Bill Walshe, CEO, Viceroy Hotel Group: What People Want From a Luxury Experience
In luxury, \u201ccookie cutter\u201d doesn\u2019t cut it. And for a luxury hotel brand, it has to strike a delicate balance between delivering a guest experience that\u2019s both consistent and one-of-a-kind. Bill Walshe, CEO at Viceroy Hotel Group, says that consistency shouldn\u2019t stifle the things that guests remember: spontaneity, authenticity, individuality, and creativity. He calls his philosophy \u201cconsistent individuality.\u201d 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\u2019s portfolio. Each maintains its own distinct sense of location and destination while also sharing Viceroy\u2019s 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. \n\nListen to this podcast episode to learn:\n\n\u2022 Why hotels aren\u2019t just service providers; they\u2019re content providers with Instagrammable moments in mind\n\n\u2022 From celebrity chefs to spin studios, how the right brand partnerships and alliances add value to the guest experience and future-proof the business\n\n\u2022 Why guests want to stay at hotels where they feel they're making a positive impact on the world through a \u201ccontribution without compromise\u201d\n\n\u2022 Why Viceroy decided to open the first-ever hotel designed around celebrating female achievement and empowerment (Hotel Zena in Washington, DC)\n\n\u2022 Is luxury\u2019s assumed exclusivity a \u201chistorically pass\xe9\u201d notion?