Our attitudes towards travel have undergone a seismic shift in recent years. For many people, the onset of the pandemic provided a catalyst moment to completely reassess their relationship with travelling. Meanwhile, the rise of ‘digital nomad’ culture, the impact of the Airbnb effect on local communities, and the inherently unsustainable nature of air travel have raised some big questions for brands in the travel industry.

Philippa Wagner has spent over a half a decade helping hospitality brands find their audiences against this rapidly changing backdrop. After heading up the insights and innovation team at Ennismore, where she helped develop several new locations for the Hoxton as well as its spinoff co-working brand, during the pandemic she set up her own creative strategy studio PeoplePlacesSpaces and has since worked with hotel brands including Locke and Birch.

“I work with brands to understand, what will the world look like in three to five years time when we open the doors?” Wagner tells CR. “I work with them on creating the narrative that runs through, from who the guests are going to be, to what the experience and design principles are, also bringing in the right partners to build that ecosystem so that it eventually becomes a bricks-and-mortar product.”