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The future of luxury hospitality – Part 3: Wellness and the quest for meaning

Cathy Wood, Dec 3, 2025 9:27:19 AM

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Old-fashioned luxury was about opulence. For today’s most valuable luxury hospitality guests, health, balance and a genuine sense of inner reset are moving to the top of the must-have list when it comes to travel.

Across the top end of the market, wellness is no longer shorthand for a spa brochure and a decent gym. It is becoming a lens through which guests judge the entire stay: how they sleep, how they eat, how they move, how they think and who they are when they go home. The same affluent travellers who are asking where a hotel invests and how it treats its community are now asking a parallel question: how does staying with you help me feel, think and live better?

In this third instalment we turn to a closely linked force: the surge of wellness and the wider quest for meaning. This is not about bolting on yoga to the activity sheet. It is about recognising that your guests increasingly see travel as a tool for transformation - physical, mental and emotional.

The article explores how wellness has evolved into a holistic, multi-generational and meaning-led pillar of luxury and how brands that design genuinely transformational experiences can turn that demand into both guest advocacy and long-term brand equity.

The series includes:

Part 1: Personalisation and technology
Part 2: Purpose and sustainability

From spa menus to holistic wellbeing

If there is one thing the pandemic hammered home, it is that health is wealth. In the aftermath, wellness has moved from the fringes to the forefront of luxury travel. We are not talking about the old-school spa menu tucked in a hotel binder. This is a holistic reimagining of what a luxury trip can be.

In 2025, 90% of luxury travellers cite wellness experiences as a key factor in their booking decisions, up from 80% just a year earlier. That is an astonishing figure. It means almost every affluent guest walking through your lobby has wellness on their mind to some degree, whether it is a morning yoga session, a desire for healthier dining options or simply the pursuit of mental rejuvenation.

For hotel marketers, it raises a sharp question: does your property tangibly contribute to your guests’ wellbeing? If not, you risk being overlooked by a large segment of clientele who are seeking more than the usual luxury diet of decadence.

What wellness means in a luxury context

What does ‘wellness' mean here. It is a broad church. Physical fitness, mental health, spiritual growth and general rejuvenation all count. Luxury travellers are increasingly seeking transformational experiences focused on wellbeing. They might book a digital detox retreat in a remote mountain lodge, sign up for immersive meditation and mindfulness programmes, or opt for 'executive health' packages that include sleep therapy, nutrition consultations and high-tech body diagnostics.

The concept of 'transformational travel' has taken hold: trips designed not just for relaxation or entertainment, but for personal growth. Affluent consumers are treating travel as a chance to reset and improve themselves, not merely to show off or unwind. This ties back to the earlier theme of purpose - travel as a means to enrich one’s life story.

How luxury hotels are reinventing wellness

Building integrated wellness ecosystems

Luxury hotels have responded by amplifying their wellness offerings in creative ways. It is no longer enough to have a gym and a steam room. We now see properties creating entire wellness ecosystems: on-site consultants in nutrition and traditional medicine, bespoke fitness programmes (from sunrise Tai Chi to guided adventure hikes) and spa therapies that draw on local healing traditions for authenticity.

Some resorts are partnering with medical clinics to offer fully integrated health check-ups and longevity treatments, blurring leisure with wellness tourism. Even urban luxury hotels are carving out biophilic relaxation spaces and programming such as sound baths or art therapy workshops to cater to stressed executives on the go.

The rise of bio-luxury

The AFFLUENTIAL TrendLens report notes how “luxury wellness has evolved beyond physical health to encompass mental wellbeing and holistic experiences”, highlighting the rise of 'bio-luxury' - where wearables, AI-driven health diagnostics and lavish spa indulgence converge.

Picture a high-end retreat where your sleep is monitored by an Oura ring and each morning’s activities are customised to your biometrics, all while you are pampered with gourmet healthy cuisine and breathtaking natural surroundings. This is not science fiction; it is happening now.

Family, wellness and togetherness

Multi-generational trips as the new norm

Family travel and wellness increasingly intersect. Many high-net-worth families are travelling together and they are looking for trips that are enriching for all ages. Marriott’s study found that family travel is the top priority for luxury travel spending - 47% of affluent travellers said they are most willing to splurge when vacationing with family.

Luxury is no longer just the solo business traveller at the hotel bar. It might be three generations bonding on a restorative getaway. Hotels have picked up on this by offering multi-generational wellness activities, from kid-friendly yoga classes and nature expeditions to grandparent-grandchild spa packages.

Wellness as shared experience

The chair of Shangri-La Hotels has noted a trend in China of wealthy parents and grandparents travelling together with children, seeking to “share experiences and quality moments as a family” and investing more in those experiences than ever. When you see a five-star resort repurposing tennis courts into splash pads and play zones, or creating entire floors of family-themed suites (as Shangri-La did in Singapore and Hong Kong), you realise how serious this shift is.

The message is clear: wellness and togetherness go hand in hand. A healthy family, making memories, is the ultimate luxury for many.

The quest for meaning

From relaxation to spiritual and cultural fulfilment

Wellness travel shades into spiritual or cultural pursuit very easily. A significant cohort of luxury travellers are chasing experiences that feed the soul. This might mean a pilgrimage-like journey to a cultural festival, a volunteer tourism element, or learning a new skill or craft from local masters. It is an antidote to the feeling of emptiness that can sometimes accompany opulent but cookie-cutter trips. The modern affluent traveller often has plenty of material comforts at home. What they seek on the road is a sense of connection - to place, to people, to themselves.

That is why trends like cultural immersion and 'set-jetting' (travelling to locations from favourite films or TV for an emotional connection) have gained steam. It is also why nature travel is booming: 92% of high-net-worth travellers say being close to nature is a key travel priority now.

They are trading shopping boulevards for safari plains, the private beach cabana for a trek in the rainforest - at least for part of their trip - because nature delivers a sense of wonder and perspective that no gold-plated tap can match.

Meaningful moments as the new benchmark

For luxury marketers, facilitating meaningful moments is the new holy grail. You are not just selling a room or a service; you are selling the potential for transformation.

This means curating experiences that are both exclusive and profound. Exclusive might be a private after-hours tour of a historic site - no crowds, just your guest and a storyteller guide under the moonlight. Profound might be arranging a meeting with a local community leader or artisan, giving guests a personal window into the culture.

Many high-end tour operators now talk about 'money-can’t-buy experiences'. Ironically, they do cost money, but the point is they are not in the standard brochure. As a hotel, think about what only you can offer because of your unique location or network and how it could move someone emotionally or intellectually. It could be as grand as a ritual with a local shaman, or as simple as a chef taking a guest to the market to pick ingredients and swap stories about childhood foods.

When luxury changes lives

Experiences guests describe as life changing

One striking example: a luxury tented camp in Africa orchestrates a ‘conservation safari’ where guests help veterinarians tag and release endangered rhinos. Guests often describe it as life changing, far beyond a typical game drive.

Similarly, several luxury resorts in Asia have introduced ‘purpose workshops’ - sessions where guests can engage in meaningful dialogue, such as group meditation with monks or discussions on sustainability practices, to reflect on their own life purpose.

While this might sound lofty, it is precisely what a certain segment craves. Remember, these travellers can afford almost any indulgence. What they cannot simply buy is meaning. But they hope travel can provide a pathway to it.

For luxury marketers, facilitating meaningful moments is the new holy grail. You are not just selling a room or a service; you are selling the potential for transformation.

Cutting through the buzzwords with authenticity

There is, admittedly, some buzzword fatigue. ‘Transformational travel’, ‘mindfulness journeys’ - some guests will roll their eyes, suspecting it is just marketing fluff.

The onus is on the luxury sector to ensure it is not empty talk. That means authenticity is crucial. If you are going to market your hotel as a sanctuary of wellness or a portal to local culture, you have to deliver.

A yoga class at dawn with a spectacular view is pleasant, but what is the extra element that makes it resonate. Perhaps it is led by a revered local instructor who shares philosophy, not just poses. Perhaps the spectacular view is part of a conservation area the hotel actively supports, giving context to that sunrise. The point is that these experiences must be created and communicated with sincerity and depth.

Balancing indulgence and intention

Green juice by day, cocktails by night

Luxury travellers still enjoy indulgence. The rise of wellness and meaning does not spell the end of champagne. It means the guest who drinks the green juice in the morning might be savouring a ‘curated cocktail’ by evening - and that is fine.

The AFFLUENTIAL insight about balancing a plant-based diet with fine wine in one retreat captures this well. Luxury is about offering the full spectrum and letting guests choose their mix.

As a hotel, you might offer both a high-intensity workout and a high-calorie dessert, a silent meditation and a lively jazz evening. The freedom to choose one’s form of luxury is itself a luxury. What has changed is that the menu of options has expanded to include many more introspective, healthy and culturally enriching items, because that is where demand has grown.

Using storytelling to showcase transformation

From a marketing standpoint, highlighting guest stories can be powerful.

Instead of relying on glossy photos of facilities, share testimonials or vignettes. For example: a CEO who arrived at the resort burned out, participated in a wellness programme and left feeling rejuvenated and focused. Or a family who celebrated a milestone through a tailored cultural experience, strengthening their bonds.

Peer inspiration counts for a lot. Hearing that others found meaning and betterment through a stay suggests that ‘maybe I can get that too’. It taps into aspiration at a deeper level than envy. It is not ‘I want that handbag’, it is ‘I want that mindset, that growth, that memory’.

What this means for luxury brands

From external to internal luxury

Wellness and the pursuit of meaning are now integral to luxury travel. They represent a shift from external to internal luxury - from what you consume to how you feel and who you become as you travel.

For luxury hoteliers, this means broadening your value proposition. You are not just a provider of luxury goods (room, food, service) but a facilitator of personal wellbeing and transformation.

The brands that understand this will forge stronger emotional connections with their guests. Emotional connection is the bedrock of brand loyalty, especially at the high end. As one industry voice put it, “transformational, curated and emotionally resonant” travel experiences are the new benchmark.

From a marketing standpoint, highlighting guest stories can be powerful.

From destination to life chapter

It is a high bar, but meeting it means your property becomes more than a destination. It becomes a meaningful chapter in your guest’s life story. For marketers and brand leaders, that is the opportunity at hand: design and communicate experiences that help guests feel better, think deeper and connect more - and they will keep coming back, not just for what you offer, but for who they get to be when they stay with you.

Continue the journey...

To see the full picture of where luxury hospitality is heading, read all parts of this series together:

Part 1: Personalisation and technology
Part 2: Purpose and sustainability

Taken as a whole, they offer a roadmap for building luxury hospitality brands – and the role of clear communication - that feels modern, meaningful and commercially resilient for the decade ahead.