Top-tier hotels are increasingly focusing on higher-paying customers, as wealthy travellers continue to pay premium rates for ultra-luxury stays.
Revenue per available room at the most expensive hotels rose 10.6 per cent last year, more than three times the growth rate of the broader hotel sector, the Financial Times reported, citing data from analytics firm CoStar.
At the same time, average daily rates for an ultra-luxury room climbed to $1,245, up more than 8 per cent from 2024, while occupancy increased 2.3 per cent.
The figures suggest that the wealthiest travellers have largely shrugged off rising prices, unlike more price-sensitive guests elsewhere in the market.
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According to reports, hoteliers have been deliberately targeting these higher-spending customers, whose wealth has continued to grow in 2025.
Rising operating costs and labour shortages have also encouraged hotels to focus on fewer, higher-paying guests rather than trying to fill every room. By prioritising rate over volume, hotels can offer a more attentive experience and attract a clientele with higher expectations, helping the sector maintain its performance at the very top end of the market.
In turn, UHNW travellers are increasingly willing to pay more for services that feel personal, purposeful and bespoke.
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Jules Maury, head of the super-exclusive travel service provider Scott Dunn Private, told Spear’s that while destinations vary, UHNW clients are united by a desire for travel with depth, supported by high-touch, relationship-led service models where trust and discretion are central – which they are growingly ‘willing to spend on’, she said.
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That shift is also shaping how luxury hotel groups design experiences beyond the property itself.
Andrew Cleary, vice president of customer experience at Mandarin Oriental, told Spear’s that meaningful luxury today is defined by ‘depth, context and connection’, while Adam Sebba, chief executive of travel advisory firm to UHNWs The Luminaire, pointed to growing demand for highly curated journeys that take guests ‘out of the four walls of their hotel room’ and offer access to rare, place-specific experiences.
For David Ox, managing director at Winged Boots, this reflects a broader recalibration of value, with UHNW clients willing to spend freely on experiences that feel emotionally resonant and unrepeatable, while remaining highly selective when offerings feel generic.
Not only that, but the expectations are higher. ‘For many, high-end wellness is now assumed as part of the ultra-luxury ecosystem,’ he told Spear’s. ‘Clients expect exceptional spas, intelligent nutrition, sleep optimisation, discreet medical support and a sense of physical and mental restoration to be readily available, even if they don’t explicitly book a “wellness trip”’.
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‘Their absence is far more noticeable than their presence,’ he added, also pointing at a growing subset of clients actively seeking personalised longevity programmes, medical-grade diagnostics, preventative health interventions and bespoke wellness itineraries.
For Graham Carter, co-founder at super-prime firm Unforgettable Travel Company, ‘what was once considered exceptional is now baseline,’ he told Spear’s.
‘Wellness elements from spa treatments and outdoor activities to meditation or sleep optimisation are increasingly assumed rather than requested,’ he said.
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Luxury hotels around the world are living up to the standard, with new openings featuring more groundbreaking offerings.
Six Senses’s London spa, for example, which is opening in March 2026, will feature cryotherapy, floatation, heat and water journeys, saunas, steam rooms, plunge pools, sensory showers, a Biohack Recovery Lounge, an Alchemy Bar and even aerial yoga.
Another is the Lake Como EDITION, opening in March 2026, which will debut its Longevity Spa featuring lakeside biohacking treatments and an indoor thermal pool, while Aman Niseko, currently under way in Japan, will offer private onsens in every suite alongside Watsu water therapy and Finnish saunas.
