Success Jude is an intentional lifestyle strategist, strategic communications specialist, and emerging hotelier whose work seamlessly integrates communication, lifestyle, and experience design. With over a decade of expertise in strategic communications and perception management, she excels in shaping narratives, building brand presence, and creating meaningful connections.
As Founder of House of Ihunanya and Chief Experience Officer of HOI Hospitality Ltd., she crafts experiences and environments that prioritise elegance, intentionality, and emotional resonance. Guided by excellence, empathy, and sustainability, Success consults for individuals and organisations, elevating guest experiences, operational effectiveness, and brand visibility with authenticity and thoughtful precision. In this interview with CHISOM MICHAEL, she discusses how intentional experience design shapes well-being, elevates hospitality standards, and fosters meaningful human connections across industries.
Your work spans communication, lifestyle, and hospitality. How did these paths first begin to intersect for you?
The major intersection for me is human connection, which I feel is a very important factor to note across these industries.
My professional journey has always orbited these sectors, but I began with strategic communication.
I have an academic background in communication, and my early career quickly demonstrated the powerful impact of thoughtful, strategic communication, which fueled my passion for the field.
For hospitality, I entered the industry about 10 years ago. I started as a Marketing Manager for a four-star hotel and was subsequently promoted to General Manager after presenting innovative operational ideas to the owner. I managed the property for 12 months before returning to a marketing-focused role, which afforded me the flexibility to pursue other emerging opportunities.
Lifestyle is the thread that runs through both; it’s the part where I share proven solutions developed over years of testing through my personal brand. I fundamentally believe that the design of our lives; whether at home, work, or in hospitality spaces; has a profound impact on our overall output and well-being. Therefore, for us to achieve a healthy human experience, we must be profoundly intentional about how we live.
What influenced your move from strategic communications into hospitality and experience design?
I wouldn’t characterize it as a “move,” but rather an awakening. The hospitality industry offers an immersive potential to consciously shape the global culture of human experience. The intentional design of experiences that effect these changes is what I’ve been awakened to.
Crucially, my background in strategic communications provides an invaluable advantage, making it exceptionally easy to conceptualize and execute the solutions we deliver through HOI Hospitality Limited.
You speak about intentional living. How do you define it within the context of your work?
In the context of my work, intentional living is defined as encouraging holistic sustainability in every facet of our lives. It means consistently making choices that are aligned with our intrinsic values, core passions, natural wiring, and innate design.
I posit that when individuals operate and work from a state of alignment, the entire system functions better: purpose is clarified, productivity becomes healthier, and life achieves a greater balance. When we live intentionally, there is no need to force ourselves into misaligned industries, relationships, or partnerships, which will dramatically reduce the incidence of burnout, chaos, stress, and unhealthy conflict; all unsustainable outputs.
I believe misalignment is a core driver of much of the disorder we see globally today. Human systems across work, life, and social interaction are not coherent, resulting in widespread global instability.
Until we address this foundational issue, we will continue to produce unsustainable results. Real change begins with alignment, starting with the individual and their commitment to intentional living.
This is the change that HOI Hospitality Ltd. is engineered to enact through our services and programs.
What are the solutions and program that your company HOI Hospitality Ltd offers, and how will they solve global hospitality challenges across all sectors?
HOI Hospitality Ltd. offers solutions and programs that are not merely operational fixes, but foundational shifts based on the principle of Intentional Living and Experience Design. We believe hospitality is not limited to hospitality enterprises because hospitality is the practice of creating environments where people feel welcomed, cared for, and valued. For a sustainable human experience, hospitality is to be activated in every industry, especially guest-facing and client-facing ones.
Our primary solutions are deployed across three core areas: Business and Operations, Guest Experience and Design, and Talent and Brand Development.
We offer comprehensive Business and Operations solutions, including Operations Management such as HR Management and Staffing, Finance and Budgeting, SOPs, Technology Integration (PMS, POS, CRM), Quality Assurance, and Asset Management. Our Business Development services cover Market Analysis, Partnership Development, Revenue Growth Strategies, Strategic Planning, Expansion and Franchising Support, and Sales Optimization. Additionally, we provide Corporate Concierge Services, offering tailored corporate guest support, VIP arrangements, event coordination, Executive Travel Management, Corporate Gift Sourcing, and client relations management.
In Guest Experience and Design, we specialize in Interior and Experience Design, including Space Planning, Interior Design, Guest Experience Mapping, Thematic and Concept Design, Art and Décor Selection, and Sensory Design (sound, scent, lighting). We also excel in High-Touch Experience Management, delivering personalized guest experiences, bespoke service delivery, guest journey mapping, and luxury service coordination.
For Talent and Brand Development, our Brand Management services include Brand Strategy, Reputation Management, Marketing Communications, Social Media Management, PR and Media Relations, and Content Creation. We also provide Training Programs focused on Guest Service Excellence, Soft Skills, Wellness and Care Training, Conflict Resolution, Upselling and Revenue Optimization, and Leadership Development.
We believe our offerings empower hospitality enterprises and client-facing organizations to deliver exceptional experiences, maximize operational efficiency, and build strong, memorable brands.
In your view, what shapes a guest’s emotional response to a space or service?
A guest’s emotional response is shaped by many factors, but a few critical touchpoints are non-negotiable. Atmosphere and Aesthetics, the visual, sensory, and spatial design of a space or even a digital presence, immediately influence how a guest feels, as every detail from layout to lighting, art, and décor sets the tone for the experience.
Human Interaction and Service Delivery, including the way staff engage with guests through warmth, attentiveness, tone of voice, body language, and professionalism, deeply affects emotional perception and overall satisfaction.
Comfort, Ease, and Functionality are essential, as spaces and services that are intuitive and easy to navigate create calm and a sense of safety, allowing guests to fully relax and enjoy their experience without overthinking directions, usage, or whom to ask.
Personal Relevance and Identity Alignment fosters emotional connection when a space or service reflects a guest’s values, lifestyle, or aspirations. Moments of Delight and Surprise, such as small, thoughtful gestures like personalized notes, complimentary treats, unexpected upgrades, or acts of kindness, create memorable emotional peaks.
Finally, Consistency and Reliability build trust, as guests feel confident and secure when experiences consistently meet or exceed expectations, while inconsistency can lead to frustration and disappointment.
How does your background in perception management inform the way you build or manage hospitality experiences?
My background in perception management is my greatest competitive advantage and the core difference between my approach and that of standard hospitality professionals.
I hold a deep, innate command of human cognitive and emotional drivers; I understand precisely how people think, feel, and act. This mastery provides a pre-emptive flow of strategic guidance when building new experiences.
I can consistently and accurately anticipate emotional responses and behavioral patterns, allowing me to design flawless environments and robust strategies that are guaranteed to resonate deeply and positively with every guest. My solutions are built on certainty, not assumption.
House of Ihunanya reflects a blend of lifestyle and residence. What gap were you trying to address when creating it?
The primary gap I am addressing is the unawareness of the profound potential the hospitality industry possesses to consciously shape human behavior and well-being.
I believe that by consciously creating experiences and offering stays that evoke and support healthy, sustainable living, we can make a significant contribution to the global well-being of human existence. House of Ihunanya is a model for how a hospitality brand can move beyond mere service provision to become a catalyst for intentional living.
As Managing Director of HOI Hospitality Ltd, how do you align communication, operations, and guest experience across your firms?
To ensure consistent and excellent service, we focus on three pillars: Clarity, Training, and Measurement. Under Clarity, we unify all teams around our core philosophy of Intentional Living and utilize mandatory Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for every service interaction, ensuring a consistent brand voice.
Through Training, we foster a culture of Care and Compassion, cross-training staff to enable seamless collaboration and empathetic complaint resolution. With Measurement, we apply unified KPIs, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), across all businesses, and conduct regular Service Quality Audits to benchmark performance, ensuring every touchpoint meets our standard of excellence.
What principles guide your decision-making when designing or refining an experience for clients or guests?
My entire approach is governed by two foundational principles: Compassion and Sustainability.
Compassion begins with a sincere, empathic effort to understand the underlying story behind the service request; I seek to know the why with depth, not just the what, because understanding a client’s or guest’s needs at a profound emotional level enables us to consciously meet them at their point of need, strategically advise, and proffer sustainable, long-term solutions that extend far beyond the immediate service transaction.
Sustainability means I am not a quick-fixer; I create long-term solutions, always considering how the solutions provided will reduce the overall drain on resources, including time, energy, and emotional capital, ensuring that the experiences we design lead to true resilience and lasting alignment for the individual or the organization.
These two principles allow HOI Hospitality Ltd. to deliver solutions built on certainty, not assumption, by prioritizing both emotional understanding and practical, enduring results.
Hospitality is often described as a relationship-based field. How do you cultivate meaningful connection in your work?
I cultivate meaningful connection through genuine care.
It is a simple, yet powerful, philosophy that extends across the entire ecosystem: I genuinely care for my staff, I care for my clients, and I care for my colleagues. This authentic commitment to their well-being and success fosters the trust, mutual respect, and loyalty that form the foundation of lasting, meaningful professional relationships.
Looking ahead, what direction do you see for experience design and hospitality in your region, and how are you preparing for it?
The discernible direction for the sector is Conscious Sustainability, as the market and the world are becoming increasingly aware of the ethical and practical imperatives of sustainable practices and mindful living.
I am proud that HOI Hospitality Ltd. is already among the leaders driving this change, as some of our core values are sustainability and mindful living.
We are preparing by deepening our commitment to intentional design that minimizes environmental impact and maximizes human well-being, integrating our core philosophy into all new development and service offerings to ensure they are future-proofed against evolving consumer expectations for ethical and sustainable operations, and investing in educational programs to cultivate a team and a client base that understands and champions the long-term value of conscious sustainability.
