With more money to spend on leisure, more globe trotting to be done and a greater desire to find a private location, more hotel guests are seeking to escape to locations further a field. Accommodation is becoming more exclusive in price and style and is another step away from the run-of-the-mill in terms of destination.

One particular destination are remote Islands. Island dreaming is becoming Island destination plus. Ecology, infrastructure and planning permission aside, Islands are being invaded as they are great locations for the leisure travellers. The appeal of golden beaches, clear sky, fresh air and a private garden of Eden seems universal. Untouchable paradise in the Pacific or Indian Ocean offers hot springs, water falls or the latest fashions; deep ocean spas and floating wedding chapels in glass bottomed boats.

Alternatively there are rainforests and jungles with treetop resorts, unique mediation and spiritual experience retreats and the guaranteed surrounding of serenity and silence of anything but the sounds of nature.

With such remote locations, the basics of getting the guest to the site is becoming an everyday part of the tour operators package deal. When guests are travelling to locations as far removed from the rest of the civilized world as possible, there is a need for private boats, or private planes. All entertainment and resources are provided at the location and the quality of service is tailored to match the luxurious and exclusivity of the surroundings.

Alongside guests, staff are needing to re-locate to work the operations. The positive appeal of Island life is that it is private and simple. The guests have set activities to choose from or just simply come to relax by the pool. If looking for a private retreat they don't want or need staff hovering around, so there is a lo less hustle and bustle.

For some, working on a dessert Island is ideal, for others it is the perfect place to catch a dose of cabin fever. Cabin fever, that is the inability to leave work behind and cope with the limitedness of social life and remoteness of the environment. It isn't a location easy to leave on a day off.

Detachment from the main land and geographic isolation can, after a while, have less appeal from both a personal and professional point of view. The difficulties of running short on products when there are no corner shops or onshore suppliers are apparent. All the guests needs have to be catered for on the resort. The local community outside the hotel is often concerned by the invasion. At times, when tourism is needed and welcomed, there will be a close and inter-dependent community, at other times the local community is self supplied, that is to say, the resort is the local community. Whilst the Island appeal for staff can also be to get away from the busyness, however upon  escaping, the need to be very multifunctional and skilled is discovered.

Whilst Island living implies relaxation and a slower pace, staff find there is still the need to stay ever motivated and provide the high quality service that guests expect. Luxury still means luxury.

Alternatively, if there isn't a sand Island nearby awaiting you, Langham Place Hotel is dubbed the sanctuary from madness in Hong Kong, a place for visitors and staff to Escape to within the city.

SpotLight is the weekly column exclusively written for 4Hoteliers.com by Sarah Muxlow, it is highlighting the challenges and issues which the global hospitality is facing today.

Sarah is writing for hotel and restaurant owners, hotel chain managers, producers/growers/sellers of food & beverage, restaurant associations, governing bodies and hotel schools. She is looking at the problems they face...competition, trends of branding, staff shortages, unskilled staff, turning out students who are looking for good in-house management training schemes with hotel chains, what makes a good quality training course at a hotel school and more... 

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