Grace Hotels’ development strategy is determined by a mindset that focuses on creating local, authentic memories that guests can become emotionally attached to, said Robert Swade, the company’s CEO, during a break at the recent International Hotel Investment Forum.

“That’s what’s really important,” said Swade, who became CEO in 2016. “The brand is not cookie-cutter now, nor do we want it to be.

“When we’re looking for new developments, we want to craft each property so it’s suitable for the destination and the guests that will stay there,” he added. “We specifically want each hotel to be quite unique, quite separate and quite distinct.”

Grace Hotels is a hotel management company owned by Libra Group, which is a family-owned international business group comprising 30 subsidiaries across five continents.