Design Hotels has introduced short duration trips in Europe. The new initiative with Design Anthology UK – an influential media brand in the European design scene – offers like-minded individuals the opportunity to commune, connect, and create while discovering unique corners of the world.
Dubbed ‘D/A Trips’, the program comprises two journeys with curated itineraries for like-minded groups of 8–10 travellers. Each trip will explore the destination by bringing quality storytelling to life through a mix of exclusive experiences ranging from access to artist residencies and galleries to workshops to connecting with local artisans and craftspeople in meaningful ways.
“Design has the profound ability to shape how we feel, experience, and connect with the world around us. The community-oriented travel ethos exuded by D/A Trips reflects Design Hotels’ commitment to shaping the future of travel through the power of design—not just in aesthetics, but in evoking emotion, inspiring curiosity, and fostering meaningful connections,” said Sarah Doyle, VP Global Brand Leader at Design Hotels.
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“Our partnership with Design Anthology UK is a natural extension of this vision, bringing together a like-minded community that is inspired by design and driven to make an impact.”
As highlighted in the Design Hotels Further Forecast 2025—Community Capital, niche communities, learning new skills, and improving health and wellbeing are some of the most sought-after travel experiences today. Nearly three-quarters of respondents to a Design Hotels 2024 community survey believe that travel experiences focused on a shared passion or likeminded community deepen their sense of connection and purpose, 79% of respondents said they are willing to travel somewhere specifically to learn a new skill, and 82% of respondents consider hotels to be spaces where they can improve their long-term health and wellbeing.
With this in mind, the two D/A Trips this year will focus on wellbeing and learning new skills, while bringing together small groups of curated communities.
From 28 June to 1 July, travellers will join two team members from Design Anthology UK and one team member from Design Hotels for a slow-travel escape to Umbria, offering guests the chance to experience Italy’s often overlooked heartland through the lens of design and culinary craft.
Guests will first stay at Design Hotels member Rastrello, where they will learn about the hotel’s exceptional olive harvesting and extra-virgin olive oil production, go truffle hunting, and discover the village of Panicale’s architecture, including a central piazza dating back to the 10th century. The group will then visit Design Hotels member Eremito, a stone hermitage that sits within a remote, protected forest and invites guests to switch off completely. Here, the journey will continue with the experience of Eremito’s renowned silent candlelit dinner in a stone refectory.
Later in the year, from 23-28 September, D/A Trips invites guests to embark on a design-focused road trip across mainland Greece, tracing the renowned Greek design practice K-Studio’s hospitality projects. Beginning in the heart of Athens at Perianth, continuing to Manna in the dense Peloponnesian forest, and ending oceanfront at Dexamenes Seaside Hotel in Kourouta, the journey features properties designed by K-Studio, whose founders, Dimitris and Konstantinos Karampatakis, will start the trip with an intimate discussion about their creative ethos and practice.
Other highlights on the itinerary include an art and design tour with an Athens local, trekking and foraging in a fir forest, a clay workshop, and an immersive dinner experience in a converted silo tank.
“Design Anthology UK has covered many Design Hotels member properties over the years due to a shared design ethos and values vital for positive travel today,” says Kerstin Zumstein, Director at Design Anthology UK. “As a result, it feels like such a natural fit to collaborate with the brand on the launch of this new bookable experience.”
The trip to Umbria costs £2,990 and the trip across Greece costs £4,750. Prices include hotels, F&B, local activities, and experiences and transfers.
It is not clear if the D/A Trips are commissionable for travel advisors.
