From insights into where the world's most wealthy are spending their time to storytelling in the age of TikTok travel planning and the changing world of hyper-specialised wellness, you can expect data, trends and advice from the hotel world's most influential and experienced figures at #50BestTalks: Unpacked.
After a successful inaugural edition in 2024, #50BestTalks: Unpacked is back and bigger than ever as an official part of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 event programme. Hosted at Four Seasons Park Lane in London on 29 October – a day before this year's 1-50 ranking is revealed at a live ceremony at Old Billingsgate – global luminaries and international industry experts will take to the stage to discuss hospitality's most pressing and preoccupying issues.
As well as focusing on the topic of today, 50 Best is asking what comes next. From the art of design to the science of wellbeing and from how holistic hotel design continues to transcend bricks and mortar to an interview with one of the industry's most lauded leaders, our panels bring together the pioneers, provocateurs and practitioners redefining what 'best' really means.
Learn more about this year's speakers:
Navigating the next era of luxury hospitality
Insights on how the global Four Seasons brand is honouring its legacy and adapting for the future.
Alejandro Reynal, Four Seasons president & CEO
Alejandro Reynal's route to leading one of the world's most prestigious hotel brands is an unusual one. With a career spanning industries such as business services, telecommunications and travel and hospitality, Reynal brings a rare blend of customer-centric vision, operational discipline and global perspective that has driven Four Seasons' expansion beyond hotels into private residences, yachts and experiences, reinforcing its status as one of the leading luxury hospitality companies under a single brand.
At a time when cultural touchstones in film and TV have thrust hotels into the spotlight, this fireside chat will dig into Reynal's perspective on what luxury means today and how Four Seasons continues to evolve in an ever-changing and ever-challenging hospitality environment as it heads into its 65th year.
TikTok to take off: storytelling in the new age of travel planning
How social became the first port of call for travel planning and how storytelling is changing the game for travel brands in the social space.
Hannah Bennett, head of travel, global business solutions at TikTok
Today, more than 48 percent of global travellers use social media as a main source of inspiration, with that figure rising to 66 percent for Gen Z. Gone are the days of purposeless doom scrolling on social platforms as a new wave of travellers turn to platforms like TikTok to tell them where to go, where to stay and what to experience, all in one minute or less.
With 18 years in media spanning the UK and US across TV, advertising, digital and social, Hannah Bennett will unpack how social media is rewriting the rules of inspiration and booking, bringing a global perspective on how travel brands can authentically connect with audiences. As TikTok shifts from entertainment platform to travel tastemaker, her insights into how destinations and hotels can capture imaginations – and convert a scroll into a stay – will be essential for anyone looking to understand the new traveller journey.
Beyond the silver bullet: the changing world of wellness
Exploring the rise of targeted health solutions in hotel wellness offerings, separating hype from evidence and uncovering what's driving the demand.
Anna Bjurstam, wellness pioneer & senior strategic advisor, Six Senses & Raison d'Etre, Ronald Akili, founder of Desa Potato Head and Sonal Uberoi, wellness business coach and founder of Spa Balance Consulting
Wellness in hospitality is no longer about a single miracle treatment or passing trend, it's about precision, purpose and personalisation. This session explores the rise of targeted health solutions in hotel wellness offerings, separating the hype from the holistically helpful and digging into what's truly driving guest demand, from treatments with a true sense of place to biohacking and wellness-driven design.
Joining the conversation are three trailblazers who continue to shape the future of wellbeing: Dr. Anna Bjurstam, the pioneering wellness strategist at Six Senses and Raison d'Etre; Ronald Akili, the visionary founder of the creative and sustainable hub Desa Potato Head Bali (ranked No.21 in The World's 50 Best Hotels 2024); and Sonal Uberoi, a visionary founder who helps wellness and hospitality leaders create tailored wellness assets. Together, they'll discuss how hotels can move beyond the silver bullet to create wellness experiences that are authentic, effective and unforgettable.
Form, function, feeling: redefining hotel design
An inside look at how thoughtful design transcends style, driving connection, narrative, and the way we experience hotels today.
Ulisses Marreiros, area managing director for Belmond & general manager of Copacabana Palace, Sophie Harper, editor of Hotel Designs magazine and Marco Ginex, design director at David Collins Studio
Great hotel design is has become more than surface-level appeal, increasingly it's about storytelling, emotion, sense of place and connection. This session explores how thoughtful design choices can shape not only how a property looks, but how it feels, exploring the impact they can have on large-scale renovations made to protect the past and build for the future and the new rules for truly holistic design.
Bringing their perspectives from the worlds of operations, media and design are Ulisses Marreiros, area managing director for Belmond and general manager of the legendary (and recently reborn) Copacabana Palace, Sophie Harper, editor of Hotel Designs magazine and Marco Ginex, design director at one of the world's most well-regarded design houses, David Collins Studio. Together, they'll reveal how design can move beyond style to become the soul of the hotel experience today.
Now and next: the untapped travel trends hoteliers need to know
The travel trends reshaping hospitality today and tomorrow, with a spotlight on the untapped markets hoteliers can't afford to ignore.
Simon Lynch, global sales & product director at Scott Dunn
From shifting guest expectations to emerging destinations and new target audiences, the travel landscape is evolving faster than ever – and hoteliers who fail to adapt risk being left behind. This session takes a forward-looking view of the trends reshaping the hospitality world of tomorrow, identifying opportunities and challenges. Simon Lynch, the global sales & product director at Scott Dunn will present, offering insight from the brand's extensive experience in curating luxury travel experiences worldwide and giving a unique lens on where demand is headed next, and how hotels can capture it.
The new wealth map: fastest-growing cities of tomorrow
A data-driven exploration of global wealth migration analysing who's gaining, who's losing and where the world's ultra-wealthy are headed next.
Stuart Wakeling, managing partner at Henley & Partners
Wherever the wealthy go, investment, innovation and influence follow. This data-driven session unpacks the latest trends in global wealth migration, revealing which cities are rising, which are losing ground and how these shifts will shape the future of travel, hospitality and luxury.
Leading the exploration is Stuart Wakeling, managing partner at Henley & Partners, the global leader in residence and citizenship by investment, whose expertise in advising ultra-high-net-worth clients offers a unique window into where the world's ultra-wealthy are headed next – and why it matters.
#50BestTalks: Unpacked will be held at Four Seasons Park Lane in London on Wednesday October 29 from 11:00-15:00 and is accessed by invitation only. Follow 50 Best's social channels for highlights and insights from the event.
The list of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025, will be announced on Thursday 30 October live from Old Billingsgate London. To stay up to date with the latest news, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube, and sign up to our newsletter.
