Africa's luxury travel market shifts towards more personalised experiences

Source: Supplied | Saurabh Rai, Executive Vice President, South Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Australasia, Preferred Hotel Group

Saurabh Rai, executive vice president for South Asia, Middle East, Africa and Australasia at Preferred Hotel Group, says the shift reflects changing traveller behaviour, greater access to information and growing demand for experiential hospitality.

Rai, who has been with Preferred Hotels & Resorts for 19 years and has been travelling to Africa for more than two decades, says the continent is particularly suited to independent hospitality because of its emphasis on adventure, freedom and discovery.

“As someone who deeply appreciates adventure, freedom and discovery, I believe Africa lends itself beautifully to experiential hospitality rather than cookie-cutter, templated experiences.”

He says luxury travellers increasingly want properties that are connected to their surroundings and offer experiences that cannot easily be replicated elsewhere.

“We have tremendous respect for global hotel brands, but the travellers we meet increasingly want thoughtfully programmed hospitality that is integrated with the local community, exists in harmony with the surrounding environment and authentically represents the destination.”

Technology has also changed how travellers approach hotel selection. Rai says consumers can now research destinations and properties extensively before they arrive, reducing the reassurance that previously came from choosing a familiar international brand.

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“For Africa in particular, all of these factors have come together to create growing demand for smaller, highly curated luxury hospitality experiences.”

Beyond safari

Safari remains one of Africa's strongest luxury tourism propositions, but Rai says the experience itself is evolving as operators look for ways to differentiate their offerings.

“Safari will always remain one of Africa's greatest strengths. Few places in the world can match the wilderness experiences available across the continent.”

However, luxury safari operators increasingly need to offer more than game drives, particularly as travellers become more discerning about what they receive for the cost of a safari.

“Today's challenge is differentiation.”

Food and wine, wellness, cultural experiences and community engagement are among the areas Rai identifies as gaining importance.

“Food and wine have become major differentiators. There is something extraordinary about enjoying Michelin-level dining in the middle of the African bush.”

Wellness is another area experiencing growth, he says, with Africa's natural environment providing opportunities for wellbeing-focused travel.
“Community and cultural immersion are also becoming increasingly important. Visitors want meaningful interactions with local communities and authentic cultural experiences that remain with them long after they return home.”

Rai describes the evolution as “safari and beyond”, with luxury travel increasingly combining wilderness with other experiences.

Making sustainability count

Conservation and sustainability are becoming more important to luxury travellers, but Rai says hotels need to demonstrate that sustainability is embedded in their operations rather than treating it as a marketing exercise.

For Preferred Travel Group, he says, sustainability predates the current focus on responsible tourism. Beyond Green, the sister brand of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, launched in 2020 following years of work in the area.

Rai says Beyond Green is built around three core pillars:

1. Conservation of the environment
2. Support for local communities
3. Protection and preservation of local culture

Rai says every property undergoes rigorous independent assessment by sustainability specialists before joining the collection.

He also argues that sustainability does not necessarily come at the expense of commercial performance. “Importantly, we've also demonstrated that sustainability and profitability are not opposing ideas.”

He says sustainability has increasingly become a factor in traveller decision-making across leisure, business and group travel.

Technology levels the playing field

Technology is changing not only how travellers discover hotels but also how independent properties compete with larger hotel groups.
Rai says large hotel companies historically held an advantage because they could provide access to specialist expertise, design, engineering, procurement and operational resources that smaller operators could struggle to access.

“Today, technology has democratised access to world-class talent.”

Independent hotel owners can now work with designers, consultants and specialists around the world through digital collaboration.

Artificial intelligence is another part of this shift. Rai believes it can improve efficiency and help hotels personalise experiences without replacing the human interaction that remains central to luxury hospitality.

“AI absolutely has an important role to play, but the future belongs to what we call tech-enabled touch.”

“Technology should never replace human interaction in hospitality.”

As the hospitality industry faces ongoing talent shortages, he says AI can support staff by improving efficiency while allowing employees to focus on guest interactions. “The future isn't AI versus people—it's technology enabling people to deliver even better hospitality.”

The new luxury traveller

As travellers become more informed, Rai says their expectations of luxury are also changing. “Today's luxury travellers are far more informed than ever before.”

Many already have access to high-end products and services at home, meaning hotels need to offer something genuinely distinctive.

“That uniqueness increasingly comes from local storytelling.”

Rather than imported luxury for its own sake, travellers are increasingly interested in locally produced products, artisan craftsmanship and authentic destination experiences.

“We often refer to avoiding the "beigeification" of luxury—where every luxury hotel begins to look and feel the same.”

For independent properties, this creates an opportunity to build their identity around their destination rather than reproducing a standardised luxury model.

“The most successful hotels are those that express a genuine sense of place through their design, people, food and overall guest experience.”

Rai says that sense of place should be evident throughout the guest experience. “Great hospitality should always reflect its destination.”

Africa's digital opportunity

Rai sees digital transformation as one of Africa's biggest opportunities for tourism growth, particularly given the continent's geographical scale and uneven physical infrastructure.

“Africa's greatest opportunity is to leapfrog traditional development through digital transformation.”

He points to booking technology, direct communication with travellers and digital distribution as tools that can make remote destinations more accessible and allow destinations to reach potential visitors without relying exclusively on traditional tourism infrastructure.

“Rather than relying solely on physical infrastructure, Africa can use digital innovation to accelerate tourism growth.”

Supporting independent hotels

For independent properties, Rai believes access to the infrastructure traditionally associated with large hotel groups can help narrow the competitive gap.

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Preferred Hotels & Resorts provides sales, marketing, loyalty, distribution and technology infrastructure while allowing independent hotels to retain their individual identities.

Rai says the model's renewal rate is one indication of how owners view that relationship.

“Although our average partnership term is around five years, our renewal rate exceeds 95%, demonstrating the value hotel owners see in the relationship.”

He points to The Last Word Collection in South Africa as an example of an independent portfolio that has expanded while retaining its identity and adding new properties.

For Rai, the direction of luxury hospitality is ultimately about allowing properties to differentiate themselves rather than conforming to a standardised model.

“Owners have a choice between adopting a standardised global brand model or creating something truly reflective of their destination.”

The shift towards independent, experience-led hospitality does not necessarily mean the end of the global hotel brand. Instead, Rai's view is that technology, changing traveller expectations and greater access to expertise are giving independent properties more tools to compete while allowing them to preserve the characteristics that make them distinctive.