Virtuoso Travel Week 2025: Wellness Wins + “Unreasonable Hospitality”
Virtuoso Travel Week 2025 just wrapped in Las Vegas, the industry’s most concentrated week of luxury travel deal-making and intel. The network’s official calendar lists this year’s dates and host hotels, and trade coverage reported 4,800+ attendees from 107 countries and 100,000+ matched appointments, about 40% more than in 2024. That’s serious pipeline.
The wellness signals that mattered
Sleep, ritual & recovery moved from “nice” to non-negotiable: think circadian-friendly rooms, guided wind-downs, and take-home sleep gestures. See Virtuoso’s own trend brief: “From Sauna Rituals to Sleep Retreats”.
Thermal & contrast therapy (sauna + cold) is now mainstream wellness, not a niche spa perk, again echoed in Virtuoso’s trends piece.
Longevity-lite & women’s health programming is rising in a non-clinical, accessible way, positioned for retreats and shoulder-season activation.
Macro backdrop: the global wellness economy hit $6.3T in 2023 and is forecast to approach $9T by 2028, per the Global Wellness Institute.
Demand snapshot
Virtuoso’s mid-year data shows overall sales up ~12% YoY in H1 2025, with hotels up ~26% and second-half hotel growth >33%; fall/festive pacing is notably strong.
courtesy Mistry Belles / Virtuoso
“Unreasonable Hospitality”—and why it hit a nerve
During Will Guidara’s talk at VTW, yes, the Unreasonable Hospitality author, he hammered home a simple truth: excellence is baseline; emotional connection wins. His framework maps perfectly to wellness hotels: craft micro-moments that make guests feel seen, and give someone ownership of delivering them daily.
Your 90-day playbook (for wellness hotels & resorts)
1) Engineer a signature arrival ritual
Breath + tea + scent. Low cost, high memory. Train every department to deliver it; especially on busy days. (Aligns with Guidara’s “one size fits one.”)
2) Productize sleep
Create a “sleep sanctuary” standard (darkness, temperature, noise, scent) and add a nightly sleep gesture guests can take home. Feature it in pre-arrival and on-property storytelling.
3) Operationalize thermal & recovery
Offer 5–7 minute contrast-therapy circuits with timing boards and hydration stations to reduce bottlenecks and grow perceived value.
4) Program women’s health + longevity-lite
Layer targeted, evidence-informed sessions (cycle-aware movement, stress & sleep labs) into shoulder weeks; track satisfaction and ancillary spend.
5) Appoint a “Wellness Concierge / Dreamweaver.”
Give someone the mandate (and budget) for surprise-and-delight: milestone playbooks, local healer partners, and micro-moments that scale. (Guidara’s core message.)
6) Market to the right guest (not every guest).
Audit your visuals, copy, creators, and hashtags. Is your marketing signaling tranquility with imagery for sleep, ritual, sound-zoned spaces or party energy? VTW’s record appointment volume shows that targeted storytelling moves real business.
How Elevate Wellness Collective helps (design • programming • marketing)
We build distinct, branded wellness identities that attract the right guest and lift ADR + ancillary revenue, then operationalize them with team playbooks.
Wellness Positioning & Brand Story: Sleep, ritual, recovery, women’s health → translated into visuals, copy, and sales & marketing campaigns.
Program & Partner Design: Thermal circuits, mini-retreats, local healer partnerships, milestone playbooks.
Revenue & Ops: Pricing, packaging, calendar strategy, and training (including the Dreamweaver role).
Hotels: Book a quick consult and we’ll map your 90-day plan.
Advisors & Travelers: Want truly tranquil, wellness-first stays? We can point you to properties that fit the vibe you actually want on your next wellness adventure.
