Why Human Connection Is Becoming Hospitality's New Luxury

0:00ZS is a global consulting and technology firm that partners with companies to improve life and how we live it. Working with the world's top hospitality brands, ZS brings together data, science, technology, and human ingenuity to transform ideas into customer loyalty. They're ready to help you elevate guest experiences, improve operations, and uncover preferences and motivations through their AI-powered solutions. With more than 1 ,700 clients in over 170 countries, ZS has built the expertise, fortitude, and vision to help you deliver impact right where it matters. All right, morning people. Welcome back to Good Morning Hospitality.

0:40I'm Will Slickers. I'm joined by a colleague of mine here at Skift, Darren Free, who actually got to sit down with Elizabeth Mullins, the president of Evermore Orlando Resort. And it was such a great conversation, so I wanted to sit down really quick before we play this interview for all of you listeners and viewers today. But Darren, tell me, how was the conversation with Elizabeth? Yeah, we had a great conversation. It was a lot of fun. We kind of talked about how luxury travel is evolving and it's becoming more about having the time and space to connect with people. It's all about human connection.

1:09Group travel, Evermore Orlando is built for group travel. So we talked about how that's kind of evolving and how their approach to creating moments of connection is evolving. So yeah, I think your listeners will really enjoy this. Yeah, one of the things I loved from the conversation as I was getting to be a fly on the wall was around when Elizabeth was talking about, you know, if we can room 32 people in one of our homes or we can have X amount of people, we should have X amount of chairs at the dining room. then you should have a bathroom for every room like it shouldn't feel like you are trapped in a small hotel room and disconnected more than not and maybe even running over each other because even though the space says it can hold x amount which we all know in the short-term rental industry or the sector as we cover on this show often is that these attention to details when travelers are coming to a big vacation home spending a good amount of money and a good amount of time in this destination or in the property itself that these attention to details are crucial.

2:08Yeah. You know, when you throw a big group together, like when I'm planning a big group trip, it's fun to plan, but it's also a little daunting. And I'm like, there's always stuff that like might slip through the cracks or like Evermore really like takes care of all of those little moments, you know? And I think like one of the things Elizabeth impressed on me, it was like the best moments aren't really the planned moments. They're the conversations, the dinners, the jokes, the unexpected moments that happen in between. 100%. And I also love that when she was telling the story of the creation of evermore it was during the time of the most lonely time of our history probably and which was during covid and how you know that intentionality of building a destination for connectedness is so important and that they were kind of in at a great time and we even talked about after the recording saying like there was a time where we talked about creating a destination was the main goal where people use their vacation home or use the hotel as the destination itself.

3:00And she brought up a great step. They thought more people would spend three days at Disney and one at Evermore during their trip, but it's the exact opposite for them, where it's three at Evermore and one day at Disney. So what an incredible reversal. Yeah, I know. I love that. It makes me want to book a trip down there. 100%. So for the listeners that are maybe a little bit more intrigued or curious about the conversation, we're going to play it for you right here, right now on Good Morning hospitality. Make sure to check out the links in the show notes and enjoy.

3:53Hello, everyone. Welcome to Good Morning Hospitality. Darren Free here with Skift Studio. and I'm really excited about today's conversation. We're talking about why human connection and togetherness have become a bigger part of the conversation in hospitality, maybe even a new way to think about luxury. And joining us today is Elizabeth Bullens, the president of Evermore Orlando Resort. Evermore recently introduced a new approach that it calls relational wellness. Elizabeth, it's great to have you here. Welcome. Thank you so much. It's so good being here. I'm excited to speak with you today. Thanks.

4:27Great, great. Well, let's just start with the basics. When you talk about relational wellness, this idea of relational wellness, what exactly do you mean by that? And why do you think connection has become such a big part of, I guess, the luxury experience in general? And so we know that wellness has grown astronomically throughout the years. And part of wellness is actually the connection or your relationships one-on-one. And quite frankly, that has become one of the most important and largest drivers in travel. You start to see it with the normal markers like multi-generational travel, group travel.

5:07All of them are growing double digits year on year. but then you get into the science of it all. And the science shapes a pretty sad story about where Americans and globally, we are with loneliness. And so people are actually traveling for connection, which makes them feel better, which ultimately helps them live longer. Yeah. You know, it's like, I feel like I see that more from my friends that they're not just saying like, oh, I went to Paris or not just saying where they went. They're saying like, hey, I took my mom. We had this really great conversation, you know, that lasted a week, being able to sort of have that together time that you may miss in your day-to-day life.

5:46I know Skift, one of our Skift Megatrends a couple of years ago asked, how can travel fix the world's loneliness crisis? And I feel like Evermore is over here saying, you know, hey, we have an answer for that. So can you talk a little bit more about why now is the right time for this? Yeah. And so we think we have an answer for it, and we're trying to have an answer for it because we think it's really important. And it's important to understand Evermore was built for togetherness at the beginning. So imagine Evermore is being designed during the loneliness time in modern history, which is the pandemic.

6:21And so literally everything about Evermore was designed to make connection happen. If you have 11 bedrooms and they sleep 32, we have 32 chairs around your dining room table. Things like that matter for connection. You can walk into our restaurant and get a table for 20 without having a reservation for a large party. That simply doesn't typically happen today. We have a huge slide that brings you into our huge lagoon, all built for togetherness. But the slide isn't built for one. It's built for four, which is the average size of today's family. And so you see, we were built for connection. we then started reading the stats and said, there's got to be more to this than the way we were built.

7:09It's also how we program and how we make people feel. And hopefully the takeaway of that is an experience where connection lasts and you feel better in your own personal life. And so that's what we're trying to do is we're trying to take all the things that we were built for. We're looking at the stats and we're trying to make a better and a more together world possible. And so part of that, you know, deepening of this concept is bringing in an expert, right? Cassley Kellum. Can you tell a little bit more about, first of all, you know, who is Cassley and also maybe what she's added to the conversation?

7:46So as we started looking at all these markers that we saw that that was evidence of the fact that we're in a loneliness crisis in humanity, we thought, you know, we have a pretty good idea what togetherness is. So now we need some expert help on it. Just like in wellness, you needed expert help for all of the things that we do in wellness today, whether it's the spa or whether it's longevity, all of those things, we got expert help. We went the social science route because that's where we were seeing the markers. That's where we were seeing the story. And we found Casley because Casley is the leading social scientist on relational or social health.

8:31And she's the person that went to the World Health Organization and said, we're missing something under your wellness pillar. We're saying wellness overarchingly is very important, but we're not talking about the quality of relationships and togetherness as being part of that. And they said, you're right. And they added another segment to their overarching wellness strategy and said, social health and togetherness is a critical component for wellness overall. So when we found that, we engaged Casley, and Casley became involved with us, but she wasn't easy. We had to prove ourselves that we were actually thinking this way.

9:13And even today, she's helping us work through not just what's physically built. She thinks we're pretty good there, but everything we program, the service we give, and what we do with our own employees, that's what she's helping us redefine. Yeah. You mentioned in one of our conversations that one of the first things she did was challenge you on this idea of the employee experience and saying, if this is really your purpose, because it has to start before the guest arrives. So what kinds of things internally is she helping with to get you to that point? So it's interesting. So she came and she gave us an overall kind of wellness check on everything that we do on Evermore.

9:52And she asked that question and I said, well, our whole culture is built around togetherness. So, and she said, but what else? And she kept challenging with what else? And so my team and I went back and we tried to solve for what else. So now from a moment a job is posted until now you're having your first interview, relational wellness is talked about and it talked about in a way that inside our culture is about togetherness, but we provide this for the guests. Now the onboarding contains relational wellness. Now your 30-day check-in is about relational wellness. Did you make a best friend at work?

10:30Are you happy? Are you connected? How can we help you? What are other things that you want to do? How are we connected to the Evermore family? To the, now it's time for your review, you're six months in. How do we bring relational wellness into that? To the training, how we've continuously training on relational wellness. And we went through step-by-step, I think there's 16 of them, and added relational wellness into each one of these steps. I had a conversation with Casley last Thursday, and she almost got a little misty-eyed when And she heard all that we had done because she saw how deep we believe and how passionate we are on this topic.

11:11I also did my own research. And in my research, I asked specifically about hospitality. And in hospitality, I would think we're generally gregarious, outgoing people. And I would think, hey, there's no loneliness there. I was wrong. It's actually at 50%. And what everything I read said is that it's that high because hospitality people give so much of themselves at work. What we do when we create service and experience is give. And so we now have a moment of off time and we tend to retreat. And so there's nothing in it for us. We're not actually fostering our own relationships. We give to everybody else.

11:51And I thought that was fascinating. Oh, that's so interesting. As I'm hearing you talk about when you mentioned the place for 32 people around the dining room table, you know, I thought about the short term rental market. I thought about vacation rentals and how that's not really an option. You know, they may have, I don't know, they may have five to 10 bedrooms, but the dining room is so small that it can't seat that many people. That's just feels like one example that I also don't hear about this sort of idea of togetherness to such a degree when I'm looking at vacation rentals. Can you talk a little bit about vacation rental market and how Evermore sort of positions itself in relation to the market?

12:29If you took a hotel or a resort, a destination resort, and you combined it with what a vacation rental experience is, you merge those together. They had a baby. They had Evermore. And so literally what we did is we said, we're going to design a destination as opposed to a vacation rental. You have to figure out the destination. We're going to design one for you. And then we're going to take all the lessons learned from hotels and vacation rentals and fix them. And that's how Evermore was created. And it's exactly that. In a vacation rental, you either get the right amount of bedrooms or the right amount of common space.

13:11And you almost always have to share a bathroom. And we fixed all of that, right? So literally, that was from the beginning. So tell me, what about some of the specific activities that, you know, families or groups or friends or, you know, whomever is traveling together that they can do together while they're even just while they're in their own villa or room? What kinds of things can they do together? What's new now that you didn't have before? Yeah. And so, first of all, our experiences are always evolving. And now with CASLI, we're very, very thoughtful in the way we put those together. but I will tell you we're known for two things.

13:49Number one is we're truly a beachfront resort in the middle of central Florida. So we have an eight acre water body called, called Evermore Bay and it's surrounded by a true beach. So 20 acres altogether of a beach experience where you can boat, you can swim, you can get into a spa cruisy, which, you know, have a cocktail in hand with a group of friends and actually cruise the bay in a jacuzzi, right? That's cruising around the bay. Yeah, that'll be neat. Exactly. So we also are known for golf. So two beautiful courses that they're two legacy golf courses that have been part of the Grand Cypress Golf that's known in Central Florida and has been for years.

14:32And if you think about golf generally, you're seldom see a solo player out there. Typically, you go out with a golf group, right? And so that's part of togetherness as well. Now you're in, I'm going to imagine you're in one of our houses. And our houses are three stories. As I mentioned, that common area that's right. So our kitchens cook together, make a meal. That time around the dinner table and in the kitchen together is so connective. And our kitchens are big enough for 32 of you to cook together. Two fridges, washer and dryer, like all the things you would need to make a great meal. If you don't want to cook, our chefs will do that for you.

15:15So we have an entire chef home experience where if you think about it in a hotel, you couldn't do that in a guest room, but you can in our homes. Go up a level. And now you actually are in play zone where there's a pool table and there is arcade games and there are all those things. Walk outside. You have your own pool in all of our homes. and you also have huge Jenga games and cornhole and activities to play together. And so that's thoughtful and intentional. When you check in, we give you a puzzle to do, right? A puzzle, because people do that in groups and a deck of cards. Is that the game you play together?

15:58I love that. And it sounds like these homes are big enough to where, you know, when I travel with my family, I also like to have a little bit of my own time, you know, me time and, you know, I'll go and do my own thing. But I know the property itself is spacious enough to allow that kind of flexibility as well, right? Yeah. So the homes actually, they're lock off rooms. And so think about the bedroom in every home is like your own hotel room. But when you open up your door, right? It's got its private bath, all of that. When you open up your door, you're in a space where now you're connecting with your loved ones.

16:33Right? And I think it's always a balance. You need your own time, right? But when you come together, that typically your own time is not where you're making your memory. The time together is where your memories are made. Your own time is for you to get back in your own space. And then those moments in between that you didn't plan, that you're with those that you love and care for, those are the ones you'll remember forever. Yeah, no, I remember the road trips with my family and not necessarily wherever we arrived. You know, it was all about like getting there. You know, I want to bring this back to kind of the hospitality industry.

17:07You know, and first of all, if you're a travel executive, you're a hospitality executive, I also want you to do this for the vacation rental executive. But what's kind of a practical takeaway if they maybe don't have the scale of Evermore? But, you know, what's one thing that they can start doing, you know, tomorrow to kind of evaluate where they're at with the sort of relational wellness idea or maybe take it to the next level? What can they do? I'm going to be pretty strong here and say that travel and hospitality should have an obligation to make people feel more connected. Right. That should be an obligation that we have.

17:46We happen to be built for it. But if you're not built for it, do two things right away. Number one is take a look at your employee process and make sure you've built in some form of togetherness or community because that's really important. Think about this, that someone calls out today and call them or text them back and just say, I'm checking on you. That might be the only call or text they received today. And then from the guest standpoint, we're all creating experience and connection points. But do so mindfully. Do so meticulously. At least two or three of your experience could be to foster social connection.

18:28Even if you're a city hotel, you can still create those experiences where people gather. It might be helping someone more than you ever knew. I love that. And how are you measuring success? Like, what does success look like with this program a year from now? Like, when you look back and say, you know, boy, you know, we got Castly on board. We implemented all of these changes internally and guest facing. What does that look like? So I think there's a few ways to take a look and measure that. On the employee side, right, on that side, our team members, we already measure culture. And so we get a culture score.

19:05As part of that measurement, I'll have two or three biomarkers or markers that will actually measure relational wellness and togetherness as a team. So obviously, that's first to make sure that I get those score points and then to increase them over time. I want people to talk about this is the most connected I've ever felt when I'm on the job. Then from the guest side, it's different. It is how did you feel when you left and did you change fundamentally? Success for me looks like the family dinner is no longer a thing in the U.S. because we're all so busy and connected in different ways. But imagine if once a week it is.

19:44Imagine if Sunday suppers came back to your table and at least once a week you connected as a family or a friend group. That to me is success because it may have started right here around that home table at Evermore. I love it. bringing a Sunday family dinner back. That's a great place to leave it, I think. Elizabeth, thank you so much for your time and best of luck. Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure. And if you want any more information about Evermore, just look us up at evermore.com. More to follow on relational wellness and a more connected world is a better one for sure. Absolutely. It's a great note to leave it on.

20:23Thank you so much.

20:48ZS is a global consulting and technology firm that partners with companies to improve life and how we live it. Working with the world's top hospitality brands, ZS brings together data, science, technology, and human ingenuity to transform ideas into customer loyalty. They're ready to help you elevate guest experiences, improve operations, and uncover preferences and motivations through their AI-powered solutions. With more than 1 ,700 clients in over 170 countries, ZS has built the expertise, fortitude, and vision to help you deliver impact right where it matters.