A great new product has come out for the discerning whisky drinker. Apparently ice and top-notch whisky should never be mixed, but equally apparently whisky tastes far better cold because its warmed up in the mouth and hence the flavours develop or evolve rather the simply hitting you at once. So out of Scotland comes “real rocks”. Marketed by “Sippin on the Rocks Inc”, you can get highly polished granite cubes which you place in your freezer and then use to cool your drink. The granite of course comes from Scotland and is the same granite which the water used to make the whisky is naturally filtered by.

The cubes are packaged into a gift set containing 2 hand polished granite cubes, 2 crystal glasses and a solid walnut box to keep them in. The gift box retails for $US75 including shipping.

Weird idea maybe but what about these as a different idea for a guest gift for a whisky loving vip staying at your hotel or resort?

You can find their website here

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.

Small Towns, Big Relief: Nostalgia, Tradition, and the Break From Self

Small Towns, Big Relief: Nostalgia, Tradition, and the Break From Self

Small towns do more than change the scenery. They give visitors a break from themselves. This piece unpacks how nostalgia and tradition create identity relief that boosts spend, dwell time, and community value. Practical takeaways for tourism, luxury, food, museums, and policy.

The Last Ten Minutes of Luxury

The Last Ten Minutes of Luxury

Guests pay for days yet remember minutes. The peak end rule explains why a stay often lives or dies on one high moment and the day of departure. What works, what fails, and how to design the arc so memory carries your brand home.