Hotels are expanding wellness beyond spas and dedicated retreats as younger travellers seek health, fitness, food and social experiences that can be integrated into a luxury stay, according to executives from leading wellness and hospitality brands.
“It’s not about following the trends where there’s always a beginning and an end,” said Ingo Schweder, founder and chief executive officer of GOCO Hospitality and managing director of Horwath HTL Health & Wellness, at BEING Thailand 2026 in Phuket. “The term trend means it is coming and it is going. That means you should never do something in a real estate development which is a short-term trend.”
Schweder said emerging concepts including ice baths and sound healing can nevertheless help expand the sector by introducing consumers to wellness experiences and creating future demand for more established operators.
The comments reflect a shift from immersive wellness, where guests stay at dedicated resorts to pursue specific health goals, toward hybrid models that allow wellness to become part of a broader hotel experience.
At Six Senses, guests can choose how deeply they engage, from structured programmes to healthier food, sustainable practices, fitness and social activities integrated into a conventional stay, said Jael Fischer, the group’s head of development for Asia Pacific.
The change is being accelerated by a younger customer base. Schweder said millennials account for 41% of global wellness spending, with younger consumers increasingly willing to spend on experiences that support health and wellbeing.
That demand is reshaping hotel development. Wellness facilities that once occupied hundreds of square metres are increasingly reaching several thousand square metres in high-end hotels and resorts, Schweder said, as operators devote more space to fitness, recovery and social wellness.
Food is becoming a core part of the wellness proposition. Operators are moving away from restrictive menus toward healthier versions of familiar dishes, while fermented foods and adaptogens are gaining prominence. Six Senses combines everyday dining with menus tailored to programmes including detoxification, fitness and weight management.
Wellness is also becoming more social. Community tables, shared saunas and group activities are challenging the idea that wellness must be a solitary pursuit. At Kamalaya, Chief Financial Officer Matthew Brennan said the resort’s community table is popular with guests travelling alone.
Fitness is emerging as another important entry point, with running, swimming and outdoor activities allowing hotels to connect health and movement with the destination.
The shift is also moving into cities. Six Senses has developed urban wellness concepts combining fitness, spa, food and social spaces, while Schweder said luxury city hotels are allocating significantly more space to wellness. The goal is to make wellbeing part of daily life rather than an annual retreat.
For Thailand, the opportunity comes with a warning: the country must evolve without losing its identity.
Thailand helped establish Asia’s international spa industry and combines hospitality expertise, medical infrastructure and traditional health practices. The panel argued that Traditional Thai Medicine should play a larger role in the country’s next generation of wellness offerings.
“Thailand has to protect its uniqueness and its heritage and its traditional medicine,” Brennan said.
Fischer said Thailand’s ability to combine Eastern and Western approaches, alongside its strong hospitality culture, gives the country an advantage as global wellness becomes more sophisticated.
The executives also warned against “well-washing” — adding wellness branding or fashionable equipment without integrating wellbeing throughout the guest journey.
The emerging competitive battleground is therefore not the latest wellness gadget, but how effectively hotels integrate health, fitness, nutrition, sustainability and human connection into the overall stay.
