When people ask how I choose the hotels that become part of The Canopy Collection, I think they sometimes expect there to be a checklist. Five stars, independent ownership, a certain number of rooms, an incredible spa, perhaps some impressive sustainability credentials.

There are obviously things I look for, but after twelve years working in luxury travel, I've learnt that the hotels I love rarely fit neatly into a formula. I've stayed in places that looked extraordinary on paper and ticked practically every box, yet within a few weeks I'd struggle to tell you much about them. I've also stayed somewhere relatively simple and found myself talking about it years later.

That difference is really what I'm interested in with Canopy.

It has to feel like somewhere

One of the biggest things I look for is a genuine connection to the destination. I don't want to travel halfway around the world only to stay somewhere that could just as easily be in Dubai, the Maldives or Mexico.

NIHI Sumba is a brilliant example of what I mean. Of course it's beautiful, but that isn't really why I find it interesting. It's the combination of the landscape, horses, villages, food, people and experiences that makes being there inseparable from being on Sumba. You couldn't pick the hotel up and put it somewhere else without fundamentally changing what it is.

It's something I love about a completely different style of property too. Staying in a ryokan in Japan isn't memorable because somebody has added Japanese design touches to a luxury hotel. The rituals, food, architecture and way you're looked after are all part of experiencing Japan itself.

And then there are places like Uga Chena Huts in Sri Lanka, where you're surrounded by wilderness with Yala on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. The setting isn't just a lovely backdrop for the hotel; it's the reason for being there.

Those are the places that immediately get my attention.

Personality matters more than perfection

I don't need every Canopy hotel to look the same. In fact, I'd hate it if they did.

Some will be incredibly polished, others much more barefoot. We'll have safari lodges, island hideaways, historic hotels, boats and places where the experience matters far more than having an enormous suite. What I'm looking for is a sense that somebody has made deliberate choices about what that place should be.

Amilla is a good example. The Maldives has no shortage of extraordinary resorts, so simply having beautiful villas and turquoise water isn't enough to make somewhere stand out. What interests me about Amilla is that it has developed its own personality within that very crowded market: relaxed, creative and a little less predictable than the traditional idea of Maldivian luxury.

That's much more interesting to me than trying to identify which resort has the biggest overwater villa.

Beautiful isn't enough

Obviously, I'm still running a luxury travel company. I care about beautiful rooms, exceptional food, thoughtful design, great beds, brilliant guides and all the things that make a holiday feel special.

But none of those things on their own make somewhere Canopy-worthy.

A spectacular pool might make me stop scrolling on Instagram, but it won't necessarily make me send a client there. I'm much more interested in what happens once you leave the room. Can you walk somewhere? Meet people? Explore? Eat brilliantly? See wildlife? Learn something? Or simply understand the place you're visiting a little better by the time you leave?

Sometimes the answer might genuinely be that you should spend four days barefoot on a beach doing almost nothing. I'm very much in favour of that too. But even then, I want the hotel itself to have something to say.

And yes, sometimes it's instinct

There will always be a slightly subjective element to The Canopy Collection because ultimately I'm putting my name behind it.

Some of the hotels in the collection are places I've already experienced and loved. Others have been on my radar for years, and there are plenty more on our research list for future trips. Part of the fun of building Canopy is that the collection will continue to evolve as we travel, revisit places and discover hotels we hadn't previously considered.

I'm also completely comfortable with changing my mind. A hotel I've been desperate to visit might turn out not to be right for Canopy once I've experienced it, while somewhere I hadn't expected much from could completely win me over. That's the point of doing the research rather than simply building a collection from photographs and press releases.

I don't want The Canopy Collection to become enormous. I'd rather have a smaller number of hotels I understand well and can confidently match to the right people.

Because that's really what Canopy-worthy means to me. It isn't necessarily the hotel I'd recommend to everyone. It's a hotel I can picture recommending to exactly the right person and saying:

“I know why you're going to love this.”