Why This New Hotel Brand Refuses to Use Star Ratings | New Hotel Brand | FHS 2026 | Marc Dardenne
Exclusive interview with Marc Dardenne, CEO of Modon Hospitality, in conversation with Travel And Tour World, at FHS Dubai 2026. Key Highlights: 1. Marc Dardenne shares that their new hotel brand, Affinity, was created after deciding to move from operating hotels to launching their own brand. 2. Affinity is structured around multiple verticals to serve different traveller needs within one brand, including family resorts, adults-only retreats, and adventure-focused properties. 3. This approach eliminates the need for travellers to switch between different hotel brands to get different experiences, offering it all under one roof. 4. The target audience is the curious experience seeker looking for something non-cookie-cutter, a traveller profile gaining real traction industry-wide. 5. Affinity's key differentiator is rejecting traditional star-rating classifications in favor of being completely experience-driven. 6. The brand is proudly homegrown, with Abu Dhabi positioning adding to its distinct identity. 7. On sustainability, Affinity is building new hotels rather than only renovating existing ones, allowing them to set sustainability standards from the ground up. 8. Abu Dhabi was chosen as the brand's birthplace because that is where the company is based, and the UAE offers the full range of experiences, desert resorts, beach resorts, culture, and city life, the brand wants to eventually deliver elsewhere. 9. Affinity plans to potentially expand into other countries beyond the UAE, with new property announcements expected toward the end of October and November. 10. On defining success five years out, Marc Dardenne says Affinity is not chasing numbers or flag count, but genuinely delivering on the promised guest experience. 11. This interview offers hotel investors, developers, and hospitality industry professionals insight into Affinity's experience-first, multi-vertical approach to luxury hospitality. About Travel And Tour World: Travel And Tour World is a global travel media platform covering travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation, MICE, cruise, and luxury travel, with readership across 195 countries. [FHS 2026, new hotel brand, experience-driven hospitality, Abu Dhabi hotels, luxury hospitality trends, hotel brand launch, multi-vertical resort brand, Affinity new hotel brand Abu Dhabi, hotel brand without star ratings, homegrown UAE hotel brand launch, resort brand for family and adults-only, new luxury hotel brand UAE 2026, sustainable hotel development Abu Dhabi, hotel brand multiple verticals family adventure wellness] #FHS2026 #AffinityHotels #ExperienceDrivenHospitality #AbuDhabiHotels #LuxuryHospitality #NewHotelBrand #MarcDardenne #ModonHospitality #SustainableHospitality #TravelAndTourWorld