In the golden age of hospitality, founders and dreamers redefined what it meant to travel. Today, their successors are strangely absent and it may not be entirely by choice. By Zoran Pejović

When we think about who shaped the modern hotel world, certain names still tower:

Isadore Sharp, founder of Four Seasons, convinced the world that refined service and discretion could form the foundation of global hospitality.

Adrian Zecha, whose Aman Resorts made remote destinations desirable and aspirational, built a cult-like devotion among discerning travellers.

Horst Schulze, the architect of the Ritz-Carlton philosophy, elevated service into both an art and a science.

Ian Schrager, disruptor and culture-maker, transformed nightlife before creating boutique hotel brands (such as Public, pictured below, and Edition) and lifestyle-driven concepts that shaped cities and expectations alike.

Remarkably, all of them are still with us. Sharp, born in 1931, remains as founder and chairman of Four Seasons. Zecha, born in 1933, continues to create and remains active, having launched Azerai only a few years ago.

Schulze, born in 1939, has shaped generations of hoteliers and still contributes intellectually. Schrager, the youngest among them at 78, remains a force, pushing new concepts into the market with the same energy and curiosity.

Their longevity is more than physical. Their ideas have endured. Their presence, still active or influential, highlights an even sharper absence in the generations that followed.

The Silence of the New Generation

And yet, as we move deeper into the 21st century, something feels missing. Luxury has expanded. Travellers are more global, more discerning, and demand deeper connections. Design trends evolve quickly. New brands appear constantly. This should be fertile ground for new visionaries.

However, very few have stepped forward to capture the imagination of the industry. There is no figure whose work defines a philosophy of hospitality today. Talented owners, designers and operators exist, but their projects tend to slip quietly into the background, absorbed by an increasingly standardised global narrative.

Consolidation, Entropy and the Death of Distinctiveness

Part of the answer lies in the nature of the industry itself. When Schrager or Zecha built their brands, there were no mega-chains waiting to absorb promising concepts.

Today, consolidation defines the landscape. As soon as a brand gains traction, it is often acquired (think of CitizenM, which was recently acquired by Marriott, and The Standard (pictured below), which was acquired by Hyatt). This brings scale, distribution and loyalty networks. However, scale has a cost.

Once inside sprawling portfolios, sharp edges are dulled. Standards need alignment. Owners demand predictability. Systems and guidelines take over decisions once left to vision and instinct.

Entropy quietly sets in. Brands that began as provocations slowly dissolve into uniformity. What starts as disruption eventually becomes repetition.

The Managerial Revolution and the Quiet Exit of the Visionary

This is no accident. James Burnham, writing decades ago, described the rise of the managerial revolution. Control shifts from entrepreneurs and visionaries to managers, committees and corporate structures.

In this environment, creativity becomes an operational variable. Obsession and instinct are seen as inefficiencies. Collectiveness replaces singularity. Vision becomes diluted. Hospitality, once a craft shaped by bold minds, becomes a product managed by systems.

A Call for Heroes in an Age of Entropy

Still, the need for heroes has not disappeared. In fact, it has only grown. As the industry faces generational divides, changing travel patterns and the rise of algorithmic consumption, it needs visionaries again. Not to build empires, but to offer direction.

More than that, it needs them to make hospitality attractive for the next generation. Without strong voices and philosophies, the industry risks becoming irrelevant to young talent. Recruitment turns transactional. Purpose gives way to procedure.

Perhaps the next heroes will look different. Hopefully some will be women. They may resist acquisition. They may choose smallness. Or they may already be here, working quietly, waiting for sameness to run its course before stepping forward.

The age of the hotelier-philosopher is not over. It has been buried beneath corporatisation and entropy. It will return, because sameness creates hunger. And in that hunger, meaning becomes irresistible again.