Design Hotels' inaugural annual trend report

In-depth insights, interviews and case studies, the Further Forecast uncovers six key trends shaping travel and culture for 2024 and beyond

Created in partnership with SOON Future Studies, we take an in-depth look at healing escapes, micro-awakenings, and the rise of psychedelic therapies; we explore the paradox of life speeding up thanks to AI while we carve out screen-free time, slowness, and intentionality; and we uncover how neuroaesthetics—designing for emotion—is emerging as a vital art and design principle, demonstrating the value of unscalable experiences in our modern world.

Three of the six key macro trends the report identifies include Age of Awe, Ancestral Wisdom and Remedial Pursuits, each of which is informed by a number of micro-trends – smaller, niche shifts "causing ripple effects in the current cultural landscape".

Key takeaways

• Within Age of Awe, Design Hotels identifies three micro-trends: Collectible Culture, which explores how shifts in luxury consumerism are leading to "more thoughtfully designed everyday objects", Miracle Moments, examining how unscalable "moments of wonder" are emerging as a new cultural currency, and Neuroaesthetics, which considers the impact visual and artistic experiences have on people's mental health and perception of the world;
• The second key trend Design Hotels identified was Ancestral Wisdom, which represents the growing concerns over the long-term consequences of "humanity's extractivist tendencies".
• Remedial Pursuits involves what Design Hotels describes as a "new approach to healing and feeling" that it says is being practised by younger travelers.

Get the full story at Dezeen and purchase the report at DesignHotels