Holidays 3.0: when hotels integrate leisure into the customer experience

Gone are the days when a hotel was just about 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 . The traveler, whether on vacation, teleworking or a quick weekend getaway, is no longer just looking for a roof over their head, but a hybrid place where they can relax, have fun, move around, socialize… in short, live .

Faced with these changing expectations, more and more establishments are adopting a clear strategy: integrating leisure services directly into their offerings . 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 a place to relax) 

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

In Paris, the Hôtel du Collectionneur offers seasonal immersive experiences, yoga classes, and even a padel court.
In Deauville or Lille, the Barrière Hotels combine spas, private cinemas, casinos, live music, and kid-friendly activities for a seamless multigenerational stay

What's so appealing? The variety of options . A guest can work in a quiet space in the morning, play a game of padel in the afternoon, then enjoy a massage and end the evening with a festive after-work event. All without leaving the hotel premises .

Why this shift towards integrated leisure?

Several underlying trends explain this strategic repositioning:

1. The development of teleworking and the “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, suites, or creating dedicated areas.

2. The rise of experiential tourism

It's no longer the room that's evaluated first, but the experience offered . A hotel that offers a unique activity—a cocktail workshop, escape game, surfing lesson, DJ set—leaves a stronger impression. It becomes Instagrammable , memorable, and recommendable .

3. Competition from Airbnb-type rentals

Faced with accommodations that are sometimes cheaper but very impersonal, hotels focus on their added value: service and entertainment . Something an apartment simply doesn't offer.

A winning strategy on several levels

➕ Increased customer satisfaction

Customers appreciate not having to look elsewhere for entertainment or relaxation. This reinforces their sense of comfort, efficiency, and attachment 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 revenue is real.

➕ More content on social media

Each unique event or decoration becomes a natural visibility boost . "Lively" hotels are better shared , better rated, and better listed .

➕ A more varied and loyal customer base

A hotel that caters to families, young professionals, couples or remote workers increases its chances of attracting diverse profiles , and therefore of filling up more easily throughout the year.

Hybrid hotels: the new industry leaders

hybrid hotel model , part hotel, part 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 share the same promise: to offer much more than just a bed , and to create spaces where people want to stay, share... and come back !

And tomorrow? The hotel as a mini amusement park

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

• Hotels with indoor climbing

• Hotels with themed immersive pool

• Hotels with sensory experience or virtual reality

• Hotels with integrated game rooms and bartainment

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

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