Our conversation with Bernhard Bohnenberger, CEO and Co-founder of Discover Collection, took place during the EHL Open Innovation Summit in Lausanne. We spoke with him about the role of technology in luxury hospitality, how guest expectations are evolving, and why emotional connection should remain central to high-end travel. Drawing on his background with Six Senses and now the Discover Collection, Bernhard shared his vision for what he calls “Mindful Luxury” and how technology should support, never replace, the human experience.
Which technology or innovation do you think will most reshape the hospitality industry over the next 5 to 10 years?
AI and technology are exploding, and nobody can ignore that. In the luxury end of hospitality, we would not send a robot to serve guests, but technology can help us as an amazing army of assistants or a source of information. It can be used in the background to personally serve our guests better. True hospitality still means human interaction and emotional intelligence, especially when you pay thousands of dollars a night. Machines should help our teams serve better, but they should operate by stealth. Like a ninja, if i