MILAN — The global wellness economy is projected to reach $9.8 trillion by 2029 from $6.8 billion in 2024, the latest data from the Global Wellness Institute showed. According to a consortium of wellness experts gathered at a conference held in Milan on Dec. 2, a lot of that growth will depend on how hospitality firms help their guests obtain perhaps the greatest luxury of all: living longer.
At the event organized by Italy-based Teamwork Hospitality group, 600 participants and 34 speakers from some of the world’s largest hotel chains, converged on the city’s NH Collection City Life hotel to discuss the major trends offered in hospitality services driving the ongoing boom. Longevity and, in particular, biohacking services, were listed as two areas that are most sought out by travelers.
“We see more and more guests want to have their stays tailored toward wellness. Wellness not necessarily meaning the spa itself…but it’s everything from wellness snacks in their room to wellness cuisine. That is going to continue to be a trend,” said Alena Stavnjak, Starwood Hotels’ corporate spa director.
Author and entrepreneur Dave Asprey first coined the term “biohacking” in 2004. Defined as anything that optimizes the body — diet, supplements or fitness — a wave of new technologies and concepts have found their way into the hotel spa. Among them, infrared saunas, air compression and contrast therapy.
The Longevity Spa inside the Portrait Milano hotel includes its own Biohacking Suite that incorporates a new treatment based on biohacking techniques like Dry Float Therapy, which leverages the benefits of floating above 400-plus liters of warm water for reduced gravity. It claims to reduce stress and muscle and joint pain and improve sleep and concentration. It is combined with the Near Infra-Red Total Body technology that stimulates the body’s natural regenerative processes, using red light and non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation to improve circulation.
Starting Young
Located in South Tyrol, Italy, Quellenhof Luxury Resorts has embarked on its own biohacking endeavors in partnership with micronutrient specialist Biogena. Together they claim to tap into the full potential of the body and mind with biohacking techniques targeted at nutrient optimization to promote lasting health and maximum energy.
Quellenhof general spa manager Alessandra Scatà said this trend was growing among younger generations who want to take control of their health early on. “Kids want to know how their body is doing.…They say, ‘I want to take my life in my hands and make some changes,’” she said.
Sleep Therapy
At the conference, Equinox Hotel, which was built in part on Equinox’s fitness-as-a-lifestyle approach, was mentioned as a prime example rooted in restorative and regenerative hospitality. Of note is how it has incorporated the science of sleep into its offerings, such as the “Sleep Experience” that features everything from the invigorating three-minute -150°F cryotherapy to soothing sound wave therapies that support sleep. In addition each room was envisaged to revitalize the mind, body and spirit with every detail.
The Biohacking Suite at The Longevity Spa inside the Portrait Milano hotel.
Tim Labenda/Courtesy of The Longevity Spa
Potential for Thermal Baths
Mandarin Oriental Group spa, leisure and wellness director Emlyn Brown discussed how much the industry has changed over a span of 30 years. Three decades ago, “there were some health clubs, not very many. There weren’t any spas, there was beauty centers, people did facials…now that has become a $6.8 trillion business,” he said, noting that a complex mix of health tech, longevity medicine, cold plunging, nutritional diets, probiotics, peptides and even plasma replacement, are increasingly common offerings.
Brown cited Italy’s tradition for perfecting the thermal bath model. Brands like QC Terme, were early pioneers, opening the first in 1998 in Bormio and since expanded into global destinations like Governors Island in New York and Chamonix, France. Thermal baths are the future, he said, adding that many world civilizations had a “sweat culture,” starting with the Japanese onsen tradition, the Turkish bath and the banya tradition in Russia. “Sauna is not going away. It’s been around for 2,000 years,” he said. “Can we improve and make it more social, make it more dynamic, make it more engaging? The answer is yes.”
According to GWI, thermal/mineral springs business is pegged as one of the biggest gainers, alongside wellness real estate, traditional medicine and mental wellness, through 2029 by annual growth rate.
A treatment room at the Mandarin Oriental Residences, Fifth Avenue.
Courtesy of The Beauty Sandwich/Douglas Friedman
How Diseases Like Cancer and Mental Illness are Shaping Wellness
GWI said that “rampant chronic disease and mental unwellness” is driving the industry’s growth overall. GWI predicts that the industry will grow at an even faster pace (7.6 percent annually) through 2029, when it will approach $10 trillion.
In October, the Auberge Collection unveiled a brand new wellness concept, rooted in longevity and the pursuit of joy.
Founded on four major guiding principles — awe, connect, excel and nurture — its treatment menus will be handcrafted to reflect the environment, traditions and energy of each destination. Products have been curated to infuse its “Joy of Wellbeing” concept into everyday life, embracing clean, natural ingredients and locally sourced brands with a story. Immersive experiences connect guests further with nature, in the form of unique activities like watercolor painting beneath open skies or exploring ancient traditions with local masters.
In Costa Rica, Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Collection offers the River Bath — an aura cleansing ritual that involves a detoxifying scrub and a warm herbal soak to a soundtrack of birdsong and flowing water.
Courtesy of Auberge Collection
Ultra Niche Areas of Growth
In a discussion titled “The Latest Longevity Trends and Their Hotel Wellness Applications” Hotel Mogel consulting director Adam Mogelonsky pinpointed a list of micro facets that are ripe for potential.
Among them are “elder-preneurship” or services that cater to a large number of Baby Boomer retirees; agrobiodiversity, neurogastronomy or stimulating the brains flavor system; smart clothing; dental longevity; self-transcendence or forging a connection with nature, and talking to whales. With regard to the latter, Mogelonsky contended that artificial intelligence will soon make it possible for humans to have conversations with whales. “Scientists are taking whale noise recordings and asking AI to figure out what they are saying. We have the input and we’ll eventually have the output. Imagine that as a wellness experience.”
