In Brief: Dr. Valentina Clergue explores the rise of regenerative hospitality, a trend where luxury destinations are adopting sustainable practices that not only conserve, but also enhance the local environment and community.
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Why Regenerative Hospitality Is Emerging as the Next Frontier for Destination-Led Luxury – Image Credit Unsplash+
What’s the new definition of luxury? In this article, you will find out how we are evolving from indulgence and isolation toward connection, meaning, and regeneration. It examines why regenerative hospitality is emerging as the next frontier for destination-led luxury and what this shift implies for the industry’s future.
The New Luxury: From Indulgence and Isolation to Regeneration and Connection
The definition of luxury is evolving. For decades, luxury was associated with exclusivity, rarity, and material possessions. While these elements remain important, they are no longer the primary drivers of luxury consumption.
This change is also reflected in the hospitality industry, with more travelers seeking well-being, connection, and meaning.
This shift reflects a broader transformation in how people define value. Rather than focusing solely on possessions or status, many guests are now prioritizing experiences that help them restore balance, reconnect with themselves, and engage more authentically with nature and the places they visit.
Where Regenerative Luxury Applies Most Strongly
However, this evolution toward regenerative hospitality is not uniform across the entire
luxury sector.
It is most visible and most relevant in forms of luxury that are inherently tied to place. Destination-led resorts, island retreats, safari lodges, mountain escapes, heritage properties, and wellness-focused concepts are leading this shift, as their value proposition already depends on the surrounding environment, local culture, and a sense of immersion.
In these contexts, regeneration becomes a natural extension of the experience: guests are not only staying in a place, but also engaging with its ecosystems, traditions, and communities in more meaningful ways.
What Still Defines Luxury Today
At the same time, it is important to recognize that the traditional foundations of luxury are
not disappearing.
Privacy, seclusion, exceptional service, refined design, and a sense of exclusivity remain essential to the guest experience and will continue to do so. For many travelers, luxury is still defined by the ability to step away from the demands of everyday life into spaces that feel effortless, protected, and highly personalized.
The shift toward regeneration does not replace these expectations, but rather builds on them, adding depth and meaning to what luxury can represent in a changing world.
From Possession to Transformation
Traditional luxury was often about having more: larger spaces, more and more exotic food
options, rare products, and environments designed to feel separate from everyday life.
Today, meaningful luxury experiences are more transformational rather than transactional.
Guests are not only looking for comfort and indulgence but also are seeking experiences
that enhance their well-being. The rapid growth of wellness travel reflects this shift, as
shown in the Global Wellness Economy Report 2025.
Well-being is no longer limited to spa treatments as it is becoming a principle shaping
architecture, culinary philosophy (see EHL’s report Food and Well-being 2025), activities, and
connections during the hospitality experiences.
For example, travelers today want to understand the story behind a destination, where food
comes from, how local traditions are preserved, and how the experiences connect to the
culture and environment of a place.
Looking into the employees, expectations within the industry itself are also changing.
Hospitality professionals increasingly emphasize employee well-being, recognizing that
exceptional guest experiences can only be created by teams that feel valued and supported.
Together, these shifts point to a broader evolution in the meaning of luxury — from a model
based on exclusivity and possession to one centered on meaning, connection, and well-being
being.
The Rise of Regenerative Hospitality
Alongside changing guest expectations, the concept of regeneration is gaining traction
across the hospitality sector, as stated in the EHL Hospitality Outlook Report 2026 and in
EHL Professor Alessandro Inversini’s Book about Regenerative Hospitality.
While sustainability traditionally focuses on reducing negative impact, regeneration goes further
by asking how businesses can actively restore and strengthen the systems they depend on,
which includes ecosystems, communities, and local cultures
EHL Hospitality Business School, together with the Swiss university HES-SO Valais, has
developed a playbook to support the regenerative transition in hospitality.
The Regenerative Hospitality Canva: A Transformative Playbook has been tested with key industry players, including Geneva Marriott Hotel, Hilton Geneva, Six Senses Crans Montana, and Hôtel des
Horlogers.
For us, regenerative hospitality goes beyond sustainability. It is about actively creating a positive impact on our environment, our community, and our guests’ well-being. At the Geneva Marriott Hotel, this means rethinking hospitality in a way that restores, nurtures, and regenerates the ecosystem we are part of, while ensuring a meaningful and responsible guest experience. Pierre-Henri Perrin, General Manager of Geneva Marriott Hotel
The hotel has implemented several initiatives, including local sourcing and partnerships with
regional producers to support surrounding communities and short supply chains, waste
reduction programs, and collaborations with impactful locals who share the same vision for a more responsible future.
“Guests will increasingly expect hotels not only to minimize harm but to actively regenerate
local ecosystems and communities. In the future, this will translate into deeper collaborations
with local producers, more transparent measurement of impact, and the integration of
wellness, culture, and nature into the essence of the guest journey.”
For the Six Senses in Crans Montana, wellness and regenerative design have been at the core
of the brand since its establishment. “Regenerative hospitality is an ambitious journey, not a
destination,” says Dominic Paul Dubois, Sustainability Director of Six Senses Crans Montana.
Also, the Hôtel des Horlogers in the Vallée de Joux has embraced regeneration as part of
its identity.
Regeneration is embedded in our hotel’s DNA. Just like the watchmakers in the region, we do more than we say. The process is complete and holistic. It forces you to think about aspects that otherwise would not have been considered. André Cheminade, General Manager at Hôtel des Horlogers.
Thinking Outside of the Box
For hospitality leaders, embedding regenerative hospitality, therefore, means thinking beyond the boundaries of individual properties: a regenerative approach considers whether a destination is healthier, more resilient, and more vibrant because tourism exists there.
This might involve protecting biodiversity, supporting local farmers and artisans, and preserving
cultural heritage or creating economic opportunities for the surrounding communities.
Regeneration also invites the industry to rethink the concept of exclusivity.
Traditional luxury relies on separation and isolation (e.g., private environments designed to feel
removed from the outside world. Regeneration, however, depends on relationships with ecosystems and communities.
This does not mean that luxury must lose its distinctiveness. Instead, exclusivity may evolve
into responsible access to carefully curated experiences that allow guests to enjoy places and, at the same time, show respect to the environments and cultures that make them unique.
Brands Embedding Regenerative Practices
Several luxury operators are already embedding regenerative principles into their core offering. At Six Senses, properties integrate conservation and community into the guest experience, such as protecting habitats and supporting turtle hatchling programs to involving guests and local communities in environmental initiatives.
Also, Rosewood Miyakojima in Japan and Rosewood Mandarina in Mexico anchor their experiences in the destination by collaborating with marine ecologists, local fishermen, and artisans, while incorporating indigenous healing traditions into wellness programming.
Belmond offers another perspective through properties such as Maroma in Mexico, where partnerships with organizations bring ocean education, biodiversity protection, and conservation initiatives directly into the guest journey.
Together, these examples illustrate how regeneration is moving beyond concept into tangible, place-based practices that redefine what luxury hospitality can deliver.
Luxury Industry as a Catalyst for Change
Luxury hospitality has long shaped cultural aspirations. Today, that influence creates an opportunity to redefine what excellence looks like in a changing world.
By prioritizing well-being, environmental care, and cultural connection, the luxury sector can demonstrate that living well and living responsibly are not competing ideals. In this emerging paradigm, luxury is no longer defined by distance from the world but by a deeper connection to it.
Download the EHL Executive Brief: How Hospitality Leaders Can Transition from Sustainable to Regenerative Luxury
Dr Valentina Clergue Assistant Professor at EHL Hospitality Business School
Source: View the original article at EHL.
