STRATEGY - PAUL MULCAHY, CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, THE LUX COLLECTIVE: "SMALL ENOUGH TO INNOVATE, LARGE ENOUGH TO IMPACT"
The Irish hospitality veteran discusses digital transformation, sustainable luxury, and The Lux Collective's ambitious global expansion across three continents.Category: Worldwide What's new? - Interviews
Interview made by Sonia Taourghi on 2025-08-25
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 Paul Mulcahy became Chief Commercial Officer at The Lux Collective in November 2024
Over the years, the Irish executive has built expertise from e-commerce development at InterContinental Hotels Group through to digital transformation at Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, where he relocated the commercial department to Dubai. His career includes leadership roles at Orbitz.com and Group Commercial Director at Pierre & Vacances - CenterParcs Group, where he developed distribution strategies through direct web business, CRM, and call centres. Most recently serving as Managing Director North America at RCI - part of Travel + Leisure Co's $3.88 billion operation, Mulcahy has joined The Lux Collective's Mauritius headquarters to lead the group's commercial strategy across markets from Vietnamese overwater villas to Botswanan safari lodges.
In an interview at the latest Arabian Travel Market, he outlines the ambitions of the group and how it's attracting travellers in a quest for slower and rooted moments.
Journal des Palaces: How will you maintain The Lux Collective's brand identity while expanding into diverse markets across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa?
Paul Mulcahy: The Lux Collective ("TLC") is a Mauritian-born global luxury resort operator and manages distinctive brands LUX*, SALT and SOCIO. The Lux Collective's identity is purpose-driven. At the heart of our purpose, we make each moment matter and care about what matters. This ethos is brought to life through thoughtfully designed experiences that reflect our core DNAs and the sense of place of each destination.
As an industry hospitality leader in sustainable development, we expand into culturally rich regions of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, in a considered manner — honouring heritage, preserving biodiversity, and curating meaningful localised journeys. Our agile yet authentic approach is what sets us apart: Small enough to innovate, large enough to make an impact.
From wellness sanctuaries beneath the Arabian sky to overwater villas in UNESCO biosphere reserves of Phu Quoc, each project embodies the essence of our brands — from the ultra-luxury, experiential LUX* to the humanistic, sustainability-led SALT to the bold urbanistic SOCIO with a coworking concept. This purpose-led brand stewardship ensures consistency while celebrating the local character of every destination across our portfolio.
Based on your global digital transformation experience, which tech innovations do you believe will most impact luxury hospitality, and how is The Lux Collective preparing?
Technology is now central to personalisation, efficiency and guest delight. At The Lux Collective, we embed digital transformation into our commercial strategy.
We are leveraging AI and advanced CRM tools to anticipate guest preferences and personalise every touchpoint — from discovery to post-stay. Data analytics further sharpen our pricing, booking performance, and brand.com online strategies.
This is the future of luxury hospitality: tech-enabled yet people-centric. Ultimately, technology innovation must enable deeper human connection – providing greater intuitive service, not replacing it.
How do you plan to balance commercial goals with the environmental commitments seen in projects like LUX* Xinii Mababe in Botswana?
For us, sustainability and commercial success must go hand in hand. LUX* Xinii Mababe exemplifies our philosophy of luxury with purpose— a future-forward safari resort designed in harmony with nature and inspired by indigenous cultural heritage.
Through our signature Groupwide Tread Lightly programme, launched in 2013, we have embedded environmental stewardship across every brand and property, aligned with UN goals and international science-based standards. With guests' voluntary contribution of 1 Euro per room night for this initiative, Tread Lightly has raised over 1 Million Euros in funding and supported 10 keynotes Carbon Offset Projects in Africa and Asia.
Every project adheres to our ESG+ framework, and we work in partnership with organisations such as Positive Luxury and Eco-Sud. In doing so, we ensure sustainable development while creating long-term brand and socio-economic value.
What strategies are you implementing to develop hospitality talent across The Lux Collective's global portfolio?
People are at the heart of our success. At The Lux Collective, our talent strategy centres on three pillars: invest, elevate, and empower.
We established the nationally certified The Lux Collective (TLC) Training Academy in Mauritius, offering structured career pathways through accredited industry programmes. From apprenticeships to leadership certifications, we are building a future-ready workforce from within.
In partnership with institutions such as the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development and Polytechnics Mauritius, we provide professional upskilling with a focus on diversity and women in leadership.
Across all properties, we champion continuous learning, mentorship, and cross-cultural exposure — fostering a culture where team members are inspired to grow and excel.
Which post-pandemic luxury travel trends are you prioritising as the Group expands into Vietnam, the UAE, and China?
Post-pandemic travellers seek more than luxury — they seek purpose, wellbeing and authentic connection. Our expansion strategy is closely aligned with this shift.
We prioritise destinations that offer depth and discovery — from Vietnam's overwater resort LUXNAM* Phu Quoc set within a UNESCO biosphere, to heritage-rich Sharjah, where we are launching LUX* Al Bridi and LUX* Khorfakkan, to China's cultural landscapes across eight LUX* Tea Horse Road hotels in Yunnan, and the upcoming SALT of Mount Siguniang in Sichuan, located at the edge of a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.
Our guest journeys embrace slower travel, regenerative design, and purposeful wellness. Our award-winning resorts cater to these evolving expectations. The luxury flagship resort LUX* Grand Baie features a four-storey wellness centre with hydrothermal therapies and a rooftop fitness haven with Olympic-standard running tracks. SALT of Palmar offers salt-based healing treatments and Mauritius' first Himalayan halotherapy SALT Room.
With sustainability, culinary innovation and wellness as our Group's core DNAs, we continue to evolve our offerings — curating extraordinary experiences that connect guests to the local heartbeat and communities. We believe the future of luxury is deeply personal, immersive, and rooted in authenticity.
Please share more about the leadership ethos at The Lux Collective.
At The Lux Collective, our team is united behind a global strategy that prioritises excellence, innovation and brand integrity. With our Chief Executive Officer Olivier Chavy's leadership, we aim to elevate every brand touchpoint and accelerate our expansion with purpose.
Olivier's forward-thinking strategic vision, along with the rich experiences and multi-faceted capabilities of our Senior Leadership Team — allow us to move decisively and creatively towards meaningful growth.
With developments ranging from Vietnamese overwater villas to Botswanan safaris, what's your approach to revenue diversification in competitive luxury markets?
Diversification is both a growth strategy and a resilience mechanism. Each pipeline development reflects a strategic entry into high-value market segments.
Key projects include the ultra-luxury overwater villas of LUXNAM* Phu Quoc in Vietnam, the wildlife safari lodges of LUX* Xinii Mababe in Botswana, and luxury urban hotels in China — LUX* Shaoguan in Guangdong and LUX* Guangzhou. In the Middle East, we are debuting with the ultra-luxury LUX* branded residences ELIRE Managed By LUX* in Dubai and our new urban lifestyle brand SOCIO, launching in Oman - SOCIO By The Lux Collective branded residences and hotel.
We are building a multi-dimensional portfolio across leisure, lifestyle, wellness and residences. Each brand — LUX*, SALT, and SOCIO — speaks to a distinct guest profile. This layered approach strengthens our commercial ecosystem, drives long-term yield and ensures relevance across diverse markets, while delivering experiences that resonate globally.
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