After closing the doors to Tibet as the Chinese government feared uprisings around the Dalai Lama’s anniversary of exile, the doors have been reopened.
Apparently the anniversary passed uneventfully after the Dalai Lama requested everyone to approach it peacefully. But it didn’t stop foreigners and media being banned from the area for the whole of March.
There are still Chinese military patrols and foreign press is not allowed to roam freely again but at least the doors are back open.
As hospitality automates for efficiency, a critical line is emerging. Explore the hospitality threshold — where frictionless design becomes soulless, and which moments must stay human.
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.
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.
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.