This New Fitness Focused Hotel Brand Wants To Revolutionise Wellness Travel

SIRO, a new fitness-focused hotel brand is banking on the return of wellness travel post-COVID, with an offering it argues will revolutionise the sector.

The latest concept from Kerzner International — the parent company of ultra-high-end One&Only resorts — aims to fill a gap in the $639 billion wellness tourism market by creating a new hospitality experience that places sport and fitness at its core.

Describing itself as an immersive lifestyle destination catering to high-performance living, rather than splitting its focus equally across the various pillars of wellness, the hotel brand is doubling down on all things fitness-related to bring a new perspective to the sector. 

Historically hotel wellness has tended to skew towards spa services or more emotional and spiritual practices, however, in recent years more operators have started to invest in fitness facilities with premium gym chain Equinox going as far as launching its own hotel in 2019. Despite this upturn in interest, the trend is still relatively nascent and SIRO hopes it can lead the charge.

“Within hospitality today, the approach to fitness is minimal,” Philippe Zuber, Chief Executive Officer at Kerzner International told Bloomberg. “Hotels have gyms because guests request it, but nothing has been really done to respond to what they really want. That’s where we are challenging the norm, and where we believe we have something really unique.”

Its first property, set to launch in Montenegro in 2023, will feature a 10,000-square-foot gym, a spa dedicated to recovery with sports massages, cryotherapy and an infrared sauna, streamed fitness classes that guests can join from their own rooms, and private in-room spas and steam showers.

It will also offer guests ways to discover the local destination through a variety of performance fitness activities such as cycling, climbing and sailing.

“We recognize that holistic health is more important than ever, and the primary focus of SIRO will be exceptional fitness and wellness to support a modern and balanced global lifestyle, delivered with our renowned service in a transformative and nurturing urban environment,” commented Zuber.

According to the brand, it also intends to build out a team of key athletes from around the world who will not only play an advisory role as it develops the fitness and wellness elements at the heart of its hotels but also visit its properties to support guests in meeting their goals. Its first confirmed ambassador is GB Olympic gold medalist swimmer Adam Peaty.

With plans to launch further locations in cities around the globe, SIRO says it hopes to create “a collective global community of like-minded individuals who live a high-performance lifestyle passionate about driving achievement and living their fullest potential” and Zuber doesn’t appear too concerned about demand in a post-COVID landscape.

“The COVID-19 situation has reinforced our belief that while wellness used to be for a certain elite number of people, it has cascaded down to a much larger audience,” he told Bloomberg.

“People know now that the biggest currency they have is not the watches they wear or the cars they own—it’s their health. And that’s not a trend. It’s here to stay.”