‘At its best, hospitality is about relationships, exchange and shared curiosity — the human threads that bring places to life.’ So opened Smith Sessions, our first gathering of the industry’s most interesting voices, under the umbrella theme of ‘shaping the future of travel’. Held in 180 Health Club on London’s The Strand, the day began with a powerful speech by Mr & Mrs Smith’s CEO, Natasha Shafi, then moved into six insightful panels — spanning hospitality, sustainability, arts and culture, style and design, culinary and wellness — led by some of the industry’s most interesting voices. In front of an audience of hoteliers, editors, artists, press, designers and tastemakers, the conversations were candid, ambitious and surprising in the best of ways.
What struck us most about the day wasn’t any single moment, but the cumulative effect of being amongst people who genuinely care: about the places they create, the guests they welcome, the stories they tell, and the world those stories exist in. Here are a few of the moments that stayed with us.
Setting the stage: Reflections from a CEO
Mr & Mrs Smith’s CEO framed the day as a space for reflection; a place to pause and consider not only where travel is going, but what it is becoming.
Natasha Shafi, CEO of Mr & Mrs Smith
Panel 1: The future of travel
Our first conversation looked at how, as guests become more discerning, the hotels winning loyalty are the ones that understand and anticipate needs without being asked.
L-R: Natasha Shafi, Jennica Arazi, Silvio Vettorello, Aimee Hodgkin
The keynote speech: travel through a cultural lens
Drawing on personal experience and sharp cultural insight, The Wick’s Katy Wickremesinghe spoke to a growing shift away from algorithmic, spectacle-driven travel towards experiences rooted in art, place and human connection.
Katy Wickremesinghe
Panel 2: Sustainability
This discussion focused on what accountability can look like in luxury travel, and who in the industry is leading real change.
L-R: Liam Freeman, Matt Starkey, Amanda Ho, Simon Green
Panel 3: Arts and culture
This panel dissected how culture can be a powerful differentiator in hospitality when artists, designers and creative communities are engaged in genuine, meaningful ways.
L-R: Katy Wickremesinghe, Brandei Estes, Jack Lazenby, Dom Chung
Panel 4: Style and design
Good design is often what you don’t notice — until you’re somewhere that doesn’t have it. This panel examined how the most compelling spaces today resist trend cycles entirely.
L-R: Ella Alexander, Alex Dauley, Christopher Cox, Ben Thompson
Panel 5: Culinary
Our panel of literal tastemakers considered food’s role as one of the most sensory connectors to place, with a focus on locality, seasonality and storytelling.
Mina Holland, Justin Tsang, Lotti Bruce, Ixta Belfrage
Panel 6: Wellness
A conversation on how hotels are moving away from wellness as a standalone spa offering, towards holistic ecosystems that integrate physical, emotional and environmental wellbeing.
Hannah Coates, CJ Jones-Leake, Zoe Patoff, Sacha Hale
