Anchalika Kijkanakorn, Managing Director and Founder, Akaryn Hotel Group

09/08/20 • 29 min

Anchalika Kijkanakorn, Managing Director and Founder of Akaryn Hotel Group, says COVID has given her the opportunity to sit down and really think about what she’s doing, where the world is going and how we can come out of this differently. She says she has appreciated having the time to work on new strategies and guest experience ideas for her portfolio of six hotels.
In order to stay focussed during lockdown, she started baking sourdough (thinking she was unique) until she discovered the whole world was doing the same! While she has been too busy to miss her regular summer holiday overseas, she’s holding onto the hope she can take her two young boys skiing at Christmas—a family tradition for nearly a decade.

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Simon Westcott, CEO and owner of the LUXE City Guides

Going stir crazy on an island, the future of travel-related content and how the pandemic has impacted our quality of life are just a few of the topics on the mind of Simon Westcott, CEO and owner of the LUXE City Guides.

While he—and many others in the travel world—are ‘hibernating for the winter’, Simon says he’s made the most of a slower pace of life, enjoying more time for walking and hiking. He even packed a bag recently and took a staycation up the road from his home, just to feel the thrill of travel in a small way. He believes humans have always both nested and explored, and thus is optimistic about the future, believing the yearning to travel won’t keep us away for long.

Next Episode

Rob Hornman, Senior Vice President Global Supplier Relations, HRS

Old friend and fellow travel lover, Rob Hornman, discusses the differences between travel and tourism with David. He says real travel is about taking your time, enjoying the chance to explore a place, meeting local people and exploring.
Food in particular has shaped many of Rob’s travel experiences, offering a window into the true rituals and culture of the destination. Having not lived in his home country of the Netherlands for many years, he says his communities are global. You simply live your life and carry on that life in the different places you visit. The ability to do this has been a key thing he's missed during the current COVID-19 crisis.