This week: how luxury evolves, the health impact of friendship, the rise of alternative sports, longevity-minded wellness retreats, and a sharper focus on healthspan.

We’ve all watched the meteoric rise of pickleball in recent years, and according to Gary Vaynerchuk, this is only the beginning. Pickleball proves that we are in an era where backyard sports can find their way to mainstream before they have broad television distribution. We are potentially on the brink of a new age of alternative sports.

The formula for Pickleball success is something like:

Play + Wellness + Community + Accessibility = One of the biggest growth success stories of our lifetime. What other leisure experiences could grow with this formula?

Enjoy this week’s roundup (and then go out and try the most obscure sport you know of. It just might be the next big thing.)

Jeremy

Luxury evolves, care endures
Traditional luxury may be yielding to more experiential stays built around wellness, local culture, and exclusive access, but Hotel Mogel argues that its essential promise remains unchanged: guests want to feel known, anticipated, and genuinely cared for. The strongest hospitality brands pair distinctive programming with that timeless discipline of service—turning a stay into something more personal than merely premium. (Hotel Mogel)

Friendship emerges as a health practice
A global study connects satisfaction with friendships and close relationships to stronger self-reported mental and physical health. This is already fairly well-established, but it is an important reminder that fulfilling leisure experiences are often those that we share with the people close to us. (EurekAlert!)

Healthspan, not lifespan, changes the aim
Mayo Clinic Platform highlights the gap between living longer and living well, noting that Americans spend a substantial portion of later life managing disease or disability. Its call to prioritize function, prevention, and independence gives the longevity conversation a more human measure: preserving the capacity to participate in daily life. (Mayo Clinic Platform)

Alternative sports move into the cultural mainstream.
Gary Vaynerchuk argues that social media has removed the distribution barriers that once kept emerging sports small, while our increasingly digital lives are making tangible, real-world experiences more valuable. For hospitality and leisure operators, the rise of pickleball, 3x3 basketball and whatever comes next represents an opportunity to build community, create compelling programming and connect with audiences before these sports become fully mainstream. (Underpriced Actions)

Design finalists make wellbeing spatial
METROPOLIS’s Planet Positive finalists foreground built-environment projects that make sustainability, equity, health, and civic life tangible—including community and aquatic spaces. The field is a useful reminder that leisure is designed through the accessibility, resilience, and welcome of the places where people gather. (METROPOLIS)

Retreats turn autumn into healthspan travel
Healing Holidays’ autumn roundup places medical spa programs, stress management, and longevity concerns alongside the pleasures of Mediterranean retreat settings. It captures a growing leisure ideal in which hospitality is valued not just for escape, but for creating structured time and environments for restoration. (Healing Holidays)

Colorado puts residents in the plan
Colorado’s Destination Blueprint Program is bringing Clear Creek County, Cripple Creek, Meeker, and Park County into a year-long process for tourism marketing and management shaped by local priorities. Its emphasis on low-impact travel, inclusive access, and diversified visitor experiences offers a grounded model of destination stewardship that begins with community quality of life. (Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade)

Featuring exciting updates from Leisure Alchemy clients and partners.

Technogym announces multidisciplinary programs that combine business strategy, operations, science and technological innovation.
Based at Technogym Village in Cesena, Italy, the school offers executive, intensive and short-course formats taught by an international faculty of industry experts—including Leisure Alchemy founder Jeremy McCarthy, who brings his experience in luxury hospitality, spa and wellness management to the program. (Technogym School)