Longevity and Wellness in Luxury HospitalityLongevity and Wellness in Luxury Hospitality

Key takeaways

• Programme design (diagnostics-led or spa-led, on-site or referral medical staff) drives demand more than the label ‘longevity’.
• A referral network can deliver clinical credibility without the cost of full on-site staffing.
• Programmes priced as complete stays with a minimum length are better understood than à la carte treatments.

What problem was the client trying to solve?

A resort group came to us with two proposals on the table for its flagship property. One was a substantial spa refresh. The other was a medical-grade longevity programme with diagnostics, on-site clinicians and multi-day protocols, at several times the capital cost.

Both had champions. Both cited industry trends. The investment committee wanted something neither proposal had: evidence from the guests who would actually book, showing how much wellness weighs in their choice of where to stay, which programme design they would pay for, and at what price. Not a trend deck. A number the committee could defend.

Why is longevity and wellness demand difficult to research?

Wellness has crossed from amenity to reason for choosing - and into the capital budget.

Trends argue both ways

Industry reports can be cited for either proposal; none speaks for this group’s guests.

Enthusiasm is not willingness to pay

Guests say wellness matters. Whether they will pay for a medical programme is a different question.

Programme design drives the answer

Diagnostics or spa, on-site medical or referral, price and minimum stay all change demand.

Markets and tiers differ sharply

Demand for longevity services varies by geography and wealth.

What did the research set out to answer?

The objective: Establish how much wellness and longevity weigh in affluent travellers’ choice of where to stay, which programme design they prefer, and what they would pay - mapped to the group’s specific proposals and cut by geography and wealth tier.

• Weigh wellness as a booking reason. Measure its importance against other reasons to choose a property.
• Model the real trade-offs. Use conjoint on diagnostics-led versus spa-led programmes, medical staffing, price and minimum stay.
• Price the proposals. Map willingness to pay to the two specific programmes on the table.
• Read markets and tiers. Cut demand by geography and wealth tier.
• Understand the motivation. Use interviews to explore what guests want from longevity care while travelling.

How did Amber & Bull research longevity and wellness demand?

This study was delivered as our Longevity & Wellness Intelligence Study, a hospitality industry solution within Custom Research, supported by Product & Innovation, Pricing & Value and Market & Category. It covers the Spark, Aspiration and Selection stages of the Decision Arc.

Screened on investable assets, travel frequency and wellness engagement.

Phase 1: Programme Specification

Defined both proposals and realistic design attributes with the group’s development and wellness teams.

Phase 2: Guest Interviews

24 interviews on longevity, care and travel.

Phase 3: Quantitative Field

650 completes across five markets.

Phase 4: Investment Case Synthesis

Demand and willingness to pay for each proposal, by market and tier, written for the investment committee.

What did the study recommend?

Four recommendations came out of the study.

• Build to the design guests choose, not the one that impresses - The conjoint shows which components carry demand; the capital plan should follow it.
• Partner where on-site staffing does not pay - A referral network can deliver credibility without the cost of full on-site medical staffing.
• Price as a programme with a minimum stay - Programmes priced as a complete stay are understood better than à la carte treatments.
• Extend the relationship beyond the stay - Follow-up after departure turns a programme into a reason to return.

Why does this approach work?

Capital decisions in luxury hospitality are too often made on trend and enthusiasm. A study grounded in the group’s own source markets and guests gives the investment committee a number it can defend, and a design the market will pay for.

This is also where our Experience Economy 2.0 findings on restoration and time with family become specific: the group now knows how that broader shift translates into its own guests’ choices.

Frequently asked questions

How should resorts price longevity programmes?

As a complete programme with a minimum stay rather than as à la carte treatments, within the corridor the willingness-to-pay data supports.

What is Longevity & Wellness Intelligence Study?

The Longevity & Wellness Intelligence Study is an Amber & Bull custom study that measures how much wellness and longevity weigh on affluent travellers’ choice of where to stay, which programme designs they prefer and what they will pay.

Who took part in this study?

The study covered 650 quantitative completes · 24 depth interviews across United States, United Kingdom, Germany, UAE, India. Respondents verified on investable assets rather than income: HNW (USD 1M–30M) and UHNW (USD 30M+), with affluent where stated. Travellers who took at least one wellness-led or resort stay in the last 24 months.