Virtuoso travel advisors and other experts around the globe tell us what’s in (and out) in the world of luxury stays.

In The Big Hotel Report, we’re checking in on the world of luxe retreats now.

No surprise here: We’re obsessed with hotels, in all their stylish, five-star glory, and we’re always turning to fellow hotel aficionados to find out what’s new and exciting. The truth is, these properties are often the front door to discovering what’s next in travel.

Naturally, Virtuoso travel advisors are on top of all-things-luxury-hotels right along with us, and they’re doing a little trendspotting of their own. At the moment, wellness innovations are everywhere, says Virtuoso advisor Kelly Gelfand. “Hotels are offering more-comprehensive experiences such as meditation and sleep programming to go along with their traditional gym classes,” she says. Expanded sustainability and social responsibility initiatives loom large too, according to advisor Urvashi Marwah. “Travelers are more mindful of the environmental and social effects of their trips, and they want options that reflect their values,” she says. “Hotels are prioritizing eco-friendly practices and community support.”

Other hotel trends Virtuoso travel advisors are observing: multigenerational families searching for villas (more on that below), on-site speakeasies (“It’s all about the secret invite right now,” says advisor Beth Flowers), custom welcome amenities (“I love a good make-your-own-margarita kit,” advisor Erica Jones says), and hotels breaking free from cookie-cutter design. “Travelers crave a genuine sense of place in their hotels,” Gelfand says.

But you can’t just hop off to many of these places on a whim: Most Virtuoso advisors we spoke to noted that hotels are filling up a few months out, especially for in-demand spots such as Japan and Italy. There’s some room for spontaneity, but planning ahead is key. “Waiting is costly,” says advisor Wendy Davis. “You’ll have limited options and higher prices.”

And while travel tech is evolving – real-time WhatsApp chats with concierges, for example – personalized, five-star service never goes out of style. “Regardless of changes in design or technology, hospitality’s fundamental essence remains constant,” says advisor Rebecca Masri. “Guests want to feel valued and cared for.”

We also asked our contributors around the globe – the people who hotel-hop professionally in pursuit of the latest and greatest – to share what other trends they’ve clocked. Their answers ranged from odes to the new hotel gym to unabashed praise for really good snacks.

Hotels want to make you healthier.

There’s a real fountain-of-youth vibe coming from the spa-retreat world these days: Hotels are promising better, longer, and more satisfying lives through treatments and consultations. At the new 100-room SHA Wellness Clinic Mexico on the Riviera Maya, guests pursue longevity (don’t call it antiaging!) through multiday retreats featuring a slate of customized free-radical-fighting cellular-regeneration treatments, hormone therapies, neurocognitive evaluations, and loosely prescribed beach time. Across the country on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, the 24-room MEA Baja takes a boot-camp approach to midlife, helping guests mine their wisdom and make milestone transitions. Healthy bedtime habits are on the menu too, through sleep-therapy programs such as the seven-night, Ayurvedic-, acupuncture-, yoga-, and meditation-heavy experience at India’s 78-room Ananda in the Himalayas.

Innovations in day-spa treatments are similarly leaning into long-term benefits. Guests can visit the 73-room Portrait Milano’s new Longevity Spa for cryotherapy, IV nutraceutical drips, and LED light stimulations, among other biohacking strategies. And at Southern California’s minimalist Nobu Ryokan Malibu, each of the 16 suites comes stocked with HigherDose sauna blankets and infrared mats that stimulate circulation and recovery after a boxing class, beach walk, or simple soak in a teak tub. – Elaine Glusac

The minibar gets a glow-up.

“You touch it, you buy it” used to be the de facto rule of the hotel minibar, those predictable countertop arrangements of cellophane-packaged chips and imported wine. Nothing makes our late-night-snacking alter egos happier than the rise of complimentary in-room minibars, especially when they’re stocked with local surprises.

At the seven-room Otahuna Lodge, a Relais & Chateaux property outside Christchurch, New Zealand, the coffee, tea, beer, and wine are sourced locally (one bottle of Clearview Estate chardonnay, please) and paired with freshly baked banana-chocolate muffins from the lodge’s kitchen. San Antonio’s 146-room Hotel Emma, housed inside a former nineteenth-century brewery, nods to the tradition of South Texas “icehouses” (bars) with fully stocked “ice boxes” in every room, complete with Modelo beers, margarita fixings, and local farmers’ market finds such as cured meats and macarons. And at Mexico’s 129-suite Rosewood Mayakoba, guests return to their rooms to find fresh fruit replenished daily, plus a complimentary bottle of Montelobos mezcal. – Karla Walsh

The activities menu is going late-night.

Hotels are delving into the dark, adding new offerings to their post-sundown agendas that reveal destinations from a new perspective. At Bali’s adults-only, 16-villa Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, biology experts from Udayana University lead guests on a 30-minute walk through the surrounding forest in search of the island’s rapidly dwindling population of fireflies. (It’s part of a conservation project called Lentera Bumi, meaning “Earth Lantern” in Indonesian.) Under clear skies at California’s 54-room Alila Ventana Big Sur, campground-experience leader and photographer Manuel Salas teaches guests how to capture the cosmos with confidence during astro-photography sessions, available year-round upon request.

When dusk falls at the Dominican Republic’s 65-room Eden Roc Cap Cana, couples can take their dinner (and Champagne) inside the resort’s on-site cenote – with live-music accompaniment. In Sedona, guests set out from the 218-room Enchantment Resort on a guided evening hike beneath a blanket of stars or, once a month, under the full moonrise over Arizona’s red rocks, confirming what night owls have long known – that after-hours exploration can be a (yes, we’re going there) real hoot. – Kimberley Lovato

Hotel gyms are expanding their offerings.

As more and more travelers commit to keeping up their fitness routines on vacation, hotel gyms are looking less like a box to check and more like flagship Equinoxes. (So much so that even Equinox itself launched a lifestyle-hotel brand.)

At Bulgari Hotels and Resorts properties, including the 76-room Bulgari Hotel Paris, a partnership with cult-favorite, London-based Workshop Gymnasium means spaces equipped with Technogym equipment, Pilates reformers, and lap pools, plus personal training sessions, group classes, physiotherapy sessions, and made-to-order protein shakes. Hong Kong’s 117-room Upper House teamed up with fitness studio Family Form for a series of heated 50-minute workouts. And the chic, 52-room Palm Heights on Grand Cayman is home to the island’s popular Palm Heights Athletics, a 10,000-square-foot, indoor-outdoor club that hosts regular fitness retreats from visiting pros. If you want to use that fancy gym to justify a couple of new Alo Yoga sets for vacation, go for it. – Kyle Beechey

A house car? No thanks, we’ll take a yacht.

A waterfront hotel’s coolest new flex is a private yacht at the ready. The 88-room Rosewood Bermuda has two: Castaway, a 32-foot catamaran, and the 50-foot Traveler, both ideal for private dinner cruises or longer excursions to explore the Vixen shipwreck off the coast of Daniel’s Head. A Ferretti motor yacht at Greece’s 321-room Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort promises easy access to the Costa Navarino’s hidden beaches and islets, while jaunts on the 112-room Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal’s Dos Mares come with fresh ceviche, guacamole, and humpback whale sightings. At Georgia’s 265-room The Cloister at Sea Island, guests can ask for a resident falconer, historian, or naturalist to join them on board the 71-foot Sea Island Explorer. In addition to a 48-foot yacht, the 67-room Jumeirah Olhahali Island in the Maldives also keeps speedboats, wooden dhonis, and a semi-submarine. – Katie Kelly Bell

We’re all in our villas era.

Many travelers turned to villa and residence-style accommodations during the pandemic because social distancing was intrinsically part of the experience. It turns out, people like the serenity of spaciousness without sacrificing service. (And for extended families and big groups celebrating a special occasion, it’s often a more affordable option too.) From the Caribbean to Europe, travelers are turning to villas and residences for solitude with outside-the-box perks.

“It’s the privacy, value, and amenities such as personal chefs that are driving villas’ popularity,” says Steve Lassman, vice president of villa product and agency relations at Villas of Distinction. “Our concierge teams can arrange winetastings or spa treatments at your villa, sunset catamaran cruises, and other experiences that are all personalized to your group.”

Villas of Distinction continues to expand its portfolio worldwide to meet the demand, including adding more properties in Europe this year, as well as introducing villa options in new-to-the-company destinations such as Paraty, Brazil, and Niseko, Japan.

Traditional hotels keep adding more villas too: In Tuscany, the 51-room COMO Castello del Nero added the rustic yet modern Villa San Luigi to its 740-acre estate last year. The five-bedroom retreat sleeps ten adults and features its own gym, yoga studio, sauna, cinema, and – in case anyone forgets they’re in Italy – wine cellar. Ireland’s 97-room Dromoland Castle debuted the Dromoland Lodge in January. Overlooking the estate’s golf course, the five-bedroom residence includes a game room, drawing room, and parlor with a fully stocked bar. In the Caribbean, Dominica’s Secret Bay is upping its roster of cliffside, tree-house-style accommodations overlooking the rainforest and ocean – there will be 22 by the end of 2024. Beyond its Zing Zing restaurant, yoga pavilion, and beach, Secret Bay steers away from communal spaces – personal attendants minister to guests in their villas. – Derrik J. Lang