I am very clear that I am not the only one who, when booking a hotel, does so after carefully studying its fitness facilities, but lately hotels have taken a gigantic leap forward and have moved from offering a tiny gym in the basement to, on my latest stay at the Berkeley in London, a cart with a selection of customized weights, resistance bands, and medicine balls for a training session in the comfort and privacy of my own room.
Wellness tourism has been rising for years; in fact, the 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor report indicated a new market peak of 6.8 trillion dollars. And while retreats are a significant part of this, more and more people want health and wellbeing to be an integrated part of the general travel experience. “Wellbeing is no longer limited to the spa alone, but it has become an ecosystem with many touchpoints that span all aspects of the stay, and guests expect this to include their rooms,” explains Aimee Hodgkin, director of hotel curation and collaborations at Mr & Mrs Smith.
I have been covering wellness news for almost 20 years, in addition to traveling the world for work, and I have watched hotels place more emphasis on turning a frankly poor offering (even in the most sophisticated properties) into something that genuinely excites you about a trip. In recent months, I’ve found CBD drops and sleep patches in the minibar, pulled red-light LED therapy masks from the nightstand drawer, and trained with cart-weighted dumbbells or a stationary bike, perhaps followed by an IV recovery drip on the sofa or a steam cabin to relax the muscles.
And indeed, according to Hattie David-Wilkinson, global director of wellbeing and longevity at Maybourne, who has recently made a significant investment in in-room wellness options, guests are placing increasing value on it. “The days when we forgot our health routines during a trip or holiday are behind us. Now we see travel as an opportunity to reinforce recovery and athletic activity, not to interrupt them. We want to ensure travelers have the tools to return home feeling better than when they left.”
Many new hotels recognize wellness tourism as a promotional draw, and the in-room offering as something that helps them stand out. “We’ve quickly realized that wellness no longer means just a visit to the spa, a gym session, or a physical space in itself, and that has led us to bring different elements into the room design,” explains Oliver Milne-Watson, general manager at The Newman hotel in London.
What’s interesting is the variety of wellness options available in the rooms of these trend-embracing hotels. As Milne-Watson notes, “wellbeing isn’t the same for everyone, it’s personal.” And since this isn’t a health retreat, it’s fine to balance it afterward with a deserved drink from the traditional minibar. “We give our guests the freedom to shape their experience as they see fit,” he explains. And for that, there is no better place than the privacy of your own room.
