The Hotel&Spa Forum has become a must-attend event for those who imagine tomorrow’s well-being. It brings together in Paris at the four Seasons hotel the most influential players in the spa, hotel and design worlds, to discuss the major issues of the future: customer experience, sustainability, innovation, but also regeneration and sensitive hospitality.
It was against this stimulating backdrop that I had the pleasure of hearing Simon P. Casson, now Chief Executive Officer, Corinthia Hotels, after a distinguished career with the Four Seasons Group, where he headed up operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A global reference in the luxury hotel industry, Simon Casson is known for his strategic, demanding and deeply human vision.
His message at the conference was clear: hospitality must evolve into a form of care, in the broadest sense of the term. In a world that is losing its bearings, customers are no longer simply looking for accommodation, but for a place to slow down, to refocus, almost to heal. And this movement, far from being marginal, represents a powerful opportunity for differentiation and profitability.
Through his words, a new paradigm took shape: that of hospitality based on presence, listening, quality of attention and respect for rhythms. A hospitality that cares without medicalizing, that inspires without imposing, and that makes well-being no longer an ancillary service, but a strategic pillar of the customer experience.
A paradigm shift: from welcome to care
Hospitality is no longer limited to welcoming guests in the traditional sense. In a world where guests are looking to recharge their batteries, slow down and reconnect with themselves, the hotel experience is becoming a space for care. Not in the medical sense, but in a broader sense: taking care of others, anticipating their needs, offering a secure, inspiring and regenerating environment.
Simon Casson, a leading figure in the luxury hotel industry, reminds us that well-being is not an extra, but a common thread. It begins with the way we look at our guests, the way our teams behave, the way we offer presence. “You have to meet the customer where he or she is at,” he says. This quality of presence becomes care in itself.
Invisible care: atmosphere, rhythm, attention
In this new approach, every gesture counts. Hospitality becomes a silent choreography in which silences, lights, flows and thresholds are carefully considered. The customer senses a climate, an atmosphere, a tone. Nothing is imposed, everything is suggested.
Simon Casson insists: the wellness experience doesn’t start at the spa, but at the front door. You have to be able to create a sense of emotional security and permission. Allowing the customer to settle down, to slow down, to breathe. This invisible care is achieved through tiny attentions: a word, a tempo, a way of setting down a plate.
The luxury of attention in the age of disconnection
In a world saturated with screens, injunctions and noise, offering silence, slowness and listening becomes a powerful act. Hotel well-being becomes a remedy against scattering. Far from bling-bling, it values a sense of rhythm, calm, nature and disconnection.
More and more customers are looking for a place to rest their attention. Hospitality is transformed into a protective ecosystem. Care becomes architectural, sonic, olfactory and human. And every hotel employee becomes a “link practitioner”.
New team training: towards a culture of care
This change requires a transformation of skills: empathy, active listening, recognizing weak signals, taking a back seat, offering availability without overacting.
Simon Casson advocates a more human approach to recruitment and training. It’s no longer just a question of training in procedures, but in a posture. This hospitality of care implies that the teams themselves are well treated. Care begins internally. “You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself and your colleagues”.
Care in the bedroom: architecture of intimacy
A well-designed room is a silent care. Simon Casson reminds us of the importance of truly blackout curtains, the absence of noise or warning lights, and the ability to simply control the space. The slightest discomfort becomes a strain over time. A fluid, intuitive space, where customers can be themselves, encourages rest and regeneration.
Care also involves air quality, opportunities for movement (yoga, stretching, exercise) and natural light. Design then becomes at the service of the living.
Redefining the mission of the hotel industry
What if the hotel were no longer just a place to pass through, but a place of transformation? A place where people sleep better, eat better, breathe better, think better? It’s the promise of hospitality that cares, that cares without infantilizing, that inspires without imposing.
In a world losing its bearings, the hotel can once again become a beacon. A temporary retreat that brings us back to ourselves. And this is perhaps where the greatest profitability lies: in the customer’s memory, in the profound impact left by an experience that cares.
Conclusion: hospitality on a human scale
Simon Casson reminds us that this evolution is no utopia. It is economically viable, provided we are clear-sighted, rigorous and authentic. Hospitality that cares is more demanding, but also more inspiring. It puts people back at the center. It transforms the hotel into a haven, the welcome into a treatment, and the stay into regeneration.
What if, tomorrow, hotels were to become the new places where the soul is cared for?
The Delporte Hospitality approach: making well-being a corporate culture
At Delporte Hospitality, we believe that generous hospitality is a winning strategy, serving both the customer experience and economic performance. Well-being is more than just a product offering: it’s a culture, an art of hospitality, a way of welcoming customers and employees alike.
Our support is aimed at hotels, healthcare establishments, services and retail outlets that want to integrate this dimension into their strategy on a long-term basis.
Diagnosis of the hospitality experience, team coaching, space design, hospitality training, strategic support: our mission is to align vision, emotion and profitability, to make well-being a shared, lived value.
