Across Asia, a profound transformation is underway in aviation. Premium carriers are doubling down on luxury, low-cost airlines are aggressively expanding into secondary cities, and governments are investing billions in airport infrastructure to stimulate tourism growth. These shifts are doing far more than changing how people fly. They are influencing where hotels are built, which destinations attract investment, and how travelers experience hospitality across the region.

I had several interviews to conduct in the Ortigas business district of Manila, and decided to stay at the Holiday Inn Galeria Suites, which was recommended to me by Bernhard Ilming, one of Discovering Hospitality’s directors. I believe he was at one time the GM there when it first opened, some 20-something years ago.

Beneath the deck lights and the champagne toasts lies a question the industry would rather not answer too loudly: what happens when a virus breaks out on board, and just how safe are you when it does?