An excerpt from the Target Guest Mindset and Behavior statement written for Cape Kaido Ōmishima, JdV by Hyatt, a proposed hotel in Japan’s Setouchi Inland Sea (Sept. 2026) — and how I got there. Ōmishima is fifty minutes by road from Onomichi, out along the bridges. Somewhere under them runs the blue line — paintedContinue reading “Pace Restorer & Cultural Drifter”
Author Archives: Jinou Park
Being well.
An excerpt from the Wellbeing experience concept statement written for Ginzakōka, The Luxury Collection Tokyo (March 2025) — and how I got there. Brand Experience is what goes where, and what happens there. For the wellbeing floor of The Luxury Collection Tokyo, that work started with a Concept Statement. It isn’t a list of featuresContinue reading “Being well.”
Mastering Luxury at JW Marriott: The 8 Essentials Every Leader Must Know
An abridged version of the Definition of Luxury programme written for JW Marriott, Marriott International Greater China. Luxury is more than just grand gestures and opulent spaces – it is a carefully curated experience that evokes deep emotions, creates genuine connections, and delivers effortless elegance. At JW Marriott, operational leaders are the custodians of thisContinue reading “Mastering Luxury at JW Marriott: The 8 Essentials Every Leader Must Know”
Elliot Faber on the future of drinking well (and a perfect highball recipe)
A conversation ahead of a guest shift at NOLO!, the naturalist bar and cafe Normal . created in Seoul. Think of your most indulgent guilty pleasure – a Japanese whisky with a splash of water in a beautifully cut rock glass or that sought-after 2015 Super Tuscan. Now, what if you could enjoy your favouriteContinue reading “Elliot Faber on the future of drinking well (and a perfect highball recipe)”
A monument to witness – interview with Pamela Longobardi
A conversation from Cosmopolitan Ocean, one of a series of brand experience programmes Normal . curated at Patina Maldives, Fari Islands through 2023 and 2024. For this multi-day programme I set out looking for a permanent work rather than a passing event, and found Pamela Longobardi, who has been making art out of ocean plasticsContinue reading “A monument to witness – interview with Pamela Longobardi”
Experience as Healing
A record of Experience as Healing, the first of a series of brand experience programmes Normal . curated at Patina Maldives, Fari Islands through 2023 and 2024. 2–3 June 2023. Images: Guojie Khoo For a short weekend in June, I brought together a group of leaders in the fields of nutritional psychology, health-tech and esotericContinue reading “Experience as Healing”
A conversation with Avery Whitmore, humanitarian of healing arts
A conversation before Experience as Healing, the first of a series of brand experience programmes Normal . curated at Patina Maldives, Fari Islands through 2023 and 2024. Recently, the ancient practice of breathwork has gained renewed attention as a powerful tool for enhancing overall wellbeing. Its bodily, mental and emotional benefits have been reported byContinue reading “A conversation with Avery Whitmore, humanitarian of healing arts”
On lent
Are you happy? Yes, you – right now. Are you perusing these pages while smiling ear to ear and chuckling with good cheer? Much as I would like to think that my journals could induce you to ecstasy, I’m prepared to go out on a limb and reckon that your emotions are actually more prosaic.Continue reading “On lent”
Wonders of non-alcoholic cocktails (and 4 of my best recipes)
A shift worth tracking, well before the market decided it was premium: notes on no-lo, and four recipes built to prove the case. Eventually, Normal. created its own non- and low-alcoholic bar brand, NOLO! in Seoul, Korea. Each year, an estimated 60,000 people give up drinking for Sober October. About a fifth of UK adultsContinue reading “Wonders of non-alcoholic cocktails (and 4 of my best recipes)”
Descent into baloney we must fix
Notes on digital nomadism as the new overtourism, filed from Ubud and Canggu, Bali. June 2021. Boisterous bullfrogs wake me up earlier than usual. They’ve been going literally since three in the morning, went on for 30 minutes, stopped and started again at six, they haven’t stopped since. I am not in favor of killingContinue reading “Descent into baloney we must fix”