Benjamin Liao is chair of Forte Hotel Group and a board director of Howard Plaza Hotel Group. Active in Taiwan and regional tourism for more than two decades, he has worked across hotel development, operations, destination marketing, and industry associations, building a perspective that extends beyond individual properties to the broader travel ecosystem.

In addition to his hospitality roles, Liao serves as a consultant to the Taiwan Visitors’ Association and a director of the Taiwan Tourist Hotel Association, and has been actively involved in the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), serving as Vice Chair from 2022 to 2024. He also organized the PATA x WCIT 2017 Smart and Sustainable Tourism Symposium, which brought together leaders from the technology and tourism sectors, and was reelected this year by the general membership as Chairman of the PATA Chinese Taipei Chapter.

A UCLA graduate and with a Master of Architecture from Columbia University, Liao maintains a strong interest in community-based tourism, wellness tourism, and destination development.

TOPICS Associate Editor Alex Myslinski met with Liao in May to discuss his career journey, changing traveler profiles, and the growing role of wellness and drawing inspiration from international partners. An abridged version of their conversation follows.

Since your time at UCLA and Columbia, how have engineering, architecture, and entrepreneurship shaped the way you approach business?

Engineering taught me to solve problems systematically, while architecture taught me to look for solutions that aren’t always obvious. I’ve always found value in combining the two.

I remember working on a hotel project where a relatively simple change — converting the bed to a platform design — made the room feel significantly larger. It was a reminder that small design decisions can have an outsized impact on how people experience a space.

Entrepreneurship added another lesson: resilience. Even the best plans rarely unfold exactly as you expect.

How did you find yourself in the hospitality sector?

While my grandfather founded the Howard Plaza Hotel and my father established the Forte Hotel Group — with many members of my family dedicating their professional lives to this industry — I didn’t originally set out to work in hospitality myself. However, I later became involved in hotel projects, including work in Beijing during the Olympic period. What ultimately appealed to me was that hotels brought together many different elements. There was the physical design of the building, but there was also operations, guest experience, and the challenge of creating a space that people wanted to return to.

That interest has since expanded beyond individual properties. I became increasingly interested in tourism, destination development, and how hospitality connects people, communities, and cultures.

One community you’ve developed a strong connection with is Yamagata Prefecture in Japan. What is it about the region that resonates with you?

I’ve spent a great deal of time in Yamagata over the years — more than 40 visits at this point — and I keep finding reasons to return.

What I’m most drawn to is the character of the place. It’s very different from the major urban centers that many people associate with Japan. It’s more rural, more agricultural, and surrounded by rice fields. The pace is slower, the air is clean, and there is a strong connection between people and the landscape around them.

The air quality is something I’ve continued to think about long after each visit. Yamagata is known for having some of the purest air quality measurements in Japan, and you can feel that when you’re there. The mountains, the changing seasons, and the natural environment all contribute to a sense of calm that can be difficult to find elsewhere.

I’ve carried that lesson with me ever since. At Uketamo, we incorporated advanced air filtration throughout the hotel in the belief that the environment itself can influence how people feel.

There’s also a strong sense of identity and history. Local pride runs deep, including connections to the region’s role in the last samurai conflicts. People care about where they come from and what it takes to preserve it, and that sense of place remains very much alive.

Over time, though, my connection became more personal. In some ways, it came to feel like a second home.

What have you learned from spending so much time there?

Each visit reminds me that people don’t always need more. Sometimes what they value most is simplicity, authenticity, and a meaningful connection to the place they’re in.

What stayed with me was how comfortable people seemed with that. There was a quiet confidence in the region. People were proud of where they came from, proud of their history, and proud of the communities they had built. There wasn’t the same pressure to constantly become something else.

I think that changed the way I think about hospitality and tourism. Not every destination needs to become bigger or more complicated. Sometimes the most meaningful experiences come from helping people appreciate what is already there.

How do you personally define wellness, and how has your understanding of it evolved?

I think wellness is often defined too narrowly. Many people immediately think of spas, treatments, or resort destinations, but I see it as something much broader. If you look at traditions like Japanese onsen culture, wellness isn’t simply about relaxation. It’s woven into everyday life and the way people care for themselves.

Travel can play a role in that as well. A hotel stay or travel experience can be more than entertainment. It can be educational, transformational, and even psychological. The environment matters too. Things like air quality and water quality have a real impact on how people feel.

For me, wellness is about helping people reconnect with themselves and get back in touch with the body.

Uketamo is a very different type of hotel concept curated around wellness. What was the original idea behind the project, and what experience were you hoping to create for guests?

The original idea behind Uketamo was to make wellness more accessible. We wanted to explore whether those principles could be integrated into everyday urban life.

The hotel was designed around that idea. We incorporated a yoga and meditation space on the sixth floor and paid close attention to the environment itself. Air and water filtration were important considerations because wellness isn’t only about activities.

The name Uketamo reflects the philosophy behind the project. The word combines the Japanese verb ukeru, meaning “to receive” or “to accept,” with tamō, an older expression that carries a sense of graciously accepting what is given. For us, that wasn’t about passive acceptance. It was about approaching experiences, circumstances, and even yourself with openness rather than resistance.

We wanted to create a space where people could slow down, reflect, and reconnect with themselves.

Beyond wellness, what broader changes have you observed in the way people travel today?

Some changes are clearly trends, while others feel more structural.

One shift I believe has staying power is the growing interest in slower forms of travel, which accelerated after Covid. Travelers are also becoming more intentional about what they’re looking for, whether that’s wellness, cycling, food, culture, or other interest-driven experiences.

Customer behavior, of course, is always evolving. Social media has fundamentally changed how people discover destinations, with influencers and digital platforms playing a much larger role than they once did. We’re also seeing greater diversity among international travelers, particularly with more visitors arriving from Southeast Asia and a broader mix of markets across the region.

How would you describe your leadership style, and how has it changed over the course of your career?

I would describe my leadership style as more catalytic than directive. I tend to take a coaching approach, which means listening carefully, helping resolve misunderstandings, and recognizing that not every idea is immediately understood or embraced.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that leaders have to be careful not to run too far ahead of their organizations. In hospitality, you’re often balancing people who are eager to try new things with others who value consistency and proven approaches.

Performance is important, but so is reliability. The challenge is finding ways to innovate without losing the trust and stability that organizations depend on.

You’ve spoken about balancing innovation with reliability. How does that philosophy apply to AI in hospitality?

For me, the question is not technology versus people. It’s how technology and people work together.

Guests, particularly international travelers, are becoming more technology-oriented. Their expectations are changing, and they increasingly expect technology to make the experience more seamless and convenient. That’s where it can add the most value — not by replacing people, but by supporting both guests and staff.

At the same time, I still believe there will always be a place for high-touch human service. Hospitality has always been a people-centered industry, and that shouldn’t change. The goal isn’t more technology — it’s using technology where it genuinely improves the experience while preserving the empathy, judgment, and personal connection that guests remember.

What advice would you give to younger professionals who are considering a career in hospitality or tourism?

Hospitality and tourism offer far more opportunities than many people realize, but they require a long-term mindset. It’s important to see the industry as a career, not simply a job.

I would encourage younger professionals to take chances early on. Experience can be just as valuable as compensation, particularly at the beginning of your career. You also have to be comfortable with uncertainty — recognizing what you know while remaining open to what you don’t.

Lastly, humility is essential. The moment you think you have all the answers is usually the moment you stop learning.

Outside of work, how do you disconnect, recharge, and maintain perspective?

I spend a lot of time running. It gives me space to think, and I enjoy platforms like Strava and the way they encourage people to stay active.

More than anything, running serves as a form of recalibration. It helps me clear my mind, get back in touch with my body, and maintain a sense of balance.