Its not a bad idea, one of the problems with looking up hotel websites is that you get a couple of photos of rooms if you’re lucky, and no real sense of the hotel or resort itself.  Some people revert to looking at review sites like tripadvisor or even Flickr for more “real” images of a hotel.

What a few hotels and resorts have started doing is releasing videos which give a better sense of the experience you will get at the resort, via YouTube.  Of course sometimes guests do too and those aren’t always so glowing.

One of the better series I’ve seen is the ones by InterContinental.  From the absolutely stunning photography of the ones from French Polynesia to the more practical guided tours by their Concierge in Bali, these YouTube videos are a good way to give potential guests a better feeling for the resort or hotel.

The Cost of Performing Rest

The Cost of Performing Rest

Modern systems have turned rest into something we perform rather than something that restores us. This essay explores why holidays often fail to renew people, how work and the holiday industry reinforce the problem, and what real restoration actually requires.

The New Luxury Signal: Emotional Stability

The New Luxury Signal: Emotional Stability

Luxury resorts used to sell status and spectacle. Now they sell something quieter: relief. Guests arrive overloaded, and the best resorts are redesigning around sensory calm, reduced friction, and emotional steadiness. Modern luxury is less about what you add, and more about what you remove.

When You Can’t Leave: Designing for the Flight Reflex in Airports, Venues, and Hospitals

When You Can’t Leave: Designing for the Flight Reflex in Airports, Venues, and Hospitals

In high-stimulus public spaces, our bodies do more than react – they strategise.
Airports, hospitals, and stadiums all evoke subtle “Flight” responses: scanning, pacing, early exits.
Understanding how threat appraisal drives behaviour can help architects and planners design calmer spaces – and reveal why relaxation, not excitement, predicts dwell, spend, and satisfaction.