soul tend to generate something incredibly valuable and increasingly difficult to buy through marketing spend alone: emotional attachment.
And emotional attachment drives; repeat visitation, dwell time, organic word of mouth, stronger F&B performance, community integration, customer loyalty, and ultimately more resilient long-term demand.
Simply put…people spend money on belonging.
And I think the hospitality industry has underestimated this for years.
If you live in Dubai, you’ll notice that properties like 25Hours Hotel have become a key third space and honestly second home for so many entrepreneurs, business owners and government entities in the city. Objectively, there are so many more luxurious hotels in Dubai. With better pools, larger suites, better restaurants and bigger budgets.
Yet somehow…everyone would RATHER be at 25Hours and in a weird way, it's become a part of people’s identities.
We all have one of our favourite places where we go to meet new people, work, meet, brainstorm, take meetings, grab coffee, stay for dinner and somehow have accidentally spend six hours there and then return the next day to do it all over again.
Developers think they are competing on rooms, but increasingly, I think hospitality is competing in relevance to daily life.
The venues that are winning, especially in times of geopolitical uncertainty and shifting macroeconomics, are the ones people emotionally integrate into their routines.
So, what actually creates 'soul'.
The question then becomes how can developers build this into their vision & investors look for this in projects they are backing.
It always begins with people.
Hospitality is emotional. You remember how people made you feel long before you remember thread count or bathroom fixtures.
Second is character.
Stop trying to make every hotel look like a luxury Pinterest board or a copy-paste “international standard.” Imperfection, local identity, quirks, texture, and story matter.
The third is, well, third spaces
The best hotels don’t just sell rooms. They create places where people naturally gather, linger, and connect with no pressure to spend. And ironically, places where people don’t feel pressure to spend are often the places where they end up spending the most.
The last ingredient is physiological safety.
A venue that can create a feeling when you arrive somewhere, you can drop your bags, take off your shoes, let your guard down, and exhale. Exactly the same as the sigh of relief when you arrive home after a long day.
One final concept I think developers should pay much more attention to is designing for what I call “soft collisions.”
The best hospitality projects seamlessly integrate into their designs opportunities for people to bump into each other again and again, without forcing interaction. Over time, strangers slowly become familiar, familiar faces become friendships, and friendships become community. And from a commercial perspective, this matters more than people think. Because once someone makes friends somewhere, they naturally want to go back to where their people are. The place itself becomes part of their social life and identity, and suddenly you’re no longer competing on room rate or amenities alone. You’ve created emotional attachment, and emotional attachment drives repeat demand.
This can look like: A communal breakfast. A coworking terrace. A shared sauna. A yoga deck. A long communal table. A campfire.
In a world facing a loneliness epidemic, the future of hospitality isn’t just luxury, it’s about creating connect, community and experiences.
That’s something AI can never replace. ✨
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