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Bradley Cocks, Vice President, business development, Kiwi Collection

Kiwi Collection to hotels is what Michelin Guide to restaurants. Inclusion in this guide to luxury properties worldwide is by invitation only. Bradley Cocks is not only vice-president of its global development, he’s also one of its seasoned reviewers. He started the Asia-Pacific operations in 2006 and is now focusing on development of the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection.

WHERE DO YOU CALL HOME?

Sydney. I’ve lived here for nearly a decade and feel more suited to Australian culture and attitudes than to my home country of Canada.

FAVOURITE WORK DESTINATION?

London.

AND PLEASURE DESTINATION?

Italy.

IN-FLIGHT DISTRACTION?

Monocle Magazine.

TRAVEL TIPS?

Boost your immune system before and during travel. There is nothing worse than not feeling 100 % when you embark on a journey. My secret is 50 mg daily zinc tablets.

BEST TRIP?

My trip to the Amalfi Coast this year. This was my second trip to the region and I knew the perfect combination of where to stay, eat and drink and relax. I also added in a great sense of adventure by skippering an Italian wooden boat around the Sorrentine Peninsula and the many special hidden locations of Capri.

SCARIEST TRIP?

Mumbai. I arrived two hours before the 2008 terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal Palace and the Oberoi. Luckily, I was reviewing new Four Seasons Hotel, which ended up saving my life, as I was supposed to stay and dine in the Taj that night. An explosion from the Taj rattled my hotel window before I left on a frantic car ride to the airport, where I managed to get the last flight to Singapore.

TRAVEL NEXT FRONTIER?

Space tourism.

YOUR ONE TRAVEL RELATED REGRET?

Not visiting North Korea when I was invited in 2008 by GHM, who’d built and amazing property called the Ananti in Kumgang Mountains. Unfortunately a major incident closed the border and the hotel never opened.

FAVOURITE HOTEL IN THE WORLD?

Nihiwatu, Sumba, Indonesia. It’s an experience I believe is impossible to replicate. You’re immersed into one of the few remaining unique hunter-and-gatherer cultures, you have access to world-class, crowd-free surfing in an isolated region also great for swimming, fishing and diving – all guilt free, as the entire property runs solely on bio-diesel generators fuelled from coconuts. It attracts some major power players from around the world, which makes for very interesting conversation.

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