Aradhana Khowala, CEO of Aptamind Partners, shares perspectives on restoring historic assets with purpose, grounding design in place, culture and community while creating meaningful guest experiences..
As a regenerative tourism expert, how do you decide which heritage elements to preserve?
I do not preserve heritage; instead, I preserve memory triggers that shape how guests truly feel and remember places deeply. Beauty is a sugar hit; meanwhile, memory is neurochemistry and the brain archives disruption, not perfectly curated visual surfaces alone. Therefore, a heritage wall is a scroll-past like spam, because pretty moments fade quickly without sensory or emotional interruption for guests. Instead, what endures interrupts autopilot, such as thresholds you slow at, creaking stairs, cool stone, woodsmoke scents and repeated rituals remembered. Consequently, this is not decor but cognitive anchoring, where fewer honest elements become unavoidable, trusted and neurologically sticky for guests. Ultimately, keep less and design sensory truth, because the brain remembers experiences it trusts, not styled Pinterest heritage ever fully.
How can modern interventions be thoughtfully integrated into heritage properties?
The simplest rule I give hotel owners is this; without exception, every upgrade must pay rent back to place. Imagine restoring a heritage property and charging USD 100 more nightly. However, regeneration ensures that uplift circulates locally. Instead of merely polishing marble, that additional value flows outward; consequently, wages rise and local suppliers secure ongoing contracts. Thus, the true upgrade is not only visible to guests but measured by who grows stronger because arrivals continue. Similarly, when reviving an old craft, you do not trap it behind glass for passive admiration. Instead, you fund apprentices, sustain workshops, commission real work; therefore, guests encounter living culture rather than decoration. Ultimately, beauty is easy to achieve; however, regeneration is measurable through beneficiaries, returns and what endures long after checkout.
From a regenerative perspective, what makes a restoration truly connect guests to a destination?
A restoration connects guests to history when the story isn’t marketing but is operational. In regenerative projects, the place gets stronger whether anyone is listening or not. The story runs in the background, long after checkout. That means funding continuity, not just surfaces but multi-year contracts for local makers, paid apprenticeships tied to how the building is maintained and procurement that keeps money circulating nearby. History isn’t displayed; it’s employed. Only then do you earn the right to tell the story. Because now it has proof, not poetry. And guests shouldn’t just hear it. They should see it, touch it and be part of it.
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