Hotel chain reinventing tourism for a post-mass era

Exploring conditions that shape the way how people travel

The context

Tourism hotspots around the world are reaching breaking point. Cities and coastal areas are overcrowded, locals push back against hotel expansion, and tourists themselves feel they are part of the problem. Environmental pressures and regulatory responses add urgency. A leading hotel chain wants to adapt its business before backlash erodes its license to operate.

The challenge

The current model is built on volume growth, more rooms, more visitors. But this is becoming unsustainable economically, socially, and environmentally. The chain must reinvent what hospitality means when “more tourists” is no longer the answer.

How LIFT supports the process

  • Surfaces pressure points: LIFT gathers signals of local resistance, shifting tourist expectations, climate policies, and new travel behaviours.
  • Explores alternative futures: Scenarios like “What if regulation caps visitors per region?” or “What if tourists demand verifiable low-impact stays?” help test strategies.
  • Reveals system dynamics: Connection maps show how environmental limits, community sentiment, and tourist choices interact, making tensions visible before they escalate.

The outcome

LIFT doesn’t prescribe how to run hotels. It equips the chain with a clear picture of systemic risks and emerging expectations, helping leaders design new models — from distributed accommodation networks to sustainability-driven value propositions — that ensure tourism remains viable and accepted.