Across the luxury hotel sector, wellness is becoming more and more clinical, with operators investing heavily to differentiate themselves from everyone jumping on the bandwagon. Simply touting serene spas and the promise of tranquillity is no longer enough and players such as Six Senses and Aman are getting hyper-specific, placing greater focus on niche wellness offerings.
One of the clearest examples is the newly opened Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, where wellness occupies three floors and combines traditional spa offerings with medical wellness facilities operated by Hertitude Clinic. The property includes private clinic rooms, an IV lounge, cryotherapy facilities, hydrotherapy circuits and recovery programmes developed alongside tennis star and Aman wellness ambassador Novak Djokovic. Separately, Six Senses London’s 25,000-square-foot wellness facility includes a dedicated longevity clinic and advanced wellness technologies.
Increased investment on new expectations
The increased framing of wellness as optimisation as opposed to simply indulgence at the very top end of hospitality means there’s increased focus on concepts incorporating features such as bio-hacking lounges, programmes led by medical practitioners and recovery protocols inspired by elite athletes.
"Our wellness programmes were previously built around relaxation and pampering. Now, the balance is shifting towards physical, emotional and mental well-being,” says Mandarin Oriental CEO Laurent Kleitman.
Luxury operators are investing heavily in facilities that would have felt more at home in elite sports performance centres or medical clinics a decade ago than in five-star hotels.
This makes one thing very clear. In the same way ultra-luxury guests now expect highly personalised itineraries, many are beginning to demand personalised wellness programmes built around measurable results such as better sleep and enhanced cognitive performance.
Speaking of the Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire, where the its Lazy Lab offers IV infusion drips, 60-minute sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber and diagnostic testing to future-proof your health, Soho House CEO Andrew Carnie told The Guardian: “That’s what our members are telling us they want next.”
Of course, this evolution in behaviours and expectations means investment has to follow suit. Instead of continuing to function as supporting amenities that enhance room rates and guest satisfaction, wellness facilities need to, and are becoming revenue drivers in their own right.
Investors appear willing to fund medical-grade wellness infrastructure because they support premium pricing, longer guest stays and higher ancillary spend.
The opportunity for branded residences
If you thought the opportunity is just for hotels, think again. Branded residences are set to benefit hugely from this trend. The more this brand of wellness becomes integrated into daily lifestyle rather than occasional travel, the stronger the case becomes for residential products built around longevity ecosystems.
“People are looking for a wellness ecosystem both when at home and as they travel – somewhere their well-being is considered throughout their entire experience,” noted Anna Bjurstam, strategic advisor and wellness pioneer for Six Senses.
Moreso, residents paying top dollar are unlikely to be wildly impressed by traditional spa offerings. They may, however, pay a significant premium for access to a curated health ecosystem that includes diagnostics, recovery facilities, preventative medicine, personalised wellness plans and ongoing performance monitoring.
Recurring revenue
The Global Wellness Institute estimates that the global wellness economy reached $6.8 trillion in 2024, while wellness real estate - the fastest-growing segment of the wellness economy - is projected to expand from $584 billion in 2024 to $1.1 trillion by 2029. Industry executives argue that longevity-focused offerings have the potential to support premium pricing, strengthen loyalty and generate ancillary revenues through memberships, diagnostics, treatments and ongoing wellness programmes.
The growing popularity of membership models may also play a role as hospitality companies continue to seek recurring revenue streams. Highly differentiated wellness is an attractive route for operators to generate year-round engagement while strengthening customer loyalty.
This increasing hyper-specificity in wellness is happening as investor confidence in wellness as an asset class continues to grow. However, the risk is that luxury hospitality becomes caught in an expensive wellness arms race. When more and more luxury/ultra-luxury hotels offer cryotherapy and IV drips, differentiation becomes harder. It’s up to owners and operators to ensure these investments create genuine pricing power.
That may explain why the most interesting developments are becoming hyper-specific. If wellness is evolving into a measurable performance proposition rather than a discretionary amenity, it becomes easier to justify higher room rates, premium residential pricing and recurring membership revenues. And so we may start seeing less spas and start seeing more health platforms.