10 Destinations to Visit Based on Your Love Language
10 Destinations to Visit Based on Your Love Language
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From romantic Santorini to adventure-filled Patagonia, these destinations match your love language—whether it’s quality time, gifts, or physical touch.
If you’ve been on social media recently, you’ve probably encountered the concept of Love Languages. Derived from a 1992 book by self-help author Gary Chapman, the idea is that we each have preferences for the way we give and receive love: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Chapman posits that by identifying our unique Love Language (there’s a handy quiz for that), we can improve communication and have more fulfilling relationships. But what if it could also help us have more fulfilling vacations? Ahead, we’ve selected the best destinations to visit based on your Love Language.
PHOTO: Altezza/Dreamstime
1 OF 10
Words of Affirmation
WHERE: Dublin, Ireland
If words of affirmation are the way to your heart, these famously friendly destinations will have you radiating confidence from the moment you arrive.
Dubliners are a gregarious bunch with a raucous sense of humor and superior storytelling skills. Set foot in virtually any Dublin pub, and you’re bound to have a great time—especially if there’s trad music involved. Mingling at a Seanchoíche storytelling event, or sharing a meal on a Dublin food tour, will turn strangers into fast friends on your next Ireland trip.
PHOTO: tawatchaiprakobkit/iStock
2 OF 10
Words of Affirmation
WHERE: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Known as “the land of smiles,” Thailand has a firm reputation as one of the world’s most welcoming places, and Chiang Mai, in the country’s mountainous north, offers plenty of ways to experience the warmth and hospitality of locals. Meet a monk as part of the Buddhist university’s Monk Chat initiative, learn to cook Northern Thai Curry Noodles (Khao Soi) at Grandma’s Home Cooking School, or take an indigo dye workshop with local craftspeople.
PHOTO: Dmitrii Pichugin/Dreamstime
3 OF 10
Quality Time
WHERE: Patagonia
A trip to one of the world’s more remote places brings plenty of opportunity for quality time. Get off the grid and share a hefty dose of adventure and awe with your travel partner.
Located at the tip of South America and known for its wild landscapes dotted with vast glaciers and towering mountains, Patagonia is an adventurer’s dream. Two famous hiking routes—El Chaltén (Laguna de los Tres, Cerro Torre) or Torres del Paine (W-Trek)—promise mind-blowing scenery and the opportunity for hours of uninterrupted conversation. Visit during shoulder season (November and March are great months) for fewer tourists and more distraction-free awe.
PHOTO: R.M. Nunes/iStock
4 OF 10
Quality Time
WHERE: Namibia
Vast skies, endless deserts, and signal-free safari lodges set the scene for connection in Namibia. Scale enormous Sossusvlei sand dunes at Namib-Naukluft National Park (the aptly named Big Daddy and Big Momma), spot wildlife from the sky on a hot air balloon safari, or gaze into the cosmos on a stargazing tour. As one of the world’s least populous countries, Namibia enables privacy to enjoy its natural wonders and soak up some alone time.
PHOTO: Kadagan/Shutterstock
5 OF 10
Receiving Gifts
WHERE: Morocco
If your idea of heaven is receiving or giving a thoughtfully selected gift, these destinations have shopping opportunities above and beyond the usual chain stores.
From Marrakesh to Fez, the energetic cities of Morocco are full of treasures to uncover—and haggle over. Each souk is stuffed with handcrafted leather, ceramics, glasswork, and rugs you’ll want to bring home, so don’t forget to leave space in your suitcase for souvenirs. For a more immersive travel experience, this shopping tour takes you inside tanneries, weaving cooperatives, and carpentry workshops, so you can learn how each item is made using centuries-old techniques handed down from artisan to artisan.
PHOTO: SeanPavonePhoto/iStock
6 OF 10
Receiving Gifts
WHERE: Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo’s shopping scene caters to every niche interest and taste. The city’s neighborhoods each have their own retail specialism: Ginza for luxury brands, Shinjuku for giant department stores and electronics, Shibuya for youth fashion, Harajuku for “cute culture” and cosplay, Akihabara for anime, and Shimokitazawa for vintage boutiques. Tokyo’s subway runs like clockwork, so you can spend an entire day bopping from neighborhood to neighborhood, filling your arms with bags of goodies to bring home.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Costa Rica Tourism Board
7 OF 10
Acts of Service
WHERE: Costa Rica
Does your sense of fulfillment stem from doing things for others? A carefully researched volunteering trip to one of these places is the ultimate “act of service.”
Nature lovers can take a hands-on approach to wildlife conservation in Costa Rica, one of the world’s most biodiverse and sustainable countries. Rescuing and rehabilitating sloths is, of course, one of the most popular volunteering opportunities there, but you can also help facilitate reforestation, pitch in with national park maintenance, or work on butterfly conservation. In the process, you’ll help a local learn English while practicing your Spanish.
PHOTO: Sergii Figurnyi/Shutterstock
8 OF 10
Acts of Service
WHERE: Bali, Indonesia
Make your trip to beautiful Bali even more memorable by volunteering with a reputable organization like IVHQ. If your passion is wildlife, you can help with sea turtle conservation or environmental education. For a more community-focused act of service, volunteer to teach school kids English, or participate in basic healthcare education in Ubud. You’ll live in a volunteer house in a traditional Balinese village for a truly immersive experience with like-minded people.
PHOTO: Andrew Mayovskyy/Shutterstock
9 OF 10
Physical Touch
WHERE: Santorini, Greece
The laid-back pace, stunning surroundings, and luxurious hotels in these destinations are a recipe for romance––and plenty of physical touch with your significant other.
Santorini is a popular honeymoon destination for good reason—every element, from its cliffside sunsets to its candlelit terraces, oozes intimacy. Take your beloved on a sunset cruise complete with a hot springs dip at Palea Kameni, visit the island’s best vineyards on a wine tasting tour, or ride horses on a black sand beach together. Of course, staying in your hotel can be just as enticing as going out. Enjoy private cliffside dining at Mystique or a dip in your own private plunge pool at Santorini Secret.
PHOTO: Nikolais / Dreamstime.com
10 OF 10
Physical Touch
WHERE: Seychelles
Barefoot luxury is the vibe in Seychelles. Strolling hand in hand down the island’s gorgeous beaches, with their powder-fine sand and giant granite boulders, is romantic enough, but the island is bursting with experiences to level up your connection. Case in point: This bath ritual for two, complete with Champagne and strawberries, and this private cooking class followed by dining on the beach as stars twinkle above.
Patel Family Office, AHQ launch $1B Saudi mid-market platform
US investors and Saudi industrial conglomerate to develop 50 business hotels by 2029.
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Regions/EMEA/Patel-Family-Office-AHQ-launch-1B-Saudi-midmarket-platform?
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA – After years of prominent and time-consuming hotel developments at the higher ends of the hotel spectrum in burgeoning Saudi Arabia comes news about a $1 billion mid-market development with the Dallas-based Patel Family Office and Abdel Hadi A. Al-Qahtani & Sons [AHQ] signing a deal to establish Ayara, a vertically integrated hospitality platform that will develop a network of 50 international brand-name business hotels by 2029.
The partners said the development model controls the full lifecycle in-house, from land acquisition and modular construction to FF&E manufacturing and hotel management, which is what makes the delivery timeline more credible.
Ayara will deliver standardized, branded business hotels at scale, serving the Kingdom’s booming corporate and business travel sector. Under the terms of the deal, Patel Family Office will collaborate with Abdelmalik Tariq Al-Qahtani Co. Hospitality Group (ATQ), an affiliated company within AHQ, to launch and operate Ayara.
The size of the 50-hotel network places the Patel Family Office-AHQ partnership among the largest individual hotel investment deals in Saudi Arabia to date. The deal was signed at FII Priority Summit in Miami, a gathering of forward-thinking global leaders founded by the Future Investment Initiative Institute.
By 2029, the platform is expected to deliver between 5,000 and 7,000 rooms across key economic corridors including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and emerging development zones like NEOM and the Red Sea region.
Patel Family Office, a third-generation single-family office, will lead the hospitality strategy for the portfolio and management of the hotel network, while AHQ will support development through its longstanding national operations and market expertise. ATQ Hospitality Group will also establish partnerships with international hotel brands for the operation of the 50-hotel network, and with best-in-class delivery partners for project structuring and construction.
“The Kingdom’s transformation is creating a new category of demand for reliable, practical and standardized business hospitality,” said Patel Family Office Vice Chairman and Managing Partner Lakshmi Narayanan. “Platforms like Ayara - combining global expertise with local execution - will play a critical role in meeting that demand. Ayara is positioned to become a foundational hospitality infrastructure platform supporting Saudi Arabia’s next phase of economic growth.”
“It requires new partnerships and new approaches to deliver economic transformation at the unprecedented scale we are seeing in Saudi Arabia,” said H.E. Abdulmalik Tariq Al-Qahtani, CEO of AHQ and chairman of ATQ Hospitality Group. “By integrating construction, procurement and hotel operations in the Ayara platform, we are establishing a new standard for development speed and efficiency. With the support and expertise of our American colleagues at Patel Family Office, the ATQ Hospitality Group is ideally equipped to capitalize on this extraordinary growth opportunity.”
Far East Hospitality’s great leap outward
New MD Mark Rohner charts scale-building and overdue 10,000-key regional map for Singapore group.
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Regions/Asia-Pacific/Far-East-Hospitality-great-leap-outward?
By Raini H.R.
SINGAPORE – The appointment of Mark Rohner as managing director of Far East Hospitality signals a definitive pivot. While his predecessor, Arthur Kiong, spent more than a decade carving out the group’s brand identity and culture, Rohner’s mandate is clear: scale-building and aggressive regional expansion.
In Asia’s investment circles, this is overdue. Far East Hospitality appears to already have scale, boasting a portfolio of 100 hotels with 17,800 rooms across 11 countries. However, most of these properties are under a 50:50 joint venture with Australia’s Toga Group, Toga Far East Hotels, formed in 2013 and based in Sydney.
Excluding the joint venture, Singapore-based Far East Hospitality is more medium size. It manages 31 hotels and serviced residences totaling nearly 7,000 keys. But geographical concentration remains a risk, as 25 of these properties are located in Singapore, with the remainder spread across Japan (five) and Malaysia (one).
Furthermore, few of these assets are under third-party management contracts; the majority are owned by Far East Hospitality’s parent, Far East Orchard, or the group’s ultimate parent, Far East Organization, a major real estate player.
This is why investors have long viewed Far East Hospitality as a proxy for the Singapore property market – an arm that manages owned hotels rather than a pure management company, let alone a regional one that it now aspires to be after 14 years of founding.
“Over 80% of our inventory mix at the moment is in Singapore. That works well when Singapore is doing well. So, we want to diversify and grow Far East Hospitality into a regional hotel management company,” Rohner said.
In future, he sees the possibility of a more balanced mix of 60% in Singapore, 25% in Japan and 15% in Southeast Asia.
Rohner aims for Far East Hospitality to manage another 3,000 keys by 2030, half of which will be in Japan and the other half in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. This will raise its total key count to 10,000 by then. Based on an average of 150 keys, it would work out to an addition of 20 hotels. The segment remains mid-tier, but the focus is on third-party management contracts.
Soul versus scale
Rohner’s background leans more towards investment and asset management than hospitality operations, having served companies including GIC, Frasers Hospitality Trust and Patience Capital Group, a firm known for aggressive Japan-focused real estate plays.
His predecessor Arthur Kiong was more slanted towards hospitality operations. Joining Far East Hospitality from day one of its founding, Kiong redefined or launched brands (Oasia, Quincy, Rendezvous, Village, Clan and Far East Collection) and positioned the company as Singapore-inspired hospitality with pillars such as ‘Acts of Grace.’
In short, under Kiong, Far East Hospitality found its soul. Under Rohner, it looks set to finally find its scale.
Exporting this platform as a fee-earning engine should come more naturally to Rohner. But breaking through the markets will be a challenge as shown in Japan, where parental support was needed to jumpstart growth.
The first two Far East Village hotels in Tokyo (Ariake) and Yokohama, opened in 2020 and 2021 respectively, are owned by Far East Organization. These assets served as a showcase of the Village brand and brought in three management contracts for another Village hotel in Tokyo (Asakusa) and two in Osaka (Honmachi and Namba South).
“We would probably want to see if we could come up with a similar playbook as we did in Japan to jumpstart some of our other target markets,” Rohner said.
The company is also keeping “a very open eye” on M&A opportunities to fast-track growth rather than growing by one hotel management agreement at a time. “We did look at Fusion [Hotel Group]. That’s the kind of acquisition that would help us scale. But we came a bit late to the table and were probably not set up yet in [areas such as resources] to seize the opportunity,” Rohner explained.
Fusion was recently acquired by SC Capital Partners’ Founder and Chairman Suchad Chiaranussati. The Vietnam homegrown management company, founded in 2008, manages 23 properties, primarily in Vietnam and a clutch in Thailand.
“Vietnam’s growth is phenomenal. Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc and Danang are the markets that we’re looking at,” Rohner said.
Far East Organization is in a joint venture with CapitaLand to develop major residential projects in Vietnam, a presence that will help open doors for Far East Hospitality, he believes.
Japan hospitality fund
Meanwhile, in Japan, parent Far East Orchard is launching a hospitality fund focusing on mid-tier hotels. Rohner, who is helping to drive the fund forward alongside a dedicated team, participates in investor meetings and underwriting from an investment committee perspective.
When asked about the size of the fund, he said it would be at least $100 million depending on the fundraising environment. “So far, discussions have been positive,” said Rohner, adding the group is also prepared to support the fund’s creation by taking a non-controlling ownership stake.
“Japan is a market we want to grow as its structural tailwinds are very strong, both from an operating and investment point of view,” Rohner added. “Because they are big markets, we could have more Village hotels in Tokyo and Osaka, then go into Kyoto and secondary cities like Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Okinawa.”
But geopolitics such as Japan-China tensions has led to a drop of arrivals from China. Japan also suffers from high inflation, rising operational and development costs, and an acute labor shortage.
Rohner agrees the labor shortage is a challenge, although Japan is now “more open” to issuing work permits to workers from Southeast Asia, he said. “We have non-Japanese staff now, unlike five to 10 years ago. We can still operate profitably in Japan at this stage,” he said.
“We believe Japan still has strong tailwinds for both operations and investment,” Rohner said. “The interest rate and currency are still favorable. Supply is limited because construction costs are high. The government is diversifying the tourist flow away from Tokyo and Osaka and if tourism spreads out across the country, I think they can reach their target of 60 million by 2030.”
He added, “We have a regional team in Japan with 16 people in the corporate office. So, it’s easy to ‘bolt on’ additional Village hotels, a brand which is not complicated [mid-tier, select-service]. The mid-tier is where the opportunity is for us because the larger hotel management companies are focusing on upscale, upper upscale and luxury. Moreover, there are lots of domestic operators in the mid-tier; it could enable us to move the needle in asset performance.”
Does ‘Singapore-inspired hospitality’ excite investors, given the city’s reputation for excellence?
Rohner said, “What owners want is a bang for their buck, that the fees they pay are being put to good use. And there is space for medium-sized hotel management companies between the independent hotels and the big chains. Management is a big part of our value proposition; we are a lot more hands-on and involved in operations while the larger players are becoming more like distribution platforms.”
When asked if he’s more of a business builder than GM of hotels, the new chief said, “I see myself as a business builder in growing the business, but also in building the capabilities of Far East Hospitality further, especially in key areas such as revenue management, digital marketing, and loyalty.”
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