Trivial Pursuit has created a Trivial-themed hotel outside of Moscow. Guests have to compete to gain access by answering questions to get a free stay. Tourists are seeking new experiences, and the hospitality industry is moving to provide unique stays that meet these changing demands.

Social media – in particular, image-led sites such as Instagram – and the rise in the ‘experience economy’ have had a massive impact on the modern hospitality industry. But why are shareable experiences so highly treasured and how has this changed the way people view and use hotels?

While author Kyle Chakya may have neatly captured the past decade's Longing for Less, a post-lockdown, inter-pandemic, and digitally saturated world now has people longing for more. Whether you chalk it up to techno-optimism and/or a general sense of impending doom, people today are looking for a new maximalism of feelings, dimensions, and possibilities to reinvigorate them and make their lives feel full. Both action and material goods appeal to us strongly these days; we discriminate between them less, both morally and in terms of how we expect them to affect our lives. Where once, the narrative was that people chose fulfilling experiences when things stopped gratifying them, a more nuanced understanding has emerged, and today we see consumers relating to ‘experience-like things’ and consuming commodified ‘thing-like experiences’. Now, meaningful, adventurous travel is on a lot of people’s agendas, but so too is experiential retail, seen as an alluring alternative to the mechanical convenience of e-commerce. Meanwhile, the dawn of the metaverse is upon us, and people are gradually understanding the potential for having – and creating – vibrant experiences in the digital world. Some are beginning to perceive a future in which people live one part of their lives in a digital dream world, and the other in a challenging, ecologically precarious reality that requires them to be self-sufficient and ready for anything. The Experience Hunters are not only seeking out moments to enrich their lives, they’re preparing for a future filled with as-yet-unknown developments and upheavals. This sometimes-uneasy perception of the road ahead is all the more reason to make life full, right now.

Since launching in 2013, Marriott’s Travel Brilliantly campaign has been pioneering the future of travel, from mobile check-in to in-room Netflix. Now, guests are able to order exclusive VR content to their rooms. How can travel brands use this tech to boost sales and strengthen consumer loyalty?