Michael Cirino, founder and CEO of House of Attention, explores a bold shift in hospitality thinking. The idea of “return on attention” is the new measure of hospitality value. Cirino makes a clear case for a new hospitality era. One where hotels are not just places to stay, but destinations designed to be remembered, discussed and returned to.
Have hotel experiences become too predictable?
Absolutely, and it’s a symptom of safe design. The industry became obsessed with the concept of seamlessness. As well as this, the idea that luxury means eliminating all friction. However, when you eliminate all friction, you also eliminate texture, surprise and character. For example, waking up in a five-star room in Tokyo feels the same as in any other country. It is because the rooms all look and feel the same, with the same bedside table and neutral linens. True attention isn’t about giving people exactly what they expect. On the contrary, it’s about breaking the script to make them notice where they are.
What makes guests truly remember a hotel stay?
Memory isn’t triggered by a marble bathroom or a fast check-in. Rather, it’s triggered by emotional resonance and narrative. We remember the things that make us pause and engage our senses unexpectedly. For example, it’s the hyper-local snack waiting for you that tells a story about the neighborhood. It’s perhaps an architectural quirk that forces you to look up. At House of Attention, we believe the most memorable moments are those that reward curiosity. It is essential for a hotel to design spaces and rituals that treat the guest not just as a consumer of a bed. The guest needs to be treated as an active participant in an environment, that’s what sticks. It’s even okay to challenge guests.
Is creativity becoming a hotel’s greatest differentiator?
Without a doubt. In a world where a great restaurant, a beautiful spa and high-thread-count sheets are now the baseline entry requirements, creativity is the only thing left that can’t be easily copied. It’s no longer enough to just offer a nice place to sleep; hotels have to offer a distinct point of view. Creative programming, unexpected partnerships and experiential design are what transform a hotel from a mere utility into a cultural destination. The properties that win moving forward will be the ones that use creativity to capture human attention, curate genuine subcultures and ultimately offer an experience that you simply cannot find anywhere else.
