Alta blog

By Rakesh Patel — You will have seen the rise of hotel interest in adding wellness and fitness elements into their product offering, given consumer demand and pressure to effectively utilise spare GFA. Does it make sense financially? Good to

By Rakesh Patel — It’s always great to exchange ideas and learn from others, at a good hotel conference. Here are some soundbites from the recent SEAHIS event in Bangkok.

By Rakesh Patel — We have gone from restricted travel to overtourism, in the space of two years. Local residents and organisations in travel destinations around the world, are back lobbying local governments against mass tourism.

By Rakesh Patel — My recent trip to Sri Lanka reminded me of the breadth of beautiful experiences the island has to offer, across the tea county, beaches, sacred Bhuddist sites, wildlife parks, not to mention the food! At the

By Rakesh Patel — We did not attend MIPIM in Cannes – it’s too broad and too far, for a hospitality fund based in Asia. However, given the concentration of real estate insight, it’s always good to follow the MIPIM

By Rakesh Patel — The consistent message in most 2024 travel forecasts, was the robust return of Chinese tourists. So far, so good, looking at the Chinese New Year data. Led by domestic travel once again, total tourism revenues surpassed

By Rakesh Patel — A tale of two cities I love. I have spent most of this month between HK and BKK, observing the challenges and opportunities through a travel lens.

By Rakesh Patel — As we move into 2024, there is a plethora of travel trend forecasts for next year. The high-end for Asia is covered by Tatler and Conde Nast editorials, who are touting less visited exotic destinations, such

By Rakesh Patel — Wellness is a sector I know well, both personally and professionally. My mother has been an inspirational yoga wellness pioneer since the 1980s (picture of her book above), my brother runs a yoga school in London,

By Rakesh Patel — That HK business buzz has certainly returned to the city after so many years, but are things really back to normal here? From a travel perspective, we still have a ways to go. Latest numbers show