Trends In Luxury Hospitality: Jade McBride of Ted Turner Reserves On Future Trends Of the World’s Most Luxurious and Unique Hotels
An Interview With Dina Aletras
Meaningful and purposeful connections with the place and the people. We are craving real human connections in society today. Shaking someone’s hand, seeing the twinkle in someone’s eye when they smile at you and a hug goodbye are some of the most fulfilling parts of travel.
The hospitality industry is continually evolving, with luxurious and unique hotels setting new standards in comfort, design, and guest experiences. From cutting-edge technology to eco-friendly practices, these hotels are at the forefront of innovation. What trends will shape the future of the world’s most luxurious and unique hotels, and how are they preparing to meet the demands of tomorrow’s travelers? As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jade McBride.
Jade McBride is President of Ted Turner Reserves. In this capacity, he oversees the development and operation of hospitality businesses on Turner lands. He works to ensure that these ventures are grounded in conservation of the land and species who call it home, and that guests are inspired by the rejuvenating power of nature.
Prior to joining Turner Enterprises, Jade was General Manager at The Ranch at Rock Creek in Montana, the world’s first Forbes five-star guest ranch. He was also part of the opening team at Amangiri in Southern Utah and served as Mayor of the town of Big Water, Utah.
Thank you for joining us! To start, can you share a bit about your early background and how it influenced your journey into the luxury hospitality industry?
Hospitality has always been in my blood. As a child, my family shared in a houseboat on Lake Powell and a cabin in Island Park, Idaho, where we hosted friends and family. I see similarities in my desire to host curated experiences then to what we have developed for our guests today at Ted Turner Reserves. We carefully plan an itinerary of excursions and activities based on every person’s unique needs, create an exciting menu of meals we know each guest will enjoy, ensure the house is guest ready with every detail considered and cared for, and then we wait on the driveway to greet our friends and family as they arrive. High touch hospitality was a passion then, and it’s still what a passion today.
What inspired you to pursue a career in this field, and can you share the story behind your decision?
I’ve always been passionate about sharing magical places with people. Before working with Aman Resorts, I had not realized I could make a living by helping people enjoy their vacation. I joined Amangiri as part of the pre-opening team and often thought, “How strange it is that someone would pay me to do this.” It simply didn’t feel like work. I truly love having the opportunity to help guests make lasting memories.
What’s the most intriguing or memorable experience you’ve had since starting your career?
The moment that I realized that hospitality was a calling in life and my destined career — that was very impactful for me.
As a successful leader in the industry, which three character traits have been key to your success? Can you provide a story or example for each?
Endurance — Being willing to work hard has always had a major impact on my success. I love showing up for work early, as it gives me an advantage. By doing a few hours of work on my laptop early in the morning before most people wake, I get a jumpstart on the day, and can then spend the majority of my day on our properties — and they are BIG properties, adding up to over a million acres — talking with guests and staff, gaining insights into what’s working or not working, and troubleshooting any issues as they arise. Days in hospitality often stretch into the night, but by evening, I’m doing the part of the job that doesn’t feel like work, chatting with guests, and telling them the stories of the land and its unique history and growth, hearing about their day’s adventures . . . and loving every minute.
Which leads me to Storytelling. I love learning the stories of the wildlife on Ted Turner Reserves, the land, and the history, and then sharing what I’ve learned with others. Whether it’s my colleagues, guests, media, or travel industry partners, seeing people’s faces light up as they learn about the intricacies and interconnectedness of nature in these places where you can’t help but soak it in with all of your senses, that’s a true joy to me. That trait has helped me to find success in hospitality.
The “how hard can it be” gene. A key to creating a luxury hospitality experience is knowing the answer to any request before the request is made. The answer is always the same. The answer is “yes”.
Sometimes, figuring out how to turn that “yes” into a reality, or better yet, anticipating the request in advance and crafting the experience so that every detail is already in place, takes a great deal of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and juggling, but my first thought always seems to be, “how hard can it be?” Let’s do it.
How do you envision the role of technology transforming the guest experience in luxury hotels over the next decade?
While I’m certain that technological advances will help make the shopping, booking, and travel process more seamless and personalized, I believe that what people might want most in a luxurious escape from the day-to-day, is to experience something real. I hope to provide experiences that don’t include anything artificially intelligent. A real warm smile and a hearty handshake, breathing in fresh, clean (not filtered) air, touching the watery ripples in an icy cold stream, or the rough stone of a building that’s stood tall for over a hundred years, eating vegetables straight from the garden soil or off the vine, listening to the grunts of a field full of bison, and the songs of the birds in the trees. Knowing a bit about your dinner server and front desk agent and knowing that they know a bit about you. Being a little sad to leave your new friends with hugs on the driveway and a promise to come back soon. It feels to me like that might be the ultimate luxury in the next decade.
What unique architectural or design trends are emerging in the world’s most luxurious hotels?
I love the trend of amazing designers finding ways to make architecture merge with the natural world and environment in which it’s built. It allows guests to truly be immersed in their surroundings, and lose themselves in the experience, letting their regular schedules and worries fall away.
How are luxury hotels incorporating sustainability and eco-friendly practices into their operations?
Luxury hospitality and eco-friendly practices go hand in hand. You don’t find lots of disposable products and single-use plastics in luxury establishments, rather, you find high-quality linens made with natural materials, beautiful glassware, and serving pieces often produced locally or from recycled materials. It’s always good to re-examine our practices and ensure we’re doing everything possible on that front, from eliminating plastic to reducing food waste and composting what we create.
But there’s so much more to sustainability, and the best luxury hotels are being proactive about doing their part in at least three ways. First is working to improve the ecosystems they exist in. This might mean regenerating soils, waters, grasses, and forests, saving endangered species, or building green spaces. It’s not just avoiding what is damaging the ecosystem, but also improving upon the way we found it.
Second, it’s building stronger communities by providing excellent employment and educational opportunities, partnering with other eco-conscious businesses to create sustainable practices and systems for towns and cities, and buying locally produced goods and food products.
Third, it’s honoring the culture and history of the places where we build our businesses and making that a part of the experiences we provide for our guests and staff — continuing and building upon the legacy of those who were there before us.
What strategies are luxury hotels using to cater to the evolving preferences of millennial and Gen Z travelers?
This generation of travelers is clear on wanting more experiential, authentic, and meaningful travel experiences. They want to know they are doing good in the world by traveling. The strategies we use are quite simple as someone told me decades ago, “we often appreciate the things we discover more than the things we are told.” Our strategy is to provide people with opportunities to discover and be inspired by the work we’ve done to restore and protect nature. By doing so guests leave our properties not just inspired but often transformed and changed.
How are luxury hotels balancing exclusivity with the increasing demand for personalized and immersive experiences?
We have given our guests access to a team of some of the most experienced staff on our property called, “reserve ambassadors”. This team of elite staff is focused on creating tailored itineraries with magical moments built into them. Once you have a dedicated ambassador assigned to you, your time with us can be completely customized and is guaranteed to ensure you have the experience you uniquely desire.
Thank you for all that insight. Now, let’s dive into the core of our interview: What are the “Top 5 Trends In Luxury Hospitality”? Please provide a story or example for each.
1. Sustainability. The next generation of travelers wants to know that the places they visit are doing good in the world.
2. Authenticity. A word that is sometimes extremely overused in our industry. But no question is more real, and harder to find, today than it ever has been.
3. Meaningful and purposeful connections with the place and the people. We are craving real human connections in society today. Shaking someone’s hand, seeing the twinkle in someone’s eye when they smile at you and a hug goodbye are some of the most fulfilling parts of travel.
4. Backyard travel. More and more we hear people say they want to see and experience the places that are in their own backyards.
5. Connecting with nature. More and more travelers are ensuring that their vacations include time with nature in all its forms.
Do you have a favorite quote that has influenced your life? Can you share a story that illustrates its relevance to you?
Ted Turner: “You don’t work for me you work with me.”
In my history with Ted, I’ve heard him say this countless times. It creates a culture where you feel like you’re all in it together. Leaders who are willing to step into the trenches with their teams are always more successful than those who are not. I often say to the people I work with that we take care of each other first. Before our guests, before our own work, and before our profit, we take care of each other first. There is nothing as powerful in any business as an effective and cohesive team, sacrificing self for the goodness of the whole.
With your considerable influence, if you could start a movement to make a significant positive impact, what would it be?
Reconnecting humanity with nature. We are part of nature and not masters of it. Ted has told me, “we have to share these healed and balanced properties with people because it will make better humans out of us.” All challenges in our society today would improve if we, the humans who create and impact those challenges, spent more time connecting with nature and one another.
How can our readers stay updated with your work online?
Subscribe to our email newsletters at www.tedturnerreserves.com.
Thank you for sharing these fantastic insights. We appreciate your time and wish you continued success.
About the Interviewer: Dina Aletras boasts over 20 years of expertise in the corporate media industry. She possesses an in-depth understanding of growth, strategy, and leadership, having held significant roles at some of the UK’s largest media organizations. At Reach PLC, the UK’s largest tabloid publisher, she served in various director capacities. Additionally, she held leadership roles at The Independent Magazine Group and DMGT. Her extensive knowledge spans editorial, digital, revenue, sales, and advertising.
Upon relocating to Switzerland, Dina took on the responsibility of managing and promoting the international section of Corriere del Ticino — CdT.ch pioneering the English page “onthespot.” She also was the Co-Editor of Southern Switzerland’s first official Italian and English bilingual magazine.
