- "Medical wellness" is the hot new trend in luxury hospitality, an expert told Business Insider.
- Luxury hotels are offering guests longevity packages that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
- Wealthy Americans are willing to spend to stay healthy.
From offering guests IV drips for hangovers to personalized nutrition programs and full-body MRIs, luxury hotels are upping their wellness game — and wealthy Americans are ready for it.
Longevity treatments and preventive medicine were once the preserve of extreme biohackers like Bryan Johnson (who has had blood transfusions from his teenage son in an attempt to reverse his "biological age").
But "medical wellness" is now "the big trend" in luxury hospitality, from resorts to existing clinics, Beth McGroarty, research director at the Global Wellness Institute, an organization that gathers data on the wellness industry, told Business Insider.
"It's astounding the speed in which a new focus on longevity is rewriting the wellness market," she said.
The global wellness market — which encompasses beauty, healthy eating, spas, wellness tourism, personalized medicine, and more — was valued at $5.6 trillion in 2022, up from $3.4 trillion in 2013, according to the Global Wellness Institute. The organization estimates that by the end of this year, the worldwide wellness tourism market alone will be worth $1 trillion, while the longevity market could hit about $610 billion by next year.
The boom is partly thanks to wealthy Americans. According to a 2023 survey by A/B Consulting and Maveron VC, 41% of Americans said they were willing to spend time ensuring they could live as long as possible. And almost half of Americans earning over $250,000 a year said they would spend the majority of their discretionary income on their health and longevity, compared to 34% of people earning under $50,000.
Luxury hotels want to cash in on the longevity trend
Blink and you'll miss an announcement for a new longevity-themed program. The One&Only luxury hotel brand, for instance, opened a Longevity Hub in partnership with Clinique La Prairie, a Swiss longevity clinic, in its Dubai One Za'abeel resort in March, which offers IV drips, cryotherapy, and nutrition coaching. The Four Seasons Maui, meanwhile, has a similar partnership with a company called Next Health, which launched in May 2022 and offers a Longevity Protocol including stem cell and ozone therapies for around $44,000 per person.
Canyon Ranch, a wellness retreat brand, launched its four-day $20,000 longevity program in August, and Six Senses Ibiza, known for a more Goop-style of wellness, partnered with Dr. Mark Hyman last year to open its longevity spa Rosebar.
Last month, motivational speaker Tony Robbins and hospitality mogul Sam Nazarian announced The Estate, a new five-star resort chain that will be the first luxury hotel dedicated to longevity and preventative medicine. Robbins has been in the longevity space since 2019, when he co-founded Fountain Life, a diagnostic company.
"This isn't just about offering another wellness retreat; it's about integrating comprehensive, science-driven health solutions into the luxury experience," Nazarian told Business Insider via email.
"You can have an amazing cocktail, but in the meantime, get that MRI you've been wanting to get," the hotelier told Bloomberg.
Wealthy hotel guests now expect more than a massage
This sudden rise in demand for ostensibly science-backed wellness might be explained by two factors, according to the Global Wellness Institute. COVID created a greater consumer interest in health and wellness, and as lifespans are increasing, the desire to extend healthspan — the time that a person is healthy and mobile— has grown too.
"The pandemic showed us how critical it is to prioritize our health, and travelers today want more than relaxation — they're looking for longevity and proactive health management. The Estate is our answer to that need," Nazarian told BI. "I've built my career around understanding market trends and what people truly seek. Longevity is not just a trend — it's a necessity for multiple generations."
The rise of "longevity tourism" is a logical response to this demand. As the founder of a luxury travel consultancy told The Times of London, the expectations of her high-end clients just keep climbing.
"Personal trainers, the latest equipment, a decent massage — won't pass muster," she said.