Holidays 3.0: When hotels integrate leisure into the customer experience

Gone are the days when a hotel was just a good bed and breakfast .

In 2025, sleeping is no longer enough: we want to experience something! 

Today, a hotel stay is becoming a leisure experience in its own right . Whether on vacation, working remotely, or on a quick weekend getaway, travelers are no longer just looking for a roof over their heads, but a hybrid place where they can relax, have fun, move, socialize... in short, live .

Faced with this shift in expectations, more and more establishments are relying on a clear strategy: integrating leisure services directly into their offering . Coworking, sports, entertainment, games, concerts, mixology, wellness workshops... hotels are becoming destinations in their own right.

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The hotel becomes a playground (and relaxation) 

The trend is clear: travelers want to maximize their time . They no longer want to choose between comfort and entertainment. They want it all. In one place. And hotel groups have understood this.

In Paris, the Hôtel du Collectionneur offers seasonal immersive experiences, yoga classes, and even padel tennis.
In Deauville and Lille, the Hôtels Barrière combine a spa, private cinema, casino, musical entertainment, and kid-friendly activities for a flawless multigenerational stay

What's so appealing? The diversity of the offerings . A guest can work in the morning in a quiet space, play a game of padel in the afternoon, follow up with a massage, and finish the evening with a festive after-work drink. All without leaving the hotel grounds .

Why this shift towards integrated leisure?

Several underlying trends explain this strategic repositioning:

1. The development of teleworking and “workation”

Customers are extending their stays, but want to be able to work in good conditions .

The result: an explosion in demand for comfortable coworking spaces with services (coffee, printer, call box, etc.). Hotels are responding by adapting their lobbies and suites or creating dedicated areas.

2. The rise of experiential tourism

It's no longer the room that's the first thing we evaluate, but the experience offered . A hotel that offers an original activity: cocktail workshop, escape game, surf lessons, DJ set... makes a bigger impression. It becomes Instagrammable , memorable and recommendable .

3. Competition from Airbnb-type rentals

Faced with sometimes cheaper but very impersonal accommodation, hotels focus on their added value: service and entertainment . Something that an apartment does not offer.

A winning strategy on several levels

➕ Greater customer satisfaction

Customers appreciate not having to look elsewhere for fun or relaxation. This reinforces their sense of comfort, efficiency, and connection to the place.

➕ More time spent on site

A customer who stays for a leisure activity is a customer who spends more at the bar, restaurant or spa . The impact on additional turnover is real.

➕ More content on social networks

Each animation or original decor becomes a lever of natural visibility . “Living” hotels are better shared , better rated and better referenced .

➕ A more varied and loyal clientele

A hotel that adapts to families, young professionals, couples or teleworkers increases its chances of attracting a variety of profiles , and therefore of filling up more easily throughout the year.

Hybrid hotels: the new leaders in the sector

hybrid hotel model , half-hotel, half-living space, is developing rapidly. Examples include:

• Mama Shelter : food, DJ sets, ping-pong, rooftops and film club
• JO&JOE (Accor group): lifestyle hostel with skatepark, XXL bar and concerts
• The Social Hub : coworking + sport + design + events
• OKKO Hotels : Club area accessible 24/7 with snacks, library and relaxation area

They all rely on the same promise: to offer much more than a bed , and to create spaces where you want to stay, share... and come back !

And tomorrow? The hotel as a mini-leisure park

Some initiatives go even further. We are seeing the emergence of destination hotels , where leisure becomes the heart of the identity:

• Hotels with indoor climbing

• Hotels with immersive themed pool

• Hotels with sensory journey or virtual reality

• Hotels with integrated game rooms and bar entertainment

The hotel industry can no longer simply be a place of passage. To exist sustainably in the minds of travelers and on social networks, it must become a place of life beyond the night .

It is this ability to merge accommodation, entertainment and immersive experience that makes the difference today… and the loyalty of tomorrow.