Minor Hotels and Strategizing for Film Tourism Success – Skift Travel Podcast

In this episode of the Skift Podcast, Rafat Ali speaks with Ian Di Tullio, global chief commercial officer of Minor Hotels, about the company's growth strategy, the evolving hospitality landscape, and the influence of pop culture and film tourism on bookings.

Minor Hotels has gotten a lot of buzz recently due to the hit TV show The White Lotus being filmed at its properties in Thailand. The company's Global Chief Commercial Officer Ian Di Tullio discussed how Minor Hotels is looking to take advantage of the show's popularity and more — including its growth plans and the impact of AI on operations — in this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast with Skift CEO Rafat Ali.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | RSS

Economic Uncertainty and Booking Trends: The hospitality sector is navigating high uncertainty, with financial markets swinging wildly. Di Tullio noted the absence of a “playbook” for this type of volatility, with booking patterns becoming more erratic — especially in corporate travel. However, the recent market rally and tariff reprieve could help stabilize leisure demand over the next few months.

Strong Performance and Forward-Looking Strategy: 2024 was a record year for Minor Hotels. Despite global turbulence, the company remains cautiously optimistic, focusing on protecting consumer-facing experiences while managing backend costs conservatively. They’re closely tracking economic indicators but aren’t adjusting guidance downward — yet.

Geographic Growth Focus: The majority of growth is expected to come from Asia, particularly China, Japan, and India. While Europe remains a stronghold, Asia is now a key driver, with successful openings like the one in Jaipur. Europe continues to grow, especially through the acquisition of NH Group, which helps expand into different market segments.

Impact of The White Lotus and Film Tourism: The success of The White Lotus, filmed largely at their properties in Thailand, significantly boosted visibility and demand. Average daily rates increased by 30–40%, and bookings spiked 200% on premiere nights. This led the company to formalize a "film tourism" strategy, targeting production houses from pre- to post-production in key regions like Thailand, Europe, and the Middle East.

Minor's Strategic Positioning in China and the U.S.: Minor has a relatively small hotel footprint in China but views it as a major market with significant developments, including mountain resorts and large convention hotels. In the U.S., Minor has a niche approach, focusing on gateway cities like New York and targeting luxury and leisure segments rather than competing head-on with giants like Marriott or Hilton.

Ali and Di Tullio discussed Minor Hotels' growth strategy and the impact of the HBO series The White Lotus. Di Tullio addressed how India and China are rising as major source markets for luxury travel and require different operational models and marketing approaches.

The discussion also delved into the transformative impact of generative AI on daily operations, from content creation to customer service and data harmonization, with a vision of building scalable, tech-integrated systems. In addition, Ali and Di Tullio touched on the importance of market diversification — not just to boost performance, but also to build resilience against geopolitical and economic shocks.

The conversation included a preview of the Skift Asia Forum in Bangkok, a city that's become a hub of travel innovation.