It was when Philippe Zuber, chief executive officer of the luxury resort operator Kerzner International, mentioned going on a market research mission to a Taylor Swift concert that it became crystal clear why he works at the highest level of the hospitality industry. This is a man who is endlessly curious about the world around him, focused on understanding what moves and motivates the guests who frequent his luxury establishments. 

“Her concert tour has been such a social media phenomenon. And the way she connects so directly with her fans – I just needed to experience and test it for myself, to really understand that sort of devotion in a visceral way,” explains Philippe, who admits he doesn’t count himself as a Swiftie. 

He makes the argument that experiencing the concert first-hand was a great way to be more sensitive to the music icon’s universe and global fan base. Further, it allows him to extrapolate that knowledge to explore ways his company can connect even more profoundly with its clientele. 

When it comes to the idea of devotion, Kerzner International has been incredibly skilled in its own right at building a stable of resorts that each has die-hard devotees. Its Atlantis Resorts are extravagant undertakings, where excellence for the whole family is on offer, from fine dining and a world-famous water park to unforgettable live concerts and state-of-the-art wellness centres. Around the world, One&Only resorts are quintessential luxury experiences, each a celebration of both breathtaking surroundings and top-of-the-line service, where the answer to any request is “yes”. 

Then there is SIRO, the new hotel line that taps directly into the wellness movement and globe-trotting guests’ heartfelt desire to not give up on their health regimen as they travel for work. 

And finally, one of Kerzner’s latest ventures, Rare Finds, which is focused on unique properties – Bab Al Shams is one example – offering guests one-of-a-kind abodes designed to spark a sense of wonder and joy. 

For Philippe, success comes with a business approach that focuses on a long-term mindset. “Our vision is to be a legacy-maker,” he confirms. “If we start designing a hotel today, we have to think about and imagine what guests are going to want and need in five years because that’s the average time it takes to design, develop and build a new hotel. In this industry, you need to be super-ambitious in the design, super-ambitious with the master plan. You need to both anticipate what guests are going to want even before they do, and be ready to follow your intuition.”

From the beginning of his career, Philippe has also followed his intuition. Born in Alsace in eastern France, the CEO has long earned his livelihood in the hospitality industry. 

“When you grow up in a small village, it’s natural to look for opportunities that will make it possible to discover the world. I’ve always been interested in travel and exploring, learning about other cultures,” he admits. 

Before joining Kerzner International in 2015 as President and Chief Operating Officer, One&Only Resorts, Philippe was Emaar’s Hospitality Chief Operating Officer/Acting Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, he worked extensively with Hyatt International across France, Spain, Morocco, Berlin, and South Korea. 

So, what does it take to have a successful career in the luxury hospitality industry? There is the to-be-expected innate sense of curiosity, a service-oriented mentality, and an intensely strong work ethic. “This is a 24-hour job. You have to be on top of things all the time, and I confess I am full-on, all the time,” says Philippe with a smile. 

But it goes deeper than that. There needs to be an elementary understanding of the luxury space and its ever-evolving codes and customs.

”You constantly need to be a sponge, learning about the world you’re living in. You have to continuously adapt, because the challenge in hospitality is that you deal with a lot of people,” he says. “It’s the most complex industry because you have to talk to so many people, and the more people there are, the more complex things become.”

But even when you think you’ve planned for every contingency, something can still come out of left field and cause a paradigm shift. That’s what happened to the hospitality industry when Covid hit. Not only did it dramatically change standards and practices when it came to the industry’s health and hygiene procedures, it also fundamentally modified how guests holiday. 

Where once the least expensive and smallest hotel rooms would sell out first, today, it’s the larger suites with space to spread out that get snapped up. Instead of spending one or two nights in a hotel and moving on, vacationers now tend to stick with one location, stay longer, and spend a considerable amount of time enjoying the hotel’s amenities rather than travelling outside its walls. This translates to creating resorts that have all of the amenities discerning guests require, from world-class spa and wellness facilities, to multiple gourmet restaurants, activity centres for both kids and teenagers, and other on-site offers like designer boutiques or live concerts. 

“Before, the mindset was more ‘consuming travel’ – checking things off a list. Now, it’s ‘experiencing travel’. It’s a big difference. When people decide to stay at one of our properties, they select them because they know the level of activities they can have for themselves and their family within the hotel space,” shares Philippe. “They know that nobody, no matter what their age, will be bored after two days – everybody will have a great time. It is a really huge shift.”

Another major change in the post-pandemic world of hospitality is the surge of interest in all things wellness-related. For Kerzner International, this led to the launch of the SIRO line of hotels, which are designed with fitness in mind. 

Philippe recounts how, in the past, perhaps one-third of visitors would hit the hotel gym during a stay. “Now, it’s 60 to 70 per cent. That means seven clients out of 10 are taking at least one yoga course, going to the gym on a regular basis, or using the spa daily. It’s really a massive shift in our visitors’ travel philosophy,” he notes.

As someone whose job it is to constantly think five, 10, or even 15 years ahead, Philippe sees another slow-moving yet undeniable shift on the horizon – climate change. “It is the biggest challenge we are facing,” he affirms. 

He understands that, as a global organisation, Kerzner International needs to tackle the issue head-on. This means planning for the global shifting of seasons, the future needs of guests in an ever-warming world, and any environmental contingency that could impact the group’s properties. And with over a dozen new hotels in the pipeline, this also means finding more sustainable ways to bring those projects to fruition while leaving the smallest carbon footprint possible. 

For Philippe, it’s about “not seeing climate change as the end of travel, because nobody wants to stop exploring and discovering. Instead, it’s about being very intelligent in our overarching strategy of adaptation.” 

But even with this daunting task in front of him, Philippe takes heart in how resilient and motivated guests are to create core memories at his establishments. He notes that, during the month of August, Dubai’s Atlantis, The Palm was his best-performing resort of the summer, with a 91 per cent occupancy rate for the month. 

With so much forward-planning as part of his job, Philippe knows that not everything will always turn out perfectly. He points out that the company underestimated just how many families would flock to the Atlantis The Royal, which was originally earmarked for the 18- to 35-year-old set. They are now looking at expanding the space allotted to the hotel’s kids club and including a space dedicated to teenagers as well. 

This is why Philippe likes to surround himself with “disruptive people” who continue to challenge him with different perspectives, backgrounds and lived experiences than his own. “My role as CEO is to protect the creative people. You have to make sure they don’t get burned, because when you come up with ideas, you expose yourself,” shares Philippe. 

“I create this ecosystem where people feel free to bring ideas. After that, I want people to also understand that, if the idea is not retained, they shouldn’t cultivate frustrations and shut down. That’s why speed is so important in this industry – it’s always on to the next. We don’t dwell. Yes, we do make mistakes, but I prefer mistakes to remain still. I believe it’s okay to make a mistake, as long as we don’t do it twice.”