As luxury travel evolves, a growing number of travelers are looking to family-owned properties for more meaningful travel: authenticity, personal connection and a genuine sense of place.
According to The Luxury Travel Report by Preferred Hotels & Resorts, nearly 70% of affluent travelers believe modern luxury hotels have lost their soul to standardization. Instead, they are seeking experiences that feel deeply personal, emotionally intelligent and rooted in local culture – driving renewed interest in family-owned hotels.
Often described as part of the industry’s emerging post-luxury era, this shift signals a move away from excess towards hospitality defined by emotional intelligence and meaningful connection. In family-owned hotels, success is measured over decades rather than quarters, prioritizing guest satisfaction over shareholder returns. Owners often live in, or have deep ties to, their destinations, offering insight and service shaped by lived experiences rather than scripted interactions.
Jayne Alexander, Founder of Travellers Tales, a London-based travel bookshop and bespoke expedition specialist, comments:
“We’re seeing a clear move towards bookings for family-owned hotels. Travellers want to feel known and guided by people who truly understand the destination. Intuitive service, local insight and a sense of legacy now define what modern luxury looks like.”
At Porto Zante Villas & Spa, Europe’s most private beach resort, guests will experience the epitome of hyper-personalized service. This family-owned retreat offers an authentic, personal level of service that no corporate entity, no matter how grandiose, can match. With a warmth of hospitality and an uncanny instinct to anticipate even the most unique of traveler’s needs, guests frequently praise the resort for its unwavering attention to detail, hallmarks of a family-owned establishment. They come here for discretion and privacy, they leave with magical memories of precious time spent with those they love.
Prices start from £2,000 per week.
Luxury Scotland represents a curated collection of independent hotels and houses, selected for their individuality, sense of place and owner-led approach. Within the portfolio, several properties remain firmly family owned, where continuity and personal stewardship shape the guest experience.
Kinloch Lodge continues under the care of the Macdonald family, its origins as a Highland hunting lodge still evident in a style of hosting that feels instinctive and grounded. In Edinburgh, The Witchery and Prestonfield, both owned by James Thomson, reflect a long-term, hands-on approach where individuality is central to every detail. Further north, The Torridon, owned by Dan and Rohaise Bristow, demonstrates the realities and rewards of sustained ownership in a remote Highland setting, while Monachyle Mhor, led by Tom and Kirsty Lewis, brings a contemporary, family-centered vision to a historic inn. Together, these properties illustrate how long-term ownership continues to define some of Scotland’s most characterful places to stay.
In Umbria, former Premier League footballer Andrea Ranocchia (born in Assisi) and his wife Giulia have lovingly restored a crumbling 15th-century monastic hamlet into one of the region’s most distinctive boutique retreats: Borgo Antichi Orti Assisi. Acquired in 2016, the property is set within medicinal and botanical gardens first cultivated by Benedictine monks in 1444. Today, its twelve residences host immersive wellness retreats and intimate destination weddings, offering guests an experience rooted in slow living, spirituality and sustainability - shaped by history, landscapes and long-term family vision.
Prices start from £115 per night, including breakfast
In Rome, Palazzo Ripetta stands as one of the capital’s few remaining family-owned five-star hotels. Built in 1675 as the Conservatorio della Divina Provvidenze, the palazzo served as a place of shelter and education for young girls under the care of the nuns of St Dorotea for almost three centuries. Acquired in the 1960s by entrepreneur Alberto Ginobbi, it remains in family ownership today under the stewardship of his grandson, Managing Director Giacomo Crisci.
Following a sensitive restoration, the hotel reopened in December 2022 as the first five-star property on Via di Ripetta. Guests are welcomed into a grand foyer featuring Arnaldo Pomodoro’s iconic Sphere Within Sphere, while curated artworks and antiques throughout the hotel reflect the family’s deep respect for the building’s heritage.
Prices start from £450 per room per night.
Beyond Europe, Sabi Sabi Collection in South Africa offers a compelling example of family stewardship on a grand scale. Founded in 1979 by Hilton and Jacqui Loon, the Collection has grown from a single bush lodge into one of Africa’s most respected safari names, guided by a philosophy of custodianship, conservation and continuity.
Now in his eighties, Hilton Loon continues to shape the Collection’s future, including the expansion into Sandringham Private Game Reserve — a project focused on land restoration — and the introduction of The Claremont in Cape Town, bringing a refined urban dimension to the safari experience. Each decision reflects long-term responsibility rather than short-term gain.
As travelers continue to seek meaning, memory and emotional resonance from their journeys, family-owned hotels are increasingly setting the benchmark for what luxury looks like today. Less about spectacle, more about soul.
