“When traveling, what marks the memory is the worst as well as the best”

What makes a trip memorable? How can we explain that a place will anchor itself in our thoughts, for better or for worse? From the very Proustian taste of ice cream savored on a beach in summer to the unforgettable wild landscape, vacation memories are a subject as complex as it is fascinating. EquipHotel, the largest professional exhibition dedicated to the hotel industry which is held in Paris every two years, asked 12 students from the ENSCI-Les Ateliers design school to look into this theme. And more particularly, on that of hotel memories, obviously. The warmth of a concierge’s smile, a floral scent in the lobby, some treat placed on the sheets at bedtime: leaving a lasting imprint is a real challenge for professionals, faced with competition from rental platforms. The philosopher Gabrielle Halpern, author of Thinking about hospitalityis responsible for putting this vast field of study into words, in order to provide keys to the professionals of tomorrow. Interview.

LE FIGARO. – What is a vacation souvenir?

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Gabrielle HALPERN. – For me, what stands out is the worst and the best: the horrible or the extraordinary. Memory forgets the lukewarm, the insipid, the banal. What we remember is the extraordinary or the nightmare. The unusual affects the brain.

A sound, a smell, a taste. Is the memory necessarily sensory?

Yes, and it summons the five senses. It’s a total experience. Taste, sight, sound, smell, touch… In reality, we have several memories. Moreover, we see it with Alzheimer’s patients: even when the memory of facts is damaged, that of taste and hearing remains (Gabrielle Halpern a participé auÂBig Bang in the memory of Le Figaro, Editor’s note ). When we think we have lost everything, the sensory imprint remains. This is also true at school, when we learn.

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At the hotel, what stands out the most: the decor, the service, a gastronomic experience?

For me, it’s all about the element of surprise. Of all the trips I’ve made, the one that left the biggest impression on me was a museum hotel in Slovakia. It wasn’t necessarily the best service in the world, but it was unexpected. I also remember an establishment where they inquired about me. The day after my arrival, they had made my portrait out of chocolate, copies of my own books, another of my pen… It was really unique and it obscured everything else, all the imperfections.

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How do you think hoteliers can work to create memories?

For me, by creating singularity. The sector has experienced a real phase of industrialization but we are in the process of emerging from it. On the contrary, the real issue is personalization, tailor-made, singularization. You have to try to be different. The hotel of tomorrow must also be linked to its territory and have a soul. Consider your customer and provide them with a tailor-made service.

I’m not going to judge a hotel by the fact that it has a table football but rather by where the breakfast jam comes from.

What is the common denominator in student projects?

We find this idea of ​​personalization. If we have the impression that it is designed just for us, it is necessarily stronger. This territorialization too. I’m thinking of one of our students’ projects for the Salon called Toponymywhich reflects on how we place a hotel in a territory. It is not an isolated island, rather we are in the logic of an ecosystem. I’m not going to judge a place by the fact that it has a table football but rather by where the breakfast jam comes from. In the past, hotels were like warts placed in a neighborhood, there was often a real visual and architectural discontinuity. This is no longer possible today.

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The staff can also make an impression…

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Obviously. For this, I am thinking of the project Those who remain, those who pass, which gives visibility to those who work at the hotel. In the same way, in the hall of an establishment that I visited, photos of the workers who built it were exhibited. It’s a way of humanizing places. With seasonal tourist rentals, why are we still going to hotels? This extra soul. We go there to experience something.

Does a small establishment have its chances, compared to a five-star?

For me, it’s not a question of budget. Rooms personalized according to the traveler’s tastes, a little word from the director… It’s more a question of imagination than of means. Think about how to make an impression. Have an extra soul.

EquipHotel Paris. From November 2 to 5, 2025. Paris, Porte de Versailles.