‘Sleep Tourism’ Booms for Hotel Chains

Right now, sleep seems to be anything but a snore for the hotel industry.

An ongoing boom in “sleep tourism” has created a $640 billion global market that may top $1 billion by 2028, Fast Company reported, referring to findings from an HTF Market Intelligence study. And so far, the trend has been embraced by everyone from luxury boutiques to industry giants like Hilton and Marriott as they seek additional ways to stand apart from short-term rental options.

Park Hyatt properties now offer sleep suites furnished with Bryte smart beds whose AI-powered mattresses are claimed to “unlock restorative sleep,” Fast Company noted. Other offerings from hotels and resorts worldwide include sleep analysis from medical professionals, pillow menus, and special diets and services to help restore the body’s rhythms and help guarantee an exemplary rest. Sleep meditations, trackers and playlists are also offered by discerning hotels around the world.

The idea of sleep has been a focus for the hotel industry more or less since its inception. With the Westin hotel chain’s Heavenly Bed campaign of the late 1990s serving as one example from recent history.

It’s also been a focus for hotel customers. A 2019 JD Power survey found that of the 29% of hotel guests who experienced a “better-than-expected” quality of sleep, 78% said they “definitely will” return to that property and 71% say they “definitely will” return to that brand.

But the Covid-19 pandemic helped kick interest in sleep within the broader culture into overdrive with its stay-home orders, as well as its enhanced focus on wellness according to Harvard professor and researcher Rebecca Robbins, who was interviewed by Fast Company. Together, these dynamics led to an estimated 25 minutes on average of extra sleep for most people during the first few weeks of the pandemic.

The overall result was what Fitt Insider, a wellness industry newsletter, has called more investment in, and spending on, the “sleep stack” across the economy. Including wearables, bedding, apps, therapeutics and other tools to get better rest. But it’s also led to a larger market for sleep tourism.

According to Mark Kovacs, VP of health and performance for Canyon Ranch resorts, treatments and techniques used for training elite athletes have now filtered down to the population at large. Five-night sleep training retreats at Canyon Ranch’s Lenox, Massachusetts location cost as much as $8,800 per person in 2024.

The Grand Wailea resort, a Hilton property in Hawaii, offers wellness rooms with various sleep-optimizing amenities. Including sleep-inducing meals, specialized jet-lag reducing spa treatments and lectures on the science of restfulness, for just over $1,000 a night. Which is roughly $300 more than standard rooms.

All of this does beg a couple questions, though. For example, if hotel guests are so busy getting their eight hours, does that mean they’ll have less time to spend money on pay-per-view? Or the mini fridge?