I’m a solo female traveller — there’s one travel trend I’ll never support

They may be the hottest new trend, but travel writer Lydia Swinscoe is not a fan of ‘no key’ hotels (Picture: Cecile Treal)

‘Global home’. ‘No key concept’. ‘Living philosophy’.

These phrases are being bandied about the travel industry of late, almost always in tandem with ultra-luxury hotels trying hard to align with a certain crowd.

I’m not one for trends at the best of times, but as a travel writer who mostly goes it solo, the one I dislike the most is the rise of the ‘no key’ policy.

The idea, which almost certainly works better in extremely intimate hotels, places with just three or four bedrooms, is now being used across much larger spaces.

Places like Marrakech’s El Fenn, with its 40-plus rooms across eight interconnected riads,...